Original Cold War Polish Paratrooper Knife with Leather Scabbard – Dated 1953 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. These types of knives go back to the early days of the development of airborne operations. The idea was that a paratrooper would need quick access to a knife to help extricate himself if he became hung up or tangled in his parachute upon landing. The Germans in WWII invented the “gravity knife” for this purpose, and their jump smocks had a special pocket for it. The U.S. copied German doctrine but had the M2 “Parachutists’ Knife”, a switchblade, which also had its own special pocket in the M42 jump jacket. The M2’s were issued to each man as he graduated from Jump School.

The scalloped sides are razor sharp, but the head is blunted so you can push it under your harness without stabbing yourself. Both sides are identical. Polish issue marks WP-D and number 53 indicating the date is on one side of the ricasso with issue number 6849 on the opposite side. This knife is in good condition and shows signs of being used. The wood handle still retains all of its original finish and has no damage. The metal caps used at the butt and bolster still retain most of their black paint, with the bolster area cap at about 40% paint loss. The blade is in great condition and appears to have the original factory sharpened edge, showing no signs of additional sharpening.

The leather is intact with all 4 bales present and solid stitching. It shows signs of being heavily used. The leather has some expected rub marks and shows no signs of being damaged in any way, it’s still of solid construction.

Measurements:
Blade Length: 5 ⅛ inches
Blade Width: 1 inch
Total Knife Length: 10 inches
Sheath Length: 7 ⅛ inches
Sheath Width: 2 ⅛ inches
Total Length of Knife in Sheath: 10 ½ inches

Poland has a rich tradition of parachute troops dating back to Free Polish paratroopers who jumped at Arnhem during World War II. This tradition continued throughout the Cold War when Polish airborne forces were considered one of the better units in the Warsaw Pact.

This is an excellent piece of Cold War history and will add a sharp look to any airborne related collection!