V-42 stiletto V-42 stiletto The V-42 stiletto was a stiletto and fighting knife issued during World War II to the First Special Service Force (1st SSF, a.k.a. Devil's Brigade), a joint Canadian/American commando unit. Based on the Fairbairn–Sykes commando knife designed by William E. Fairbairn and Eric A. Sykes, the "Fighting Commando Knife, Type V-42" used a narrow-profile, double-edged stiletto blade made of high carbon steel. The V-42 was primarily designed by officers of the FSSF, including its commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Robert T. Frederick, who desired a close-quarters combat knife. The blade's design has been attributed to Col. Frederick, who had
Stiletto heel popularity in the 1950s, they reached their most refined shape in the early 1960s, when the toes of the shoes which bore them became as slender and elongated as the stiletto heels themselves. As a result of the overall sharpness of outline, it was customary for women to refer to the whole shoe as a "stiletto", not just the heel, via synecdoche ("pars pro toto"). Although they officially faded from the scene after the Beatle era began, their popularity continued at street level, and women stubbornly refused to give them up even after they could no longer readily find them