The Randall Collector
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Autumn
2004
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Twentieth Century Bowie Knives — An Essay |
Not every one can locate an antique Bowie knife, let alone afford one. They are, and have been for sometime the prized possessions of a few perceptive collectors and the time to have begun serious collecting would be measured in decades past, not years. Their history however is coupled with the events of an expanding frontier, in a young country when a good handmade knife was a necessity. Rich in lore, expensive and coveted by those that can afford them today, the Bowie knife all but vanished as a "side knife" one hundred and fifty years ago.
But most men so inclined can search out, afford and easily acquire a handcrafted American fighting knife with a remarkable history of its own. Like the Bowie that came before it, Randall Made hand forged and hand ground fighters have served the present day American Fighting man for over 60 years and through 3 major wars and countless lesser engagements. While much of Bowie legend has been colored by the struggle to identify the knife that made its namesake famous at the Sandbar fight, or the Alamo, there is no such mystery about the knife carried by 3 generations of fighting Americans in combat theaters all over the world.
We hasten to praise the blacksmith-made knife of the 19th century as a truly American creation and one associated with the expanding frontier. We must also readily acknowledge the mammoth undertaking of the English cutlery Industry which grew to dominate the trade in America and influence the type and style of fighting knife that we seek to collect today. British made? Yes, and exported to America in the tens of thousands for decades, augmenting the meager output of American bladesmiths, and capitalizing on the need for a trusty, reliable and formidable weapon of personal defense.
Just as James Bowie's knife is the subject of continued speculation, so to is the factual early history of the era that spawned it. We may never reach agreement after all these years about who used what knife against whom, or even whether these knives were effective in "everymans" hands, or merely an outward symbol of personal defense best left unchallenged.Southerners are reported to have carried a side knife during the Confederacy's struggle with the Union and undoubtedly used them. Federals carried knives as well, but were issued a bayonet, which was relied upon as a fighting knife more frequently when attached to the end of a rifle. When that war ended, the era of the big Bowie type knife ended with it and the mass-produced, machine made knives of the late nineteenth century soon all but erased their memory.The appeal of the fighting knife, real and fanciful, is a personal thing, which has accounted for the many variations that we see in the antique Bowie repetoir. The fighting knife comes down to two basic designs however, the clip point and the spear point. If you are fortunate enough to have a copy of The Antique Bowie Knife Book by Adams, Voyles and Moss, then you know something about these designs and variations. Although not the first in Bowie knife books it is the latest and it has set a standard for those that follow it both in substance and format. In our quest for a modern day fighter, the choices remain the same as back when those Bowies were made; clip point or stiletto. The latter an ancient design, the former an adaptation that has become synonymous with America and its growing nation.
It's the availability of these knives that is the subject of this commentary. As we know, any knife will cut if sharp and some cost so little that they are not worth using a second time. Mass production beginning during the late 19th century followed by the knife Industry's proliferation of the late 20th Century has flooded the market with every size and dimension imaginable.
When we consider the popularity of the Antique Bowie knife and of Randall Fighters we can probably account for their continued appeal by acknowledging them as "Classic"; that is they have stood the test of time. But the latter remains available and is still being used for its intended purpose while establishing itself as a well designed and valuable collector's piece as well. Further we can identify with the development of Mr. Randall's "fighters" and "fighting stilettos" which helps to explain how they have managed to remain so popular while achieving collector status on a big scale.
World War II saw the introduction of a fighting knife that in many ways recalls some Bowies of the previous century. Back then most didn't know what a real Bowie knife was and that was true of Bo Randall as well. But he did know how to handcraft a knife and by the time we entered the war he had refined those skills and dedicated his new business to creating knives for American servicemen. The model #1 all-purpose fighter grew out of his innovation of an early design and the model #2 fighting stiletto from an adaptation of the classic European dagger. These knives were to become the hallmark for this period and set the standard for fighter's right up to today.
Perhaps as many as 5000 Randall fighters and stilettos accompanied our troops to a theater of operations during the big war. Many of these knives have survived both the conflict and the interim period to reside in knife collections. The number is sufficient for us to evaluate these knives and appreciate the design and workmanship that is reflected in each individual hand crafted piece, thereby establishing the cornerstone for their continued appeal.
Randall fighting knives of the 1940's showed the results of blade and handle evolution, but the characteristics of those two designs were well established. These knives from this era are now 60 years old, qualify as semi-antique, represent a return to handforging and can in many cases be attributed to battles, campaigns, and individual acts of heroism by the men who carried them. Herein lies the parallel with the Bowies of the previous century.
But this is just the beginning of the legacy. These early fighters like the knives of a century before were not very fancy and fancy has an appeal. As the decade of the '50's began, the knife of the past war had been dressed up, just like the later Bowies and offered the type of mountings that were unavailable on the leather handled humpbacked blades of the earlier knives. Now available along with a more streamlined blade was nickel silver, choice handle materials like stag and ivory, name etching, and an improved sheath. These knives for the first time were not just created for our fighting men during wartime but for anyone who fancied himself a fighting man, real or imagined. The strictly functional knife of the '40's retained its basic appeal but now carried a more personalized product to the customer.
