"Kabar" is the word used by the
USMC in refrence to the standard-issue
combat knife. The "Kabar" is made by the company Ka-bar, the company name has simply become synonymous with their
combat knife.
The Kabar has a seven inch
blade that is one and a half inches wide. The five inch handle was first made with leather washers packed together. This gave the Kabar a usable weight while keeping it well balanced. The total length of the knife is one foot.
The Kabar was refered to as "the
Marine's
Foxhole Companion" during the
Pacific theater of
World War II. This was because the
Japanese had no qualms about jumping into a foxhole occupied by one or two marines. Of course the average marine only used the Kabar to open their
C-rations.
According to vetran
E. B. Sledge, author of
With the Old Breed, many marines had to use their Kabars on Japanese infiltrators or when the fighting fell hand-to-hand as a result of a
banzai attack. The Kabar did not play a very large role in the European Theater mostly because it was a very different war. The terrain and the mentality of the enemy was very different than the
island hopping of the Pacific. The
German troops were not as fanatical as the Japanese and would
surrender when they were defeated. The Japanese would fight to the last man,
tooth and nail if it came to that.
The Kabar was the only knife to have. Some of the
Infantry would cary
stilettos or even throwing knives and daggers. But the marine knew that the only one you needed was the Kabar.
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