My father (339TH Infantry) carried a Case XX in Italy, WW2. He left it to me. (Yes, I'm old. No... I won't sell it). I have several old photos of him with it in Italy, 1943/44. It went through a lot of battles with him, including Salerno and Monte Casino. He carried it with him, as they were some of the very first to enter Rome. Somewhere along the way, he broke the black handle, throwing it at crates. (Teenagers). He replaced the handle with stag from "horns" mounted above a huge fireplace, in an old Palace, they had just taken. The shape is the same as the original, except it's less refined, more boxy. The stag has grown dark ivory in color. It has file marks on it, from where he worked on it in spare moments, mostly in foxholes, as they lived in them (or died). The handle is held in place with square head bolts/nuts mostly imbeded in the stag. He did what he could. It's a combat weapon/utility tool, not a presentation piece. It is rough. But I love it so, as he carried it through those dark days, fighting to free Europe. The blade has marks from use. Go figure. It also has names he scratched into it, marking their progress. They are, "Gothic Line", "Winter Line", and "Hitler Line" with dates for each, (if I remember right). Other GIs told him, "If the Krauts get you with that on you, they will use it on you". His reply was, "If I still have this... they haven't got me". (He and some of the original squad, vowed to never surrender. They never did. Most didn't survive the war). 9 My father was a big, athletic guy, 6'1", 225. He used his Bowie to intimidate German prisoners. The American officer interigating the prisoner, would ask questions in German. (My father didn't speak/understand German). They wouldn't talk. They were seated, alone, with a light on their face. My father's shoulders and face were in the shadows, but his hands and knife were in the light. As they were being questioned, he would take out his knife/stone, and slowly sharpen that big blade. Slowly... He watched for the sweat beads to pop up on their forehead. When they did... He would slowly pull up his sleeve, wet his arm hair, and shave a small patch. He said, they all started singing at that point. (Was that ethical? He never touched them. The war was shortened. Lives were saved). He was wounded, not long after Rome, and out of the war. German 88s caught him and his buddies, killing six. He was a big guy, but carried to safety, still under fire, by a little guy with a lot of guts. My father was in the hospital in Naples for about a year, before they would put him on the hospital ship for America, then another year or so in the veteran hospital (Kalamazoo), before finally home for good. Old photos show that he used that big knife to cut his wedding cake in 1947. I was born 5 years later. He gave me a modern (Early 70s) Western Bowie, of similar size/shape when I started Ranger training. Couldn't carry it in training, but I did later in Alaska, where it was handy. Great for camping, parting out moose, and such. I think this is longer than the actual video. Lol. Sorry. But... A little piece of us all, is in the stories of our "greatest generation". Most vets wouldn't talk about their WW2 experiences. My father spoke of it, about every day. Maybe that is why he was such a happy person. I have a wealth of stories from him, and am blessed for it. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for sharing! Hopefully you have somebody you can pass the knife down to to keep it in the family. My grandfather was in WW2, on an island they did bombing raids from.
My algorithms has been showing me Bowie knives every day. Nice collection. My brother has had a Western 49 since around 83' and it's one of the most well made production made Bowies I've ever seen and he has used the dog crap out of it!
Great pieces. I'm glad you said, "made famous by" and not created by. Most people aren't as smart as you! haha! This design goes back notably to the early 1800's
The Bowie design has been around for a while. I try to get everything right… sometimes I misspeak because I try to do my videos with 1 take if possible… Thanks! I appreciate it! 🤜🏼🤛🏼
I didn't know these were mass produced and issued. I had an Ultimate Soldier 12inch figure that was supposed to be a 101st paratrooper in Normandy which came with a bowie knife. I thought maybe the bowie knife was a little corny, but now seeing this makes it feel more authentic.
Thanks man! I hope you enjoyed it and the second video. I have a good amount of money tied up in these, so I’m not sure whether to sell most of it or leave it to my children….🤷🏼♂️
@@wellregulated8725 DON`T sell it. Why should you? Just in case you needed money, O.K., but late you might regret it. Maybe sell the Collins in not so good shape, which you have twice :-) Congrats to your OUTSTANDING collection! Thanks for this intersting and informative video!
