History’s “Forged in Fire” TV series will be featuring two WWII-era Case knives in new back-to-back episodes scheduled to air Wednesday, May 8th beginning at 9pm ET/PT. These two episodes are part of a five-episode "Branch Battle" tournament where top bladesmiths from each military branch including Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines compete to replicate some of military history’s most iconic edged weapons.
In the first episode airing May 8th, four Army soldiers are challenged to hand forge their own V-42 stiletto, the knife issued exclusively by Case to the First Special Service Force (a.k.a. the “Devil’s Brigade”) during World War II. The resulting knives are then put through a series of tests to see which knife performs best and is the most accurate replica of a WWII-era original V-42. Winner secures a place at the Army Anvil to compete in the Battle of the Branches finale, where victory awards a $50,000 grand prize. The final episode of this five-part tournament will premiere at 9pm ET/P on Wednesday, May 22.
Round two of Battle of the Branches, which airs at 10PM ET/PT on May 8, pits four airmen from the U.S. Air Force against one another to forge another WWII relic, the Case fixed blade “Bolo” Survival Machete. The contestants will employ the San Mai technique to combine high carbon steel with helicopter parts to make this knife. Two smiths will the move on to craft one more knife and compete to lock in their spot at the Air Force Anvil and a chance to compete to win the ultimate $50,000 grand prize.
Both the V-42 and the Fixed Blade Survival Machete were made by Case during WWII, as most manufacturing was devoted to the war effort. In all, the U.S. government called on Case to make dozens of customized knives during WWII for each branch’s unique needs.