Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: Michael_Edelman%Wayne-MTS@um.cc.umich.edu
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Sawback Knives
Message-ID: <10507@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 23 Oct 89 23:09:16 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
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From: Michael_Edelman%Wayne-MTS@um.cc.umich.edu
According to an article in SOF a few years back, the origin of the sawback
knife goes back to around WWI or before; it was intended as a tool for
cutting through barbed wire, or more specifically, the wooden stakes that
supported and anchored barbed wire. 
 
As to the advisability of such a tool, SOF also published a letter from a
British Marine (or perhaps SAS man) who had bought a Jimmy Lisle "Rambo
Special", or whatever he calls them. This commando had stabbed an Argentine
opponant and couldn't pull the knife out. To complicate matters he had a
thong tying the knife to his wrists. As a result the British soldier was
severely wounded while unable to fight.
           --mike edelman