Tag Archives: raiders

As SEEN on page 67 (#325) under “American Knives” section of the SUPERB reference “FIGHTING KNIVES” authored by Frederick Stephens (Albeit incorrectly attributed to “Australian manufacture”). ULTRA RARE Royal New Zealand Air Force “Ersatz” manufacture WW2 era BOWIE Style SURVIVAL KNIFE that was either BASED ON the Famed “Carson’s Raiders” fighting knife OR The Carsons Raider knife was directly COPIED from this locally-produced (Here in Auckland, New Zealand) OFFICIAL R. Contract-manufactured Aircrew survival and fighting knife. The ONLY DIFFERENCE between this knife and the Carson Raider knife is that the Carson knife had its hilt painted GREEN where as our one had plain Alloy. The Alloy itself was obtained from melted-down WW2 aircraft as New Zealand HAD NO SOURCE of Aluminium (likely to be Duralium) PRIOR to the 1970’s opening of the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter. The knife itself is entirely UNMARKED (As were the Carson’s Raider Knives) with the only identifying markings being on the inside of the belt-loop where it carries the Official RNZAF designation stamps. The Scabbard itself is MUCH RARER even that the VERY SCARCE Alloy & Steel “Bowie” that was based on the V-44 fighting knife made in USA for the bloody Pacific Theater fighting during WW2 by CASE Knife Company, The COLLINS Company of Hartford Connecticut, and to a lesser extent by the Western Cutlery Company of Boulder, Colorado. MOST of the scabbards succumbed to service in sweaty hot TROPICAL climates and simply FELL APART decades ago, normally having LOST their contract-marked belt loops well prior and SELDOM ID’s correctly without this information. PROBABLY LESS THAN 500 of these RNZAF “Survival Knives” were EVER MADE……. Making them one of the SCARCEST combat knives produced in WW2. Sellers: Get your own map of past buyers. The item “Carson’s RAIDERS Bowie Knife Used by RNZAF NEW ZEALAND Air Force Survival BOWIE” is in sale since Tuesday, July 19, 2016. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Militaria\WW II (1939-45)\Original Period Items\Great Britain\Edged Weapons”. The seller is “susie-scotland” and is located in North Shore Mail Centre, AUCKLAND. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Country/Region of Manufacture: New Zealand