Original Item: Only One Available. This is a solid example of the rare U.S. WWII Everitt Knuckle fighting knife. It features a green painted handle which retains basically none of the original paint, only one the inside of the fingers and in some other small spots, with the correct original leather scabbard. No reference indicates that anyone knows who “Everitt” was, or who the company that produced the knives was. Some have surmised that it was the location of manufacture, but due to the passage of time, most likely the true answer will never be known. This example is named both on the knife and scabbard, so they have absolutely always been together.

What is known is that these fighting knives were produced for use by US troops in the Pacific Theater of operations, and measure almost 12” in overall length. They feature a 5” long cast aluminum hilt, with four finger holes, which have small flat raised areas on the outside of each. The "palm" area of the grip is checkered, with a raised EVERITT marking. This is important to note, as most replicas of these have a stamped marking, and lack the proper texture. These knives came with either a black or green enamel paint on the handle, and this example has the less often seen green paint, although it’s mostly gone. The lack of paint and name certainly means this knife had a long service life during World War II.

The blade is a simple double-edged spear-point design, which measures about 7 inches long with thin central fullers. The knife is clearly intended for stabbing and only offered limited utility for the other duties that a combat knife might be called upon to deliver. The blades were usually painted with black enamel, however this example has a more silver coloring that has faded in many places, revealing the original finish underneath. The handle of the knife is stamped WITT.

The correct scabbard for these knives is almost rarer than the knife itself, as they often degraded and were lost. This scabbard is absolutely correct, with the 6 staples on the throat, along with 10 round side rivets, and the metal plate on the BACK of the scabbard. The design is somewhat like the M6 leather scabbard, but definitely has some important differences, as can be seen. The scabbard is in great shape with just the slightest storage wear present.

The metal plate on the scabbard is stamped EARL WITT with E WITT stamped into the leather on the belt loop. There are unfortunately a great deal of Earl Witts who served during World War II, so we can’t narrow down which one owned and used this knife, but with enough research, you could possibly narrow it down. A great research project!
 

A great chance to pick up a very nice example of a rare named WWII Knuckle knife. Ready for further research and display.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 7"
Blade Style: Double Edged Dagger
Overall length: 12“
Guard: 5" long x 2¾" wide