Thank you Ron, I re-read the thread. Being very much a novice, some simple points, from time to time, may seem overly important to me. The last few posts here have helped me come to this theory...
The four knives ordered by the Lt. probably all had stag handles, 3 finger grips, teardrop quillion, relief forward of spine to accommodate the forefinger.
IF you read Gaddis, he clearly states the Zach knives ordered were stag. I don't believe the three additional were in the same configuration as Mitchell's knife. Two were ordered in November of 42 (when the switch to leather was finalized) with the last ordered in January 43. These stag knives had handles similar as pictured in Gaddis page 67 but with crown.
Neither myself or Mitchell think Bo made more than a handful of his type of knife. I don't think maybe half a dozen. As I have stated, they were not the best for utilitarian use because of the upside down handle with grips. Also, the labor involved shaping the hilt was prohibitive versus a conventional hilt I would think.
The knife in Gaddis, referred to as one of the first 10, was not ordered by Lt . Zacharias, but made immediately after his order for 4 knives was completed. It incorporates practical improvements as Bo saw them.
I could not find the reference to the knife pictured on page 67 as being one of the first 10. I also don't see where it says the knife was ordered immediately after Zach's order, which was actually three orders, not one, spread out over approximately 6 months.
The leather handled pre RWB spacer knives, like the one Tune acquired at BLADE, are probably the next step in the evolution of the model 1. (I was curious if any leathered knives were known with three finger grips.)
I'm just wondering outloud!
I don't recall having seen a leather handle with finger grips, 3 or 4, designed for upside down fighting. I have seen a couple standard leather handled WWII fighters designed for edge up fighting style with an S guard.
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