Gerber Mark II
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The Gerber Mark II was a fighting knife manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades from 1966 to 2000, with an additional limited run of 1500 in 2002. It had a double-edged spear-point wasp-waisted blade, and used a distinctive handle similar to that of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife developed during World War II. Later versions used a partially serrated blade, with the serrations located where the earlier blades were wasp-waisted. The Mark II was commonly carried by US troops in the Vietnam War, and is second only to the KA-BAR knife in fame. The Mark II gained additional fame when it was featured in a memorable scene in the scifi/action blockbuster Aliens and was also used by Mel Gibson in the film Mad Max 2. The MK II was the suggested blade in Paladin Press's controversial how-to book, Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors.
During the Vietnam war, some production runs of this knife had a 5-degree offset between the blade and the grip in order to ride in the sheath more comfortably. This offset was intended to compensate for the angle of attack between the clavicles and position the blade for a more accurate strike into the vital organs when performing a rear overhead strike or upward thrust into the abdominal area from behind (as used for sentry removal). Ironically, the military's base/post exchanges discontinued selling these knives under the reasoning 'of not in good taste' or 'too brutal'.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
- List of daggers
- OKC-3S Bayonet
- List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
- Weapons of the Colonial Marines (of the motion picture Aliens)