This is an important period in the continued development of the Randall Fighter, which can qualify as a "Bowie" knife in design, size and intended use. Between the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War, there was a span of 10 years, during which time a careful reworking of the original design took place culminating in a "fighter blade" that had reached a high point in both form and function. This is recognizable to interested observers and the knives of this period are furiously collected today. The products of this period can be best appreciated by comparing them to the knives of the early and mid 1940's.
Evolution is inevitable, apparently with knives as well. The requirement of another generation of fighting men during the early 1960's once again brought about some additional changes in the two standard catalog fighting models that we are discussing, which are reflected in blade style and handle material. A wider blade with a shallow choil was introduced to add strength at the ricasso and that change impacted in the overall appearance of the knife.
A new handle material called micarta completed the upgrade and the "fighter" and "fighting stiletto" entered into its third decade and as many wars, dressed in a new suit of clothes.
We pause here to evaluate the knifes progress on the way to becoming a classic in the true sense of the word. We have put forth that there are three distinct types of the same fighter model (fighter & fighting stiletto) and those styles are subsequently identified with the three major conflicts where these knives were carried and used. The result was that another generation of fighting man could relate to "his war" and the design of the knife that he carried.
It is coincidental with this later period and the war in Vietnam that see new models created, going just a step further than the refinements of the original design which produced a full tang fighter with a strengthened blade, field-functional handle material and no personal options. The Models #14 and 15 prototypes were created to satisfy the requirement for mass producing a combat knife for ground troops and aircrews. Rather than enhancements we are witnessing a return to basics and the standard fighter would enjoy another life.
Many of the current collectors have a high interest in the Vietnam era. It's a war of our time and one that many served in. The above mentioned "furniture" on these battle blades was more to their liking and in step with the low-profile, highly functional equipment of then and now. The knife tells the same story to a degree, with a reinforced blade, many of stainless steel and the highly popular full tangs with extension and handle slabs. The blade is however a Model #1 fighter through and through, and certainly looks like the descendent of the first Bowie-like fighters produced during WWII. Along with these knives comes a more functional sheath offering more security and rigged for multiple carry positions. All of this in the wake of dozens of massed produced counterparts flooding the market.
This period hasn't quite ended although the trend to high tech materials for knife and sheath is in great demand. The lasting appeal of these fighting knives is as strong now as ever and is supported by a large number of collectors and a growing base of new owners who will gradually matriculate toward acquiring the early pieces.
Let's take a closer look at the full tang knives. Like the fighters that came before them, these models with their reinforced and somewhat enlarged blades did have a style of their own. They followed a similar path of development and refinement as did the fighters and that in part accounts for the early irregularities in forging, grinding and fitting the knife. It's those differences that strike the eye and attract the collector, although probably ignored by the person carrying the knife in the field at the time.
The blade
size on the Model #14 and #18 were large in comparison with earlier fighters
in spite of the length being 7 ½ inches, quite Bowie-like in appearance.
Substantial in size and strength they provided for a wider range of use
in a combat environment, but the principal purpose was to cut and slash
if needed and they were very well suited for the work. These knives are
still being produced today, as are the original "fighter" and
"fighting stiletto", but it is the earlier knives that display
the hand craftsmanship that puts them in the category of highly collectible.
The remainder of the story deals with the real life use of these knives in a historic sense. To be collectible there must be an appeal to quality, uniqueness, value and some sort of provenance. Herein lays the real strength of these twentieth century fighters due to the high number of cases where they have been personally documented by the owner, or his heir, as being carried in a wartime theater of operations.
The 6th Ranger Battalion, while freeing American soldiers from a prisoner of war camp at Cabanatuan in the Philippines, executed the most famous and successful U.S.Army Ranger raid during WW II. Against overwhelming odds two hand picked groups of 100 Rangers conducted an insurgency deep into enemy held territory, annihilated the Japanese, freed the prisoners and brought hundreds to safety. Lt. William O'Connell led one of these groups and he carried a Randall 7-inch "fighter" throughout this operation and the entire remaining campaign.
U. S. Army officer cadet Myland, who had served in the USAAC during WW II, purchased a "fighting stiletto" with 8-inch blade when flying observation missions out of Florida. He carried it again as an Infantry Corporal during the Korean conflict where in his own words "I had to cut one commie Korean to get his attention. I'm not denigrating this knife but I firmly believe a bullet from a distance is much easier to live with."
A Model #15-5 with brown micarta handle, etched with the name of the owner and his regular army serial number, was carried by an officer leading a B-52 Delta reconnaissance team in the An Lao Valley during operation Masher. The enemy overwhelmed the team and the officer died from his wounds. The knife was later recovered by a team member and returned to the family of the deceased.
These accounts of documented carry represent a continuation of the historical role of the American knife. Knives mentioned above are no less important to that legacy than those made famous a century before. The art of handcrafting a "Bowie" or "fighting knife" was resurrected during the Second World War and the resulting products have an appeal similar to the Antique Bowie both within that connotation and for the many other reasons stated herein. What's more they remain affordable and acquirable by the average collector who can identify with the various one-of-a-kind characteristics of the type that he has chosen. This will help to insure that these knives, like the famous Bowies before them, will continue to have a place in the tradition of the American fighting knife.
Note: This essay first appeared in Knife World, in the autumn of 2003.
© 2004 by Robert Hunt. All rights reserved.
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