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The Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife is a double-edged fighting knife resembling a dagger or poignard with a foil grip. It was developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in Shanghai based on ideas that the two men had while serving on the Shanghai Municipal Police in China before World War II. [1]
A Comprehensive Guide To Collecting The Original World War Two Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife. By. Roy Shadbolt. Introduction. Perhaps regarded by most collectors as the pinnacle of F-S collecting the Wilkinson First Pattern is understandably a classic.
This site is dedicated primarily to exploring the history of the iconic Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife (commonly known as the British Commando knife), the many variants of that weapon, and the brave men and women who trained with it, carried it, and whose valor made it famous.
The Fairbairn-Sykes knife was also known as the OSS Stiletto, which became standard issue in 1943. Introduced in 1941, this knife is named after its two British designers, Captains W. E. Fairbairn and E. A. Sykes.
This is a unique and historically significant document on the art of knife fighting. I have elected to make this electronic edition openly available, in order to preclude the material's exploitation by unscrupulous firms and individuals who seek to unfairly trade upon Lieutenant Colonel Fairbairn's name and the wide respect it engenders.
During World War II, the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife found itself in the hands of British Commandos, special forces units, and covert operatives. Its silent, lethal capabilities made it an invaluable tool for commando raids, sentry removal, and close combat situations.
November of 1940 is the start of the Fairbairn-Sykes (or F-S) Fighting Knife story. With the development, production and subsequent adoption of that which we now refer to as the ‘First Pattern’ (F-S), this knife was destined to evolve through numerous variations throughout the Second World War and beyond.