WW2 USA OSS Stiletto Fighting Knife for review

[Marflower]

Hi
I picked up this Fairbairn-Sykes style Commando fighting knife, assuming it was British, with a leather scabbard, supposedly for a V42 dagger. I am now pretty sure that this an original US made OSS stiletto dagger, but unsure of the scabbard. Can anyone advise me, please. It also came with a standard F-S leather scabbard.
Thanks & kind regards
John

[101combatvet]

The sheath should be the pancake flapper style. The stiletto looks correct, but check the blade length, the blackened finish has been removed.

[Marflower]

Hi, thanks
The blade length is 6 3/16 inches (15.7 cm).

[Marflower]

Also, there does not appear to be the steel hardness test stamp mark on the blade. Maybe an early production.
Regards
John

[101combatvet]

Hi, thanks
The blade length is 6 3/16 inches (15.7 cm).

The blade appears to have been shortened by the specifications, common since the blade tips were often broken. The blades were heat treated to the point of being brittle. This blade was probably reworked, and that may be why it is missing the black finish. I don't recall any markings on these knives.

[Marflower]

Hi. The little research I've done says that there no maker's marks or batch numbers but because the blades were found to be soft, the dagger blades were heat treated to harden them. Testing them afterwards left 2 small indentations on the blade.

[101combatvet]

Hi. The little research I've done says that there no maker's marks or batch numbers but because the blades were found to be soft, the dagger blades were heat treated to harden them. Testing them afterwards left 2 small indentations on the blade.

I've never seen that. Handles were blackened and blades were blued.

[zachb]

It should be a single indentation, for the hardness test, up one side of the blade about an inch and quarter from the guard. Its so small that if it was in the spot where that pitting is on your knife you might not be able to see it now.

[zachb]

This may very well be it. Its at least in this general area (always on the left side):

20200427_135438.jpg

[Marflower]

Thanks very much for the advice. Does anyone have any advice on the M6 style scabbard?.
Regards
John

[101combatvet]

It looks more like a V-42 scabbard than an M6. If it's real, it is a different variation than normally encountered.

[Marflower]

Thanks for that.
A strange detail is what I thought was green cord in the stitching. It is actually thin copper wire in the cord that has oxidized green.

[101combatvet]

Do a Google search on the V-42 sheath all seem to have white metal hardware.