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Ek Knives Then:
The John Ek Co. built hundreds, probably thousands, of excellent fighting knives. His WW-II production facility was originally established in Hamden, Connecticut (1941-1949). Later, (1949-1982) the company moved production to Miami, Florida. Ek produced many different patterns of knives but his Model No. 2 (without a guard) and his Model No.7 (with guard) most closely resembles the F~S. During the war Ek restricted sales of his knives to men and women actually serving in a theater of war. He employed many disabled people giving them an opportunity to be a meaningful part of the war effort. Each of his knives were serial numbered and issued with a certificate of ownership. 
The wooden handles were made from hard rock maple and held in place with three cast-in lead rivets. Should the handles loosen, due to shrinkage or abuse, the owner simply had to hammer the lead rivets to snug the wooden handle slabs. Some of his models could be bought with or without a cross guard. The unique faceted handle shape prevented the owners hand from sliding onto the blade, even on the guardless knives.
Shown below is a Vietnam era Ek knife Model 3, with the typical lead rivets, flat brass guard, in what I believe is a KaBar MK-II sheath. These are very utilitarian knives with no flash to them. Still, a man with an Ek had a knife he could depend upon. They are full-tang construction and even if the handles fell completely off a little cord or leather wrap would put you right back in business.
The next one is more current, being a veteran of Desert Storm. The unique thing about this knife is the presence of a grenade ring on the handle lanyard. As the saying goes: "When the pin is pulled Mr. Grenade is not your friend." If you have pulled the pin but not released the handle you may make it safe again by re-inserting the pin. That is assuming you did not lose it in the sand somewhere. It is always nice to have an extra grenade pin, because when you need it, you REALLY need it!
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Ek Knives Today:
Ek knives moved production from Miami to Richmond, Va. ca. 1992. For a while the Ek knives name was taken over by Mike Stewart who has been involved in many cutlery endeavors, all of which seem to come and go with irritating regularity. Thankfully world-class Ek Knives are once again available from Richmond, Virginia. (Check the links pages) Illustrated here is one of their recent tributes to the F~S genre'. When I called to order my knife I asked if it would be possible to have the blade etched "SeaBees," since that was my branch of service. Robert Buerlein quickly had the etch transfer made up and granted my request. That type of customer service is seldom found in today's martket place. This is a superb fighting knife! 
This is the very first Ek MK-II to be etched with the SeaBees logo.
The shoulder of the graceful blade is etched "F~S" to give tribute to the Fairbairn~Sykes design.
Below is a more modern Ek Model 2, one of my favorites. This one has black nylon handle scales. It is one of those made under Mike Stewart's BlackJack brand in Effingham Ill.
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From left, to right: Vietnam Era Ek model 3, Ek P-4 double edged with guard, Pakawood handles and lead rivets, Ek G-4 walnut "Gunner" grips, Ek Desert Storm model 3 with grenade pin on the lanyard, Ek M-2 double edged without guard.
Update: In a recent conversation with Robt. Buerlein I was surprised to find that even during the years when Mike Stewart was making "Eks," Ek of Richmond was also making knives, many of them being presentation models. Please take some time and go to the Ek Marine Corp page. You will find it worth your time and very inspiring. http://www.ekknife.com/marine-corps-knives.html
Update: In a recent conversation with Robt. Buerlein I was surprised to find that even during the years when Mike Stewart was making "Eks," Ek of Richmond was also making knives, many of them being presentation models. Please take some time and go to the Ek Marine Corp page. You will find it worth your time and very inspiring. http://www.ekknife.com/marine-corps-knives.html
CASE V-42:
The following photos were provided by a good friend. This bad boy is an original Case V-42 issued to the FSSF First Special Service Force, known as the Devil's Brigade. There is no comparable fighting knife in my opinion, but unfortunately it is beyond my financial means to own one. Note the nice old Colt 1911. Update: OK so remember what I said on page one/day one about having an exceptionally understanding wife? This is now my knife. and it is as nice in person as it is in the photos. Owning an original V-42 is now a fulfilled dream of a lifetime of collecting fighting knives.
The following photos were provided by a good friend. This bad boy is an original Case V-42 issued to the FSSF First Special Service Force, known as the Devil's Brigade. There is no comparable fighting knife in my opinion, but unfortunately it is beyond my financial means to own one. Note the nice old Colt 1911. Update: OK so remember what I said on page one/day one about having an exceptionally understanding wife? This is now my knife. and it is as nice in person as it is in the photos. Owning an original V-42 is now a fulfilled dream of a lifetime of collecting fighting knives.
One of the signature design points is the "thumb print" ground into the ricasso. This was done using the same tool that grooved the leather washer handle. The pommel is also unique to this knife with its very nasty skull crusher. These were often said to do more damage to the wearer than the enemy, and many of them were filed to dull the point. A piece of leather cushioned the back side of the hand guard. Four deep hollow grinds give the blade its distinctive shape and also create the high median ridge which gives it strength. The end result is a cruciform blade like many Rennaissance daggers.
Another unusual and unique part of the V-42 package is the sheath. It was envisioned that the FSSF would be inserted into some northern theaters which required heavy clothing and long winter parkas. To make the knife more accessible to the user they made the sheath with an exceptionally long belt loop. This dropped the knife below the hem of their cold weather gear. Quite often the sheaths were either shortened or folded over double for daily use.
Another unusual and unique part of the V-42 package is the sheath. It was envisioned that the FSSF would be inserted into some northern theaters which required heavy clothing and long winter parkas. To make the knife more accessible to the user they made the sheath with an exceptionally long belt loop. This dropped the knife below the hem of their cold weather gear. Quite often the sheaths were either shortened or folded over double for daily use.
Close-up of the very nasty "skull crusher" which has been blunted.
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Case and other cutlery firms (including some in England) have tried to recreate the V-42 over the years but none of the repros have come close to capturing the mystique and quality of the originals. The one exception is the new dagger from Mil-Tac (Below) which utilizes the best of modern materials to nearly duplicate the simply incredible Case V-42.
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This knife is stamped with "U.S." and the ser. number 138. Only the first 500 were serialized. The heavy sheath remains flexible after all of these years and is in excellent condition. It has the typical metal staples at the throat and diamond shaped rivets.
