Original British WWII Fairbairn-Sykes Third Pattern Fighting Knife With Scabbard

Original British WWII Fairbairn-Sykes Third Pattern Fighting Knife With Scabbard-This is an original World War II British Fairbairn-Sykes Third Pattern Fighting Knife, featuring the number '4' cast into the pommel. This number denotes the mold cavity used by the Wolverhampton Die Casting Company, one of the wartime manufacturers, and served as a quality control measure to trace potential casting defects.The Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife was famously issued to British Commandos, the Special Air Service (SAS), and other elite units. It was also used by some American forces, including the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Airborne troops, making it one of the most iconic fighting knives of the war.The blade shows honest wear from age and use, with some loss to the blackened finish and minor edge wear. It remains sharp and comes to a fine point. The crossguard is in excellent condition, retaining much of its original blacking. The ribbed cast alloy handle shows age-appropriate wear and patina.The accompanying brown leather scabbard is supple and exhibits expected signs of use and age. It retains the blackened metal tip, though the brown elastic retaining strap is torn (but still attached). The two leather tabs on the rear seam have been removed.Overall, this is a very nice example of a wartime-produced Third Pattern Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife.Key Features of the Third Pattern Fairbairn-Sykes:Ribbed Cast Alloy Handle: Distinctive design, typically with a blackened finish for improved grip and concealment.Mold Number: Wartime versions often have a number (1–4) cast into the pommel to identify the mold cavity.Quality Control: Mold numbers helped trace production batches for inspection or defect tracking.Wartime Production Indicator: The presence of a mold number generally signifies wartime manufacture.Known Manufacturer: Wolverhampton Die Casting Company is associated with mold number '4,' though other firms also produced components.Simplified Design: The Third Pattern was introduced as a more cost-effective and easier-to-produce alternative to the Second Pattern.