During the Second World War the US NAVY and USMC had their own knives.
The best known is undoubtedly the Ka-Bar (Fighting and utility knife) whose name is already history in itself.
The firm Union Razor Company founded in 1898 became in 1910 the Union Cutlery CO.
One of his clients sent him a letter in the 1920s explaining that while hunting in Alaska he had managed to kill a Kodiak bear using of a hunting knife of their manufacture. A Kodiak bear is a monster of 3 meters and 750 kg on average! Needless to say that the company in question did not hesitate to use this anecdote for its advertising (sorry, its advertisement!) and by shortening the name of this species of plantigrade to Ka-Bar, it had found a new name commercial.
Manufacturers are Ka-bar, Camillus Cutlery CO, Pal, Robeson Shuredge
The Navy will adopt the USN Mark II which is a carbon copy of the Ka-Bar (except markings) with two cases, one classic, in leather, the other in gray fiber reinforced plastic.
During the Second World War, Camillus manufactured and shipped more than 13 million various knives to the armed forces. From the machete to the folding knife, including the combat knife or the sailor's or electrician's knife.
During the Vietnam War production for the military resumed with a vengeance, survival knife for pilots of the U.S Air Force, or combat knife for the U.S Marines.
The Camillus Mk2 version was widely used in Vietnam by most US corps and was very popular in NATO units and in the French army until today, where the Ka-bar (the Camillus no longer being produced ) remains one of the most widespread knives (namely that in the French army the combat knife is not a statutory but personal endowment whose choice and purchase are the responsibility of the person concerned)