@@alfredkonig4639 thanks! I always feel like the money could be better spent. I’m missing that one Aluminum v-44 from New Zealand. May give them to my boys.
Bx-54 was the nomenclature assigned by Western when they made these knives. V44 is a misnomer that came about in the late 50's early 60's via a collectors book with bad info.
These knives are so cool. I think i would personally prefer also bit thicker, but i think personally ideal would be distal taper where the blade starts out thick then gradually gets thinner towards the tip so it would be very good slicer, but still pretty robust
Great video..i have the Ontario SP10 Marine Raider. You can see where the SP10 Come from..the VZ44. I also have the Ontario M9 and the Ontario 1-18 militair machete.. Thanks for the video!
I miss Atlanta Cutlery Corp aka ACC and their connection with Windlass Steel Craft ,they had a hook up on ole blade of that type and some very good replicas and reproduction 🐻 COVID and Them just shut thing down for ACC and Windlass Steel Craft catalog. The had Kukris and many military surplus blades and replica. 🦉⚖️
@wellregulated8725 Yes I never knew there were WWII Models. Closest I have is a CASE machete with the folding Black micarta handle-- The CASE Bowie came with white handle and an edge that wouldn't cut butter but I fixed that with a Lansky and added a leather lace to secure to my Leg.----Thanks I'll SUB
Part 3 - Complete V44 Style WW2 Knives Part 3
ua-cam.com/video/dlgFs_TtQ6o/v-deo.html
My father (339TH Infantry) carried a Case XX in Italy, WW2. He left it to me. (Yes, I'm old. No... I won't sell it). I have several old photos of him with it in Italy, 1943/44. It went through a lot of battles with him, including Salerno and Monte Casino. He carried it with him, as they were some of the very first to enter Rome. Somewhere along the way, he broke the black handle, throwing it at crates. (Teenagers). He replaced the handle with stag from "horns" mounted above a huge fireplace, in an old Palace, they had just taken. The shape is the same as the original, except it's less refined, more boxy. The stag has grown dark ivory in color. It has file marks on it, from where he worked on it in spare moments, mostly in foxholes, as they lived in them (or died). The handle is held in place with square head bolts/nuts mostly imbeded in the stag. He did what he could. It's a combat weapon/utility tool, not a presentation piece.
It is rough. But I love it so, as he carried it through those dark days, fighting to free Europe.
The blade has marks from use. Go figure. It also has names he scratched into it, marking their progress. They are, "Gothic Line", "Winter Line", and "Hitler Line" with dates for each, (if I remember right). Other GIs told him, "If the Krauts get you with that on you, they will use it on you". His reply was, "If I still have this... they haven't got me". (He and some of the original squad, vowed to never surrender. They never did. Most didn't survive the war).
9
My father was a big, athletic guy, 6'1", 225. He used his Bowie to intimidate German prisoners. The American officer interigating the prisoner, would ask questions in German. (My father didn't speak/understand German). They wouldn't talk. They were seated, alone, with a light on their face. My father's shoulders and face were in the shadows, but his hands and knife were in the light. As they were being questioned, he would take out his knife/stone, and slowly sharpen that big blade. Slowly... He watched for the sweat beads to pop up on their forehead. When they did... He would slowly pull up his sleeve, wet his arm hair, and shave a small patch. He said, they all started singing at that point. (Was that ethical? He never touched them. The war was shortened. Lives were saved).
He was wounded, not long after Rome, and out of the war. German 88s caught him and his buddies, killing six. He was a big guy, but carried to safety, still under fire, by a little guy with a lot of guts. My father was in the hospital in Naples for about a year, before they would put him on the hospital ship for America, then another year or so in the veteran hospital (Kalamazoo), before finally home for good.
Old photos show that he used that big knife to cut his wedding cake in 1947. I was born 5 years later.
He gave me a modern (Early 70s) Western Bowie, of similar size/shape when I started Ranger training. Couldn't carry it in training, but I did later in Alaska, where it was handy. Great for camping, parting out moose, and such.
