{"product_id":"original-u-s-wwii-french-noumea-new-caledonia-fighting-knife-with-stag-handle-m6-scabbard-dated-1943","title":"Original U.S. WWII French Nouméa New Caledonia Fighting Knife with Stag Handle \u0026 M6 Scabbard - Dated 1943","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous handmade fighting knife with some phenomenal provenance etched into the guard. The guard reads “Nouméa N[ouv]elle-Calédonie” which is French for Noumea, New Caledonia. This is likely in reference to Naval Base Noumea which was a major United States Navy sea and air base utilized during World War II. The base was built during World War II to support the many ships and aircraft fighting and patrolling in the South West Pacific theatre of war as part of the Pacific War. Naval Base Noumea had an anchorage for large ships. Noumea was protected against submarine attack by a ring of islands and naval minefields. At its peak 50,000 troops were stationed at Naval Base Noumea. It can be assumed that this knife was either made here, or used here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe knife has a very nice stag handle which shows the interior spongy bone, appearing as thousands of tiny holes on the bottom and side of the handle. The stag is in good shape and has one nail on each side keeping it affixed to the knife. The blade of the knife is double-sided and heavily sharpened. The blade is roughly 6½” long with an overall length of 10¾”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe modified M6 scabbard reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eU.S. M6\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eL\u0026amp;C\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1943\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFJA\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scabbard has eight staples at the mouth and retains the metal plate on both sides. The belt loop has been removed and the securing strap has been kept in place making it very flimsy. The leg-tie is very long and held in place by a rubber band. A very interesting scabbard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very nice custom-made stag-handle fighting knife with some great provenance. Comes ready for further research and display.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42065087103045,"sku":"ONJR24MG373","price":395.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR24MG373__01.jpg?v=1728533436","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-wwii-french-noumea-new-caledonia-fighting-knife-with-stag-handle-m6-scabbard-dated-1943","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}