The History:

In 1931 Pal Blade Company was founded in Chicago, IL and they originally produced razor blades. In 1935, they merged with Utica Knife & Razor Co from Utica, NY to become PAL Cutlery Co, which set up shop in Plattsburgh, NY. Leading up to WW2, Remington Arms sold their cutlery division to Pal in 1941, so they could focus on producing guns and ammo for the Allies. Pal continued producing the Remington designs in the exact same fashion as Remington had, even keeping the same name for the model numbers. Remingtons folding pocket knives began with the letter R, which obviously stood for "Remington" knife. Their fixed blade knives began with RH, considered to stand for "Remington Hunting" knife. The first number is the model number, while the second number indicates the length of the blade. This tells you that the Pal RH-36 is a "Remington Hunting Knife" Model 3, with a 6-inch blade.

Once the US was pulled into the war, all of the major US knife manufacturers starting mass producing their larger hunting knives for the war effort. From what I have learned so far, these early orders of knives were referred to as MK I (Mark 1) models. The government was not picky during this time, asking manufacturers for any fixed blade knife with a blade between 5-7 inches. Most of these knives are simply stamped with their standard brands and markings. There was even an effort to have civilians donate their knives to the military and many of those knives did see action! The MK I model that was produced by Pal was the RH-36. These knives were issued to pilots and crew members of the US Army Air Corps, the precursor to the US Air Force. The knife was meant to be used for both survival and engaging the enemy. These knives were made with high carbon steel. Some later model blades were made with a parkerized finish, which gave them a matte black appearance. This practice made the metal less shiny and reflective, which is handy when you're trying to keep a low profile. Later, the War Dept sent specific guidelines to knife makers, to have them produce standardized knives which would be called the MK II. These knives contained the standard makers mark and often had additional stamps to indicate their war time purpose, such as "US" "USN" "USMC" "MK II" etc. This included the widely recognizable Ka-Bar knives, which were primarily issued to Marines and sailors. Troops eventually began referring to all MK I and MK II knives as "Kabars" and that trend still continues to this day, which isn't entirely accurate.

Surviving examples of the RH-36 can sometimes be found with their original sheaths. An unusual fact about these sheaths is that they are often left-handed, which may seem a bit odd at first. The reason for this actually pretty practical. Generally speaking, air crew members are meant to stay in the air. If they ever found themselves on foot in the battlefield, or worse yet, deep behind enemy lines, their primary weapon would often be a sidearm. These knives were intended to be worn on the weak side, leaving the strong side open for their sidearm. Since most people are right-handed, a vast majority of the sheaths issued were made for the left side. There were also two different variations in the way the sheaths were made. Early models were affixed by sliding a belt through two slits in a single piece of leather. This was not durable enough for heavy use or combat and would often break apart. A later design change extended the leather piece and folded it over onto itself. This way, a belt could be fed through a solid leather loop, which proved to be much more durable.

This Knife:

This is one of my favorite knives of the WW2 era. I love the look, the feel and the history behind the RH-36. I currently have 4 of these and this particular knife is the nicest example of this model that I have. The stacked leather handle design has proven itself against time. The leather is still tight and solid; obviously well cared for. It only has light wear and scuffing and a fairly minor amount of play at the guard. (Loose and bent guards are VERY common on these knives) The pinned pommel is made out of aluminum alloy. The high carbon steel blade does not appear to have ever been parkerized and has a beautiful natural patina to it with very light pitting here and there. I personally would never clean this blade up, but I have seen these polished up and restored and it probably wouldn't take much to get this one looking brand new. (I am not recommending you restore the blade, just giving you an idea of how shallow the pitting is) The blade measures in at 6.25 inches and the knife is approx 11 inches overall. The tang stamp is worn but still clearly visible. It comes with an original, right sided (rare) fold over leather sheath.

*The buyer is solely responsible for abiding by local and state laws. DO NOT purchase this knife if it is restricted, banned or otherwise controlled in the location it is being shipped or stored. Refer to description for blade length, style, opening mechanism etc.

**Note: I am new to knife collecting and selling. All descriptions are to the best of my knowledge and in an attempt to be as honest and forthright as possible in regards to knife condition. I have conducted hours upon hours of research on each individual knife that comes into my possession in an attempt to set a fair price. PLEASE feel free to contact me for more information on this or any other item in my store.

Semper Fi

For Sale By: Dr. Shank-N-Stein

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