Gerber Mark II
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The Gerber Mark II was a fighting knife manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades from 1966 to 2000, plus a limited run of 1500 in 2002. It had a double edged, spear point, wasp-waisted blade, and used a distinctive handle similar to that of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife developed during World War II. Later versions used a partially serrated blade, with the serrations located where the earlier blades were wasp-waisted. The Mark II was commonly carried by US troops in the Vietnam War, and is second only to the KA-BAR knife in fame. The Mark II gained additional fame when it was featured in a memorable scene in the scifi/action blockbuster Aliens. Also appeared as Mel Gibsons boot knife in Mad Max 2 .
Some production runs of this knife had a 5-degree offset between the blade and the grip in order to ride in the sheath more comfortably. It was to compensate for the angle of attack between the clavicles and position the blade more into the vital organs from a rear overhead strike and/or upward thrust into the abdominal area also from behind as used for sentry removal. This was during the Vietnam war and ironically the military's base/post exchanges discontinued selling these knives under the reasoning 'of not in good taste' or 'too brutal'.
[edit] See also
- OKC-3S Bayonet
- List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
- Weapons of the Colonial Marines (of the motion picture Aliens)
[edit] External links
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