I think this is longer than the actual video. Lol. Sorry. But... A little piece of us all, is in the stories of our "greatest generation". Most vets wouldn't talk about their WW2 experiences. My father spoke of it, about every day. Maybe that is why he was such a happy person. I have a wealth of stories from him, and am blessed for it. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for sharing! Hopefully you have somebody you can pass the knife down to to keep it in the family. My grandfather was in WW2, on an island they did bombing raids from.
I appreciate the story. I wish I knew all the stories of my knives.
Please write down the history and copy all photos when you pass it to and even post it online so it can be looked up should papers be lost
Wonderful pice of history!!! Thanks for sharing.
I,m going to order one this week🗡
Those knives are sweet. Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to see your design.
Should be heat treated tomorrow! I’ll send you a pic soon.
My favorite WW2 knife 👍🏻🇦🇺 so good to finally see a video on these 😊
I have a second video coming out with some more that are awesome!
@@wellregulated8725 good stuff ;) can’t wait
@@jasemac5391 thanks!
Bowies are designed for a frontier adventure type context
The military bought the Collins V-44s as machete no. 18…. But yeah, Bowies are a useful too and weapon.
My algorithms has been showing me Bowie knives every day. Nice collection. My brother has had a Western 49 since around 83' and it's one of the most well made production made Bowies I've ever seen and he has used the dog crap out of it!
Those are full tang. Some of these only have a partial tang, and it was pretty common to crack some handles with hard use.
I have several V-44's, but I have a Kinfolk that someone put stag scale on it and did an outstanding job, most likely done in theater during WW2.
Awesome! I’ve seen a few done with stag. Where would they get those in theater though!
Great pieces. I'm glad you said, "made famous by" and not created by. Most people aren't as smart as you! haha! This design goes back notably to the early 1800's
The Bowie design has been around for a while. I try to get everything right… sometimes I misspeak because I try to do my videos with 1 take if possible… Thanks! I appreciate it! 🤜🏼🤛🏼
I don’t claim to be an SME either… just making some videos.
I made a second video too about V-44s…. The second one has some cool knives… nobody is watching it though…🤷🏼♂️
@@wellregulated8725 not everyone has good taste
@@wellregulated8725 I'm the same way. I don't edit and I don't plan what I'm going to say
I didn't know these were mass produced and issued. I had an Ultimate Soldier 12inch figure that was supposed to be a 101st paratrooper in Normandy which came with a bowie knife. I thought maybe the bowie knife was a little corny, but now seeing this makes it feel more authentic.
Cool, I bought one on eBay, but it was lost in the mail.
I had a Case V-44 with the end of the handle broken off. My brother and I played with that all the time as kids. It is lost now but for our memories.
That’s too bad….. maybe you’ll come across it in the future.
Outstanding video my brother and a Outstanding collection
Thanks man! I hope you enjoyed it and the second video. I have a good amount of money tied up in these, so I’m not sure whether to sell most of it or leave it to my children….🤷🏼♂️
@@wellregulated8725 DON`T sell it. Why should you? Just in case you needed money, O.K., but late you might regret it. Maybe sell the Collins in not so good shape, which you have twice :-)
Congrats to your OUTSTANDING collection!
Thanks for this intersting and informative video!
@@alfredkonig4639 thanks! I always feel like the money could be better spent. I’m missing that one Aluminum v-44 from New Zealand. May give them to my boys.
Great job. The V44 is one of my favs. I have a Trail Bowie, and a Recon Bowie that come close, sans cigar
Thanks! Hope you enjoyed it. Have a few other V44 vids.
Man those badass Bowie’s if they could talk I bet they had some badass story’s
I wish I had the stories on all of these. I still need to submit some paperwork to get information on some of the men that carry them.
Bx-54 was the nomenclature assigned by Western when they made these knives.
V44 is a misnomer that came about in the late 50's early 60's via a collectors book with bad info.
