The Ka-Bar Fighting Knife

The Ka-Bar knife design was around before WW2 had started. It was sold as a hunting knife out of a catalog. The Marine Corps was first using the Mark 1 Trench knife among others. It did not really suit the style knife the Marines wanted and they set out to find a replacement. A style was found in a hunting catalog that seemed to meet their needs and the Marines started purchasing knives from different sources that were all similar in style.

There were millions of knives made during the war by companies such as Ka-Bar, Ontario Knife, Camillus and Case. Over time the Marines decided on the final shape that they wanted and Ka-Bar became the company to start making this new design. The knife, although cheap to make, was rugged enough to do the job.

The ka-Bar company really started out in 1897 as the Tidioute Cutlery Company. This company was bought and renamed the Union Cutlery Company. The name Ka-Bar was initially just a trade mark name, but in 1995 the company renamed itself the Ka-Bar Cutlery Inc.

The story of the Ka-Bar name is supposed to have come from a letter a trapper had mailed in to the company in the 1920's. He wrote that he had been attacked by a Bear, his rifle had jammed, and he was able to kill the Bear with his knife that he had purchased from them. His hand writing was hard to read but the name Ka-Bar stood out. The company chose the name as their trademark name.

No matter which company manufactured this knife, they are all referred to as Ka-Bar.