Original Item: Only One Available. During World War II, several machine shops and knife makers produced thousands of combat knives for the US troops. Among them, San Antonio Iron Works produced a great example of a fighting knife, which we are proud to offer. These knives have been grouped by collectors as "Theater Knives", which refers to those combat knives that were either produced or modified "in theater" by US servicemen, even though these purpose-made fighting knives were produced in the United States.

The San Antonio Iron Works knives were mostly created by repurposing obsolete US M-1913 "Patton Sabers". Three fighting knives were manufactured from each sword. One used the original hilt, ricasso, and the first few inches of the blade like this one, while the next two were produced with new hilts and blades made from the middle and end portions of the original sword blades.

Even though the knives were unmarked, except for any original markings that were present on the swords (like SA / 1913 on this example), they are identifiable by their very well-made and decorated leather scabbards which is fortunately present. Most of the sword-knives were produced with Bowie-style blades that were quite intimidating in appearance, and the blades were often sharpened to a razor-like edge.

This San Antonio Iron Works fighting knife is in near-excellent condition and is one of the most desirable knives as it is made from the hilt end of the original Patton saber. The 8 ⅜” blade has an elaborate upturned false edge and has been reshaped to have a Bowie-like tip. The knife is approximately 14 ½” in overall length and still has the original hilt from the Patton saber. The cross-guard is a 3” long, 1” wide oval with a thick leather washer between two pieces of steel. The original Patton saber hard rubber grips are retained and are in very fine condition, with sharp checkering and no chips or breaks. The obverse ricasso of the knife is crisply and clearly marked with US / 5927, and the reverse ricasso is marked with S (FLAMING ORDNANCE BOMB) A / 1913. These markings indicate that the original saber was serial number 5927, produced by the Springfield Armory in 1913.

The leather scabbard is in near-excellent condition. The embossed decorations on the front of the scabbard are very crisp and clean, with only some light accumulation of dust and dirt present in the recesses of the embossing. The stitching is all-original, complete and remains as tight as the day the scabbard was manufactured. The leather shows some very minor crazing in the finish on the rear, but otherwise, it remains in fantastic condition. The original hilt-retaining strap is present, and the brass snap functions perfectly. The scabbard is designed to fit belts up to about 5 inches in width, but it doesn't show any signs of having spent any significant time on a belt. The knife fits the scabbard well, but the scabbard seems to have shrunk slightly over the last 60 years, and about 1/4 inch of ricasso remains exposed when the knife is sheathed.

Overall this is a really fantastic example of one of the better known, factory produced US fighting knives of World War II. Comes more than ready for further research and display.