I thought I included that in the second video or in the description. 👍🏼
These knives are so cool. I think i would personally prefer also bit thicker, but i think personally ideal would be distal taper where the blade starts out thick then gradually gets thinner towards the tip so it would be very good slicer, but still pretty robust
They are all WW2 blades. The one I designed is 3/16” thick
@@wellregulated8725 sounds good
In WWII the Western States Cutlery Bx-54 Bowie knife was known as the Bushman.
Cool
Really cool pieces of history
What a awesome collection. Thanks for sharing 🤘🏼😎
Did you see the second video?
Thanks!
@@wellregulated8725 I will now😁👍
@@sicsempertyrannis4104 I have a few more in the next one. I also picked up a nickel plated, Collins.
Most impressive and one of my favorite blade designs...thanks...woods
Thanks! I have a few more V44 videos.
Informative. Thank you.
Thanks!
Badassssss knives
Thanks man! 🤜🏼🤛🏼
@@wellregulated8725 Shoudn't you be at work?
Great video
@@christophernoel1718 thanks!
@@christophernoel1718 with Covid? 🤷🏼♂️
Them knives probably toke a lot of lives ,hooray 🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊🎉🎊
I have two with notches in them.
@@wellregulated8725 👍
Excellent video. Thanks. I live in the Collinsville area and have a very small collection as well.
That’s awesome! I randomly picked up a nickel plated one recently. Lot of great local pieces!
Great vid really enjoyed love to own just one of those beautiful knives!
I’ll have another video coming out soon. Thank you!
Check eBay! They show up pretty often. Just careful not to buy a rough rider reproduction with the fuller. The sheath looks original.
I have the remaining models in my collection now.
@@wellregulated8725 don’t think I have much chance on ebay as I’m in Uk and there not keen on trading knives unfortunately
My western and kinfolks are my favorite out of every ww2 v44 I have both factory made and the theatric made ones (Aussie ones also)
Cool! I’ve seen some cool theater v-44 handles. I like the knuckle dusters a lot!
I need that aluminum handled one they made for the Raiders.
Muy buenos Bowie amigo,un saludo del canal de cuchillería artesanal Alvaro Brat 🤠👍🔪🇦🇷
Thank you!
Great video..i have the Ontario SP10 Marine Raider.
You can see where the SP10 Come from..the VZ44.
I also have the Ontario M9 and the Ontario 1-18 militair machete..
Thanks for the video!
I bought an SP-10 around 97-98. You can definitely tell it drew from the western version. Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it!
Just bought a Western W 49 from 1979.
Cool knives!
@@wellregulated8725 they really are👍🏻
I miss Atlanta Cutlery Corp aka ACC and their connection with Windlass Steel Craft ,they had a hook up on ole blade of that type and some very good replicas and reproduction 🐻
COVID and Them just shut thing down for ACC and Windlass Steel Craft catalog.
The had Kukris and many military surplus blades and replica. 🦉⚖️
Cool
Case Bowie right here In my Hand and it's Absolutely 💯
Awesome!
I want to field test...But
Do you have a newer production?
@wellregulated8725
Yes
I never knew there were WWII
Models. Closest I have is a CASE machete with the folding
Black micarta handle--
The CASE Bowie came with white handle and an edge that wouldn't cut butter but I fixed that with a Lansky and added a leather lace to secure to my Leg.----Thanks I'll SUB
@@kennethdoughty644 cool! Yep, case was in there.
Why do you think the green handle is Buffalo 🦬 horn ?
@@jerrywalton5233 that’s what they call it.
their hilts closely resemble that of the Mamluke sabre
I can see the resemblance
What’s the purpose of the extra two rivets on the Collins knifes? 🇺🇸👨🏻🦼🪖🙏
Not exactly sure. But this was more of a machete for them, and I think it closely resembles their machete handles. I really want to X-rays one.
They look like case Bowie knives
One is. Pretty sure the Collins predates the case.
@@wellregulated8725 how is the steel on the Collins?
@@Mike-tf9rx seems like decent carbon steel. Can get pretty sharp. These are collectors though… only cut a few water bottles.
Part 2 !
V-44 Style Raider Bowies from WW2 Part 2
ua-cam.com/video/e1XmXPTjUis/v-deo.html