War years

[Berryb]

I first thought of this question when I was researching this knife, but have thought about it when reading on AAPK since. This knife is an XX with no pattern stamp, my reading says made 1940-49. Once the war started factories nation wide were re-tooled to support the war effort. Wouldn't that pretty much eliminate every day pocket knives from production? Can you safely assume this knife was probably not made during the war? Thanks
Bruce

[steve99f]

The US didn't declare until after Pearl Harbor, the end of 1941. So there is 2 years of production right there. I wouldn't assume that Case or anyone else was fully committed to war production until mid 1942 or later. It could have been earlier though. That is speculation on my part based on reading I've done on the WW II era. But once converted to war work, I doubt any civilian production was allowed until sometime in 1945. I know the government cancelled contracts when they figured they had enough of X and they could reasonably forecast the end of the war. So a Case knife like your could have been made sometime in 1945 and later.

Of course, WW II had been running along just fine before we got in it.

[tongueriver]

Although severely restricted, there were still knives being made for civilians in WWII; they were necessary in agriculture and industry. Knife World had a GOOD article a few years ago. It was after the October 2009 issue, but at least 3 years old now. I am thinking about 2012? Just a guess; maybe somebody will find it.

[steve99f]

I'd love to see the article, that would be a good read.

[mrwatch]

I read somewhere that you could not buy sliced bread during WW 2 because they needed the steel used in the machines for the war effort. True? seems like if the bakery's already had the machines they would not scrap them.

[zzyzzogeton]

The sale of pre-sliced bread was banned for a short 3 month period in 1943 by top bureaucrat in War Foods Administration in a misguided effort to conserve wheat, wax paper and steel.

The reasonings behind the ban were idiotic. The US had enough wheat on hand to last 2 year if no more was grown over the interveing 2 years. No one was making new slicing machines as the companies were making other things for the war effort, but even if a part broke, a local machine shop could cobble something out of scrap. Sliced bread required thicker wax paper than "regular" waxed paper used in kitchens, but bread companies had months of stock on hand.

Irrate housewives across the nation wrote scathing letters to newspaper everywhere.

The sliced bread ban was one of the shorter instances of a failed governmeent fix for a problem that didn't exist.

It's possible that some bakeries experienced inoperable and unfixable bread slice equipment failure and were unable to slice bread for a while in isolated areas.

[tongueriver]

It's possible that some bakeries experienced inoperable and unfixable bread slice equipment failure and were unable to slice bread for a while in isolated areas.

Heart-wrenching! Just think if they had abolished the perforations on toilet paper!
edit: Maybe they could handle it alright; there were still a lot of Sears catalogs and corncobs in use.

[just bob]

I was up at our historical society looking at things and they had a picture of a scrap metal drive here with a 55 gallon barrel on the Main street and were seeking items as small as paper clips to be reclaimed and turned into war munitions. Also people were encouraged to grow - victory gardens - and grow their own produce to cut back on the use of metal cans in stores. All metal that was used for civilian purposes was in short supply.

[tongueriver]

After an hour or more of paging through old copies of Knife World, I found the article I was looking for. "Where Did All the Knives Go?" December of 2011. I am not clever enough to pass it on without many flat-bed scans, and it is copyrighted anyway. Fascinating article. The wartime reg's were quite complicated.

[terryl308]

I was born in 1942, thank god they didn't recycle me!, not enough useable parts I guess! and that's where I came up with my logo on the bottom of my posts, "If it aint' broke don't fix it". That's meant for politicians! terry

The sale of pre-sliced bread was banned for a short 3 month period in 1943 by top bureaucrat in War Foods Administration in a misguided effort to conserve wheat, wax paper and steel.

The reasonings behind the ban were idiotic. The US had enough wheat on hand to last 2 year if no more was grown over the interveing 2 years. No one was making new slicing machines as the companies were making other things for the war effort, but even if a part broke, a local machine shop could cobble something out of scrap. Sliced bread required thicker wax paper than "regular" waxed paper used in kitchens, but bread companies had months of stock on hand.

Irrate housewives across the nation wrote scathing letters to newspaper everywhere.

The sliced bread ban was one of the shorter instances of a failed governmeent fix for a problem that didn't exist.

It's possible that some bakeries experienced inoperable and unfixable bread slice equipment failure and were unable to slice bread for a while in isolated areas.

[Berryb]

The war effort was serious business. I'm sure that decisions that seem idiotic in retrospect were done in good faith at the time. 2 years of wheat for example; early in the war they could not predict how long the war would last, how much of that surplus was needed for the troops, what the next years crops would be like or if there would be manpower enough to raise and harvest them. "Rosie the Riveter" was not yet at the fore front and they still thought in terms of 'man'power exclusively. Then there was the problem that nobody had ever done it before. Sorry to be so long winded but I think the stateside war effort was a remarkable achievement.

[Mumbleypeg]

My dad and some of his friends "went to the wheat harvest" when they were teenagers in high school during WWII. There was a shortage of men to work the harvest so teenagers were hired (more than usual). They were the migrant workers of the time. While there Dad made several good freinds from other towns, that he kept up with for many years, and they had a lot of great stories about it. Dad graduated from high school in 1943 but did not turn 18 until late August that year. Shortly afterward he received what he called "an invitation from President Roosevelt" to join the Army.

Ken

[Berryb]

My mom and lots of other "townies" were loaded onto trucks early in the morning, driven out to lower valley to harvest. She dug potatoes in the dark for a few hours and they were driven back to town in time for school.

[just bob]

Knife Magazine is a great resource for collectors. Some of you that don't subscribe should consider it. If you like knives you'll love the magazine.


http://zacbuchananknives.com/images/KWD ... chanan.pdf

[toolboy]

Assuming this is pattern # 62087, Case price list from 1-1-42 lists them at $18.00 per dozen and the 1-1-49 list show them at $36.00 per dozen.
The July 7, 1943 inventory list does not contain any 62087 however this list shows they had
these "pkt knives hafted ready to inspect" in the patterns and amounts of
25 dozen of 6392
135 dozen of 6445R
20 and 8/12 dozen of 2376 1/2
35 and 1/12 dozen of 6111 1/2
60 dozen of 6383
65 dozen of 6383 SAB
49 and 4/12 dozen of 6392

This list also contains 9 patterns of sheath knives in various amounts

Seems likely the knife pictured would have been after WWII

[Rookie]

This is really interesting reading for me, being a young buck born in the 80's. What a different time it is now compared to the war-time 40's.

[jerryd6818]

This is really interesting reading for me, being a young buck born in the 80's. What a different time it is now compared to the war-time 40's.

Each one of the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's decades had a different feel to it. My growing up years were centered in the 50's and I've said many times it was the best time for a kid to grow up.