United States Marine Raider stiletto United States Marine Raider stiletto The U.S. Marine Raider stiletto was a stiletto and combat knife issued to the Marine Raiders and 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion during World War II. At the start of World War II, the Mark I Trench Knife was the only knife issued to Marines. It was introduced during World War I for trench warfare, but its "knuckle duster" hilt was cumbersome and contained nearly of brass, making the knife expensive to produce. In addition, the Mark I could not be held in the "fencing-grip" position, the preferred position for the thrust. The Marine Corps began
United States Marine Raider stiletto the tie-down thong. This gave more room on their web belt and made both the pistol and stiletto available to the right hand. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was issued the U.S. Marine Raider stiletto. Their U.S.-made stiletto was identical to the Raiders except it had a parkerized blade and the hilt without the U.S.M.C. scroll and without the maker's name etched on the blade. It is believed that, as part of the original production run, perhaps about 500 parkerized units were manufactured. Roy C. Rushton, who served as a sniper with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, reported about the