Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. Lieutenant Joseph Blanchard Condron, SC, USNR 142954 joined the Navy in 1942 having graduated from Lafayette College of Easton Pennsylvania and served as a supply officer in the South Pacific and China throughout the war receiving an honorable discharge in 1946. Included in his collection are the following items:
- Case V-42 Stiletto Knife. This is an excellent condition example of the very scarce V-42 Stiletto, which was developed for issue to the First Special Service Force (aka “The Devil’s Brigade”) during WWII. The First Special Service Force was the predecessor to what would be known as the Army Special Forces. In fact the V-42 is immortalized as the centerpiece of the logo of the current Army Special Forces (The Green Berets) today. The V-42 was officially designated, via the Quartermaster Department order as “Knives, Fighting Commando Type V-42”. According to US Government procurement and receiving reports, a total of 3,420 of the knives were purchased during World War II, not counting the 3 sample knives submitted by Case during the initial testing phase. The deliveries appear to have take place between late 1942 and November of 1943.
The V-42 knife was produced by the famous W.R. Case company of Bradford, PA. The W.R. Case company was started in 1889 by the Case Brothers: William Russell (WR), Jean, John and Andrew. Initially the sold knives as traveling salesmen, working the wagon roads of upstate New York, with their home base being Little Valley. The Case brothers had learned the knife making and retailing business while working for the Cattaraugus Cutlery Company. In 1905, John Russell Case, son of W.R. Case, moved the company to Bradford, PA and established it as W.R. Case & Sons. The company grew to become one of the foremost American knife making companies over the next few decades. During World War II, Case manufactured thousands of fighting knives and edged weapons for the US military including the M-3 Trench Knife, producing some 300,465 of those knives during the war. They also produced the USAAF Survival Machete and the V-42 Stiletto, which Case claimed to have produced more than 3,600 of during the war (See Cole), a number that slightly exceeds known US government purchasing records. The Case company remains in business in Bradford today, as a subsidiary of the Zippo Lighter Company.
The V-42 Stiletto was developed by Colonel Robert T. Frederick, who was to command the new First Special Service Force, an all volunteer join commando force utilizing both American and Canadian troops. The design of the knife was influenced by the close combat instructor for the battalion, Michael “Pat” O’Neill, who had served as a sergeant with the Shanghai Municipal Police under the legendary close combat instructors Fairbairn and Sykes. In fact the basic contour of the V-42 closely resembled that of the famous Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife. Colonel Frederick selected the sample knife submitted by Case, over examples provided by Camillus and Cattaraugus as well. The official specifications for the knife called a 7 5/16” stiletto style blade, although the hand made knives tended to vary in length very slightly by about 1/16” of an in, with 7 ¼” being fairly common. The hilt has a palm swell and was made of thin leather washers, stacked and compressed. A small steel crossguard separated the ricasso from the hilt. The obverse ricasso had a thumbprint sized serrated imprint, which was intended to allow the soldier to correctly orient the knife by feel, and allowed the thumb to index and support the knife when stabbing an opponent. As the knives were hand made by Case, the size and number of the serrations in the thumbprint is known to vary from knife to knife. Below the thumbprint serrations, the name CASE was stamped on the ricasso. A pointed pommel cap was included at the rear of the hilt, which was intended for use as a “skull crusher” in close combat. The pommel cap was secured to the hilt of the knife by a single transverse pin. The blade and the pommel caps were deeply blued to protect the metal of the knife and to minimize reflection from the metal. The knives were issued in leather scabbards that were similar to those issued with the Camillus USMC Raider Stiletto, and would eventually be used with the M-3 Trench Knife. The scabbard was leather, and was assembled by stitching and riveting the body together. The scabbards were very long, as the original mission for the First Special Service Force was thought to be as mountain troops operating in the snow covered regions behind German lines. The long scabbard allowed the knife to be reached easily, even when the soldier was wearing a parka. As the First Special Service Force, was sent to the Aleutian Islands in 1943, the long scabbard was probably appreciated. The First Special Service Force saw additional service in Italy, Anzio, and France before they were disbanded in 1944. The initial lot of 1,750 of the knives were delivered to the First Special Service Force in November of 1942. An additional 70 knives were delivered to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in February of 1943. These were the only knives not delivered to the First Special Service Force, and are the knives that appear to have been issued to the landing crew of the Light Cruiser OMAHA. The balance of the V-42 stilettos were delivered during 1943, with 600 arriving in June, 100 in October and the last 900 being delivered in November.
Overall this is a wonderful, field used and carried World War II issue V-42 First Special Service Force Stiletto. With only 3,420 of these knives produced, these knives are very rare today and are not often found on the collector market for sale. Official records indicate that Camillus produced 14,370 of the incredibly scarce USMC Raider Stiletto during World War II. With only 3,420 V-42s produced, they are about 4 times rarer than the coveted Raider Stiletto. As such, they ought to command prices about 4 times higher! This knife is 100% original and correct in every way. It also retains its original scabbard in fine condition. These knives rarely appear on the market for sale, and this is one you will never have to make and excuse for and will be a great addition to your WWII edged weapons collection.
- Original WWII Dog Tag that reads Joseph Blanchard Condron, ENS SC, T/10 42 USNR.
- 80+ Original Wartime Photos many of Condron, his "Honest Joe's Ships Store", bases on the South Pacific, Islanders, his friends and more.
- 20+ Pages of Original Wartime Documents including a letter from the Dean of Lafayette College recommending Condron to the USNR, Separation documentation, Service Record, Pay record and more.
Its no wonder a supply officer was able to trade to get a very desirable V42 Marine Raiders knife!
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
