Indonesian Special Forces Third Pattern Fairbairn-Sykes

Description

A nice Third Pattern Fairbairn-Sykes example without a heat stamp, suggesting post-war production rather than wartime manufacture. Of particular interest is the sold-out-of-service stamp on the guard, indicating that the knife was formally disposed of from British military stocks and sold to the Indonesian Kopassus Special Forces (due to scabbard being marked Kopassus with the army logo).

This blade appears to be an earlier ex-British Army issue knife, later sold or transferred to Indonesia. It predates the modern Kopassus, which took its present name in the mid-1980s. Indonesia’s Army special forces have much earlier roots in KKAD and later RPKAD (Resimen Para Komando Angkatan Darat), elite commando formations tasked with special operations, reconnaissance, airborne missions and counter-insurgency, often operating in small units in difficult terrain. These predecessor units eventually evolved into today’s Kopassus.

History:

The Third Pattern Fairbairn-Sykes appeared in October 1943 and represented a further simplification of the famous fighting knife for large-scale wartime production.

One of the most recognisable features of the Third Pattern is its redesigned handle, formed with 27 stacked concentric rings. By this stage Wilkinson had moved away from brass, which remained a strategically important material, and instead adopted a less restricted alloy. The grip could be cast in a single operation, reducing the additional remedial machining and finishing required on earlier patterns.

The Third Pattern also introduced the distinctive triangular-shaped ricasso or flat at the rear of the blade, immediately ahead of the guard, another useful identifying feature of the pattern.

As wartime demand increased, elements of manufacture were increasingly outsourced to specialist firms. Companies involved in the production or casting of Third Pattern handles included Wolverhampton Die Casting Company, Walsall Die Casting Ltd, Henry Bar Metal Co. and H. J. Maybry. Handles are often found with numbers or other identifying marks associated with their manufacturer or production source.

A useful rule of thumb when assessing Third Pattern examples concerns the heat-stamped markings commonly encountered on wartime knives. Wartime-produced examples are frequently found with such stamps, while unstamped examples are generally associated with post-war production, although individual knives should always be assessed on the totality of their construction and markings rather than on a single feature alone.

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