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Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife

Edged And Melee Weapons

The Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife is a British double edged dagger designed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes, drawing on the pair's experience with the Shanghai Municipal Police in China before the war. The first batch of fifty knives was produced in January 1941 by the Wilkinson Sword Company, and the design has a seven inch blade and an overall length of 11.5 inches with a distinctive foil like grip and an acutely tapered, sharply pointed blade optimized for thrusting though also capable of slashing. It became closely associated with British Commandos, Airborne Forces and the Special Air Service, and it gained particular fame during the Normandy landings in June 1944. The knife has remained in service with British special forces from 1941 to the present. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Weapon Class
Dagger 1
Introduced Year
1941 2
Classification
Service Status
In Service 1
Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)
Sword / Polearm / Bladed 1
Connections

Operated By

United States Army, Armed Forces and Units
Source Wikipedia: Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife

Used In

World War II, Wars
Source Wikipedia: Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife
In the Other Atlases

Manufactured By

Wilkinson Sword

Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife
  • Opening paragraph
    a double-edged fighting knife resembling a dagger or poignard
  • Lead section
    An order for 38,000 of the second pattern (slightly revised for wartime exigencies) followed in 1941. By the time of the third pattern of design refinements (dating from October 1943) the knife was being produced by several manufacturers.
  • History
    The first batch of 50 F-S fighting knives was produced in January 1941 by Wilkinson Sword Ltd.
  • Infobox, type
    Dagger
  • Infobox, service
    1941
  • Article text
    Poland - Used by 1 Brygada Spadochronowa (1st Independent Parachute Brigade), which was founded in exile alongside the British Army 1941-1947. United Kingdom - Formerly used by the SAS, the Special Service Brigade, the Chindits, SBS, and the Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom).
  • Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
  • Infobox: service
    1941-present
  • Used In: World War II, Infobox: wars
    World War II - present
  • Operated By: United States Army, Wikipedia article text
    Formerly used by United States Army Rangers, Marine Raiders, and the First Special Service Force.
  • In Group: Daggers and Knives, Infobox: type
    Dagger
View the Source
2. Wikidata: Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife
Wikidata Q196261, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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