Fairbairn-Sykes_Dagger.pdf

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FAIRBAIRN-SYKES
COMMANDO DAGGER
LEROY THOMPSON
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
FAIRBAIRN-SYKES
COMMANDO DAGGER
LEROY THOMPSON
Series Editor Martin Pegler
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
DEVELOPMENT
A fighting knife for the Commandos
4
7
37
63
70
72
78
80
USE
Fighting Hitler with cold steel
IMPACT
The icon of special forces
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
FURTHER READING
INDEX
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
INTRODUCTION
Many fighting blades have achieved iconic status over the centuries. The
Roman
gladius,
the Scottish claymore, the Saracen scimitar, and the
American Bowie – all resonate in the imagination, and each is forever
associated with the fighting men who used it. Among more recent blades,
none has achieved such an iconic status as the Fairbairn-Sykes (F-S) dagger.
Created for the new Commando force during World War II, using
experience learned from Shanghai knife-fighting experiments of the 1930s,
the “Commando dagger” was the fighting knife of this new breed of
soldier, and for half a century it has remained the symbol of military elites
around the world.
The F-S dagger was designed for the World War II British Commandos,
arguably the forerunners of every modern special forces unit from the
Rangers to the SAS. In June 1940, when the Commandos were formed to
take the war to the Germans, Britain found itself in a tenuous position –
driven out of Europe and fearing German invasion. Firearms were in
short supply, to the extent that early Commandos drew their Thompson
submachine guns when leaving for a raid and turned them in upon their
return so that another Commando unit could use them – woe to any man
who lost his! Appeals even had to be made to Canadian and US sport
shooters to donate weapons to arm the British Home Guard. The issuing
of a handgun to each Commando as a secondary weapon, a common
practice among special forces units today, was not an option.
Additionally, those behind the project wanted to instill aggressiveness
in the Commandos, an aggressiveness which would let them close with
the enemy and help him die for the Reich using cold steel. What the
instigators of the Commando project wanted to see was the same spirit
of attack with the blade that had allowed Highlanders to rout Indian
Mutineers at the point of the bayonet, and that had often caused an enemy
to surrender rather than face Gurkhas and their kukris.
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© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
A fearsome-looking dagger ideal for silent killing, the Fairbairn-Sykes
was both an effective close combat weapon and a symbol of the
Commandos’ deadliness and elite status. Indeed, the Commando dagger
would become a symbol not just to the men who were issued it, but also
to British civilians at a time when Britain was on the back foot, and any
deadly new way to strike back at the Germans was a boost for morale. Of
course, British and American bombers would do that too – from 15,000ft
– but the F-S dagger was a potent emblem of Britain’s readiness to fight
ruthlessly, hand-to-hand with cold steel. Patriotic posters, magazines,
novels, movies – all used the Commando dagger as a symbol of the British
fighting spirit.
The reputation of its designers has also helped to make the F-S dagger
such an iconic weapon. William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes
are considered among the most important pioneers in modern close combat
techniques, whether with bare hands, with clubs, with firearms, or with
the blade; naturally, the dagger that bears their name also shares some of
their cachet. Some collectors believe that Fairbairn and/or Sykes inspected
each 1st Pattern Fairbairn-Sykes dagger; hence, by owning one the collector
touches the same steel that was held by these legendary fighters. The story
is of doubtful veracity, but it remains a strong image.
One tactic which the Commandos
practiced with their Fairbairn-
Sykes daggers was silent
elimination of sentries. The
carotid thrust as illustrated by
these Commandos going through
training at Achnacarry was a
standard move. Note the “victim”
also carries his F-S dagger.
(Imperial War Museum H26613)
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© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com

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