Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent service-worn original U.S. WWII M3 fighting knife manufactured by Aerial Cutlery Manufacturing Company of Marinette, Wisconsin, complete with an original 1943-dated M6 leather scabbard by MILSCO. Aerial was one of the least prolific of the nine wartime M3 manufacturers, producing approximately 51,784 knives, making surviving Aerial examples considerably less common than those by Imperial, Utica, Camillus, or Case. This example is especially desirable for its early blade marking, stacked leather grip, Ordnance-marked pommel, and correct 1943 leather M6 scabbard.

Approximately 2,590,247 M3 fighting knives were manufactured in total by nine companies during the remarkably short 1943-1944 production period, making the 51,784 produced by Aerial only 2% of the total amount.

These fighting knives were preferred by American infantry during World War Two for hand to hand combat. This knife is very early production, indicated by the maker information being stamped directly on the blade: U.S. M3 - AERIAL / MARINETTE, WIS. The 6 1/2 inch spear point blade is in very good service-worn condition, with much of the finish present under some oxidation peppering, with some period sharpening along the edge.

The handle and stacked leather grip are in good condition, with some scuffing and cracking as shown, with H scratched into the bottom of the grip. The crossguard is still in the correct shape, straight with a forward bend at the top for the thumb, though the straight side is bent a small bit downward. The bottom of the pommel shows the faint U.S. "Flaming Bomb" ordnance proof mark and correct flat tang.

The original M6 leather scabbard is in great shape, and still clearly marked U.S. M6 / MILSCO / 1943 just under the stapled throat. This was one of the larger makers, who produced about 45% of the scabbards, the largest contractor. The laundry number H5380 is scratched into the finish of the body, which is likely what the soldier was attempting to carve into the grip, which likely makes this knife and scabbard a matching set. There may be another faint laundry number on the front of the belt loop, reading S1277, so this knife certainly saw WWII use!

The scabbard leather is a nice gently aged brown, with some staining and scuffing to the leather. All of the rivets and staple pins holding the scabbard body together are still intact. This is the original scabbard designed for this knife, which was then replaced with the Fiberglass M8/M8A1 scabbards, which were also used with the M4 bayonet.

Condition overall is very good and genuinely service worn. The blade retains substantial original finish with oxidation peppering and old sharpening, the stacked leather grip shows scuffing and cracking, and one side of the crossguard has a slight downward bend. The 1943 MILSCO scabbard retains all of its major fittings and shows expected staining, scuffing, and surface wear. The H, H5380, and possible S1277 markings give the set additional evidence of individual ownership and an intriguing avenue for further research.

With its scarce Aerial Cutlery blade marking, approximately 51,784-piece manufacturer production total, surviving Ordnance-marked pommel, well-used stacked leather grip, and original 1943 MILSCO M6 leather scabbard, this is a particularly strong example of the short-lived M3 fighting knife in its early wartime configuration.

Dimensions:
Blade length: 6 5/8”
Overall length: 11 5/8”
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard length: 13 1/4"