It was just after the start of World War II in December 1942 when KA-BAR submitted a fighting knife for approval to the US Marine Corps. The company hoped to have its knife become general issue to that branch of the military. With the collaboration of the Marine Quartermaster Department, a design for KA-BAR knives was devised.

Soon, production started and a new and improved fighting/utility knife for the Marines was born. As the war raged on, the demand for the knives increased and KA-BAR’s wartime production totaled more than one million. Now, KA-BAR knives remain well recognized for their quality and became a generic name for other knives made in the same pattern regardless of whether the knife was manufactured at the KA-BAR facilities or not.