SOG Knife

The SOG knife was designed for, and issued to, covert Studies and Observations Group personnel during the Vietnam War. It was unmarked and supposedly untraceable to country of origin or manufacture in order to maintain plausible deniability of covert operators in the event of their death or capture.^[1]

Design

The SOG Knife was designed by Benjamin Baker, the Deputy Chief of the U.S. Counterinsurgency Support Office (CISO).^[2] A chrome-moly steel known as SKS-3 was chosen for the blade and hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 55-57.^[2] The blade pattern featured a convex false edge on the clip point of a Bowie knife.^[1] The stacked leather handle was inspired by a Marbles Gladstone Skinning Knife made in the 1920s owned by Baker, into which finger grooves were molded.^[1]^[2] The blade was typically parkerized or blackened to reduce glare.^[1] This was done so by applying a dark gun-blue finish (similar to those used on guns) on this carbon steel knife. The knife was carried in a leather sheath which contained a sharpening steel or whetstone.^[1]

The first contract was awarded to Japanese Trading Company Yogi Shokai for 1,300 seven-inch blades designated "Knife, indigenous, RECON, 7", w/scabbard & whetstone" at $9.85 each.^[2] In 1966, SOG ordered 1,200 sterile knives with six-inch blades and black sheaths and in March of the following year an additional lot of 3,700 was ordered.^[2] This second lot was serial numbered for accountability purposes and was designated "Knife, indigenous, hunting, 6", w/black sheath and whetstone".^[2] Further knives were ordered from Japan Sword as well. The orders were actually fulfilled by a number of knifemakers and a result, the various lots had minor differences such as blade bluing color and guard color or shape. Although the SOG office based at Kadena and Yogi Shokai were in Okinawa, it is believed that only a major knifemaking source like Seki could have fulfilled all these orders,

In 1986, a company named SOG Specialty Knives based in Santa Monica, California marketed a knife very similar to the original SOG knife manufactured in Seki City, Japan and marked it with the US Army Special Forces Crest.,^[1] and named it the "S1 Bowie", using blued SK5 carbon steel for the blade. It was a replica of the commemorative versions of the original MACV-SOG knives, rather than the actual sterile unmarked knives used in combat. SOG made a version with an Aus8 stainless steel blade and black micarta handle in commemoration of the U.S. Navy SEALs.,^[1] known as the "SOG S2 Trident". The other Vietnam replica knife is known as the "Recon Bowie" by SOG with a distinctive banana shaped 7 inch blade. This type of knife was actually the first to go into service in Vietnam. The last replica knife is the "SCUBA/Demo" which was introduced in 2001, and represents the rarest knife in this group as only one true original is reported to exist, It was created for and assigned to the USN Advisory Detachment, which operated coastal gunboats. The S1 and S2 knives were manufactured by Hattori of Seki under contract to SOG Knives USA from 1986 to 2005, after which SOG shifted to Taiwan manufacture. Hattori also manufactured the three commemorative SOG bowies for Boker, for sale in the European market. Replicas of the SOG knife have also been made by Al Mar Knives, Ek Knives, Tak Fukuta for Parker, and Strider Knives.^[1] SOG also contracted with Kinryu Co. Ltd of Seki Japan to manufacture the Recon Bowie and the Scuba Demo until 2007. None of these knives, however, are currently used by any branch of the US Military in an official capacity. Original models are extremely valuable collector's items among both knife collectors and militaria collectors. The later replicas are also in high demand by collectors, especially the early ones made in Seki.

External links

Gallery of SOG knives
SOG S1 Bowie - Information on the replica of the SOG Knife (Manufactured by SOG Specialty Knives) used by MACVSOG Forces in Vietnam

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pacella, Gerard (2002), 100 Legendary Knives, Iola, USA, Krause Publications, p 99. ISBN 0-87349-417-2.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Baker, Ben (1991). "Saga of the CISO/SOG Recon Knife". Fighting Knives. 1 (3): 95–98.

Knives and daggers

List of daggers List of blade materials

Types of knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boning Boot knife Bowie Bread knife Cane knife Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Electric knife Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Grapefruit knife Gravity knife Gunong Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kīla Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Mezzaluna Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Nakiri bōchō Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pocket knife Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife Santoku SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Tomato knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Warrior knife X-Acto Yanagi ba Yatagan

Types of daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh naka Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Hachiwara Hunting dagger Janbiya Kaiken Kalis Kard Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Mark I trench knife Ocean Edge Knife Parrying dagger Poignard Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō Marine Raider stiletto V-42 stiletto Yarará Parachute Knife Yoroidōshi

Knife manufacturers	Aitor Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Bear MCG Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Caber Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Cutlery DOVO Solingen Dexter-Russell Dirte Knives Eikhorn Ek Commando Knife Co. Emerson Knives Erizo F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Füritechnics Gerber Legendary Blades Global Golok Hanwei Imperial Schrade J. A. Henckels Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives MercWorx Microtech Knives Morseth Murphy Knives Ontario Knife Company Opinel Pro-Tech Knives Randall Made Knives Ranz Rigid Knives Rösle SOG Specialty Knives Sabatier Aîné & Perrier Spyderco Strider Knives Survival Aids TEKNA Thiers Issard Tramontina Victorinox Vox Knives W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walther arms Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Windlass Steelcrafts Wüsthof Yarara Ltd

Knifemakers	A.G. Russell American Bladesmith Society Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Phill Hartsfield Bill Harsey Jr. Gil Hibben Knifemakers' Guild Zanjan Knifemakers Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless Bob Lum William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler

Book:Knives and daggers Category:Knives / Daggers

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