This British OSS smatchet is a full-size reproduction of the heavy leaf-bladed fighting knife William E. Fairbairn championed during World War II. Windlass Steelcrafts builds it with a 10.88" blued, double-edged high carbon blade, hardwood grips, a steel guard, and an aluminum pommel. It comes in a black leather belt sheath. This is a modern replica, not a wartime original.
Short and Sweet
- British OSS Smatchet replica by Windlass Steelcrafts (model 403214)
- 16.63" (42.24 cm) overall with a 10.88" (27.64 cm) blade
- High carbon steel, blued matte finish, leaf-shaped blade
- Fully sharpened main edge with partially sharpened top edge
- Full tang with hardwood grips, high carbon steel guard, and aluminum pommel with lanyard hole
- Black leather belt sheath with hardwood liner and angled belt loop
- Made in India
- Condition: New reproduction
Fairbairn's Smatchet in World War II
Fairbairn earned his reputation as a close-combat instructor with the Shanghai Municipal Police. During the war he trained British commandos, SOE agents, and later OSS personnel in the United States. He is best known for the Fairbairn-Sykes commando dagger, but he also promoted the smatchet, a short, heavy blade that could thrust, slash, and chop. Historians link its shape to a Royal Welch Fusiliers trench knife from World War I. Fairbairn devoted a section of his 1942 manual Get Tough! to its use. Britain's SAS carried the smatchet, and the OSS adopted it in limited numbers, which helps explain why wartime originals are scarce today.
Reproduction Details
The broad leaf-shaped blade is sharpened along its full length on one side and partway down the other side from the tip, matching the wartime pattern. A blued matte finish cuts glare, just as the original's dull coating did for night work. The blade is full tang, with hardwood grips held by two large rivets, a high carbon steel guard, and a cast aluminum pommel with a lanyard hole. The sheath is black leather over a hardwood liner and has the angled belt loop of the original, sized for belts up to 3.25" wide.
Beyond the Display Case
Collectors of WWII edged weapons buy the smatchet to sit alongside a Fairbairn-Sykes dagger, but its weight and width also make it a real chopping tool. Owners have put theirs to work clearing brush, cutting saplings, and splitting kindling at camp, where it handles jobs closer to a short machete than a belt knife. One buyer called it sturdy but unrefined, so plan on sharpening the edge before field use. After a wet day, wipe the blade dry and give it a light coat of oil to protect the finish.