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Posted: 9/12/2009 10:26:53 AM EDT
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How come pilot survival knives, either the bolt knife or ASEK types don't have a wire cutter feature? I would think that the "evading" portion of "SERE" would want guys to be able to cut barbed wire fences and stuff on their trek to a rescue. It would be a simple task to have the blade/sheath combo commonly found on infantry knives and bayonets.
Anyone? |
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The first official issue pilot's knives were issued in WWII and were nothing more than small commercial hunting knives in leather sheaths.
These were cheap, already existed in a suitable form from many makers, and could be manufactured in huge quantities. After the war when the military designed their own knife, they simply continued the original idea of a simple, cheap knife. They upgraded the idea with a better sheath with an attached stone, and a knife with both saw teeth on the blade, and a butt that served as a hammer. The guard had holes so the knife could be lashed to a stick for use as a fishing spear. A wire cutter simply wasn't considered, and would have increased the cost, that's all. Just something that either wasn't thought of, or was considered not to be needed. You can make the same case for why the 1903 rifle bayonet didn't have a wire cutter. |
| The whole idea of survival escape and evade is to try to get away undetected and quickly as possible. After all those years on the farm, I would never cut a barbed wire fence. Some would get upset and you would be found then. I have never needed to cut wire in all the years of SERE training and running around in the woods. If I ever would need to, I would use my pocket pliers for that (goes into the pouch on front of fixed blade sheath- the stone is a fixed diamond hone plate on the back of sheath). Cutting fences make people mad as hell cause the animals then get out and it is a lot of work mending cut fences. You just dont do it. If you need to cut wire in a SERE condition for some USE, then use the pocket pliers please. Or, if your knife has those large saw blade teeth twist it with one of those(think the teeth on a buckmaster) . A broken off saw tooth wont hurt use of the knife anyway. BTW, they issued wire cutters to infantry and it was carried in a sheath or a pocket- they also issue pocket pliers nowdays 'cause it is more versatile. |
| If I'm on the run and a razor wire topped chain link fence is in front of me, I'm cutting that fucker. Won't matter to me at the time who gets mad or what animals get free. They can spend their time rounding up their sheep or whatever instead of looking for me. It would make me mad to have the (Taliban, Insurgents, Serbs, North Koreans, whoever) get ahold of said American and proceed to torture and behead him. Just sayin... |
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