Originally manufactured for issue to the 1st Special Service Force and seeing service with the Marine Raiders. Notes from the consignor state that this knife was an original Case V-42 that was returned to Army inventory following World War II and was broken out of storage for issue to the freshly reactivated Ranger companies that were preparing to deploy for the Korean War. This particular knife is reported as being issued to one Nick Nakajo; research identifies a Masahiro Nakajo in the 3rd Ranger Company in Korea, a young Japanese-American who had been recruited into the Army out of the Manzanar Relocation Camp. When the consignor became acquainted with Nakajo in the 1970s, he was a Lieutenant Colonel involved with the development of the Apache Helicopter. Nakajo recalled that the knife was not issued to him until the very end of Ranger training, by which time he had privately purchased a Randall #1, and so the V-42 spent the war in storage. Arriving in Korea in 1951, the 3rd operated as a reconnaissance and 'spearhead' unit for the 3rd Infantry Division, exploiting the relatively fluid front lines to infiltrate into enemy territory. By the time the 3rd Rangers and the other Ranger companies were consolidated into the U.S. 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, the 3rd had suffered over 50% casualties in combat with the North Koreans. The stiletto measures 12 3/4 inches overall, with a 7 3/8 inch double edged blade, showing extra sharp hollow ground edged and the distinctive long ricasso with the serrated thumb rest over "CASE" on one side, an oval cross guard with leather padding on the underside, ribbed leather washer grip, and the flared steel pommel with "skull crusher" spike on the bottom. With the original "long drop" leather sheath, 20 inches long with staple reinforced throat and stitching.

Excellent, with over 90% of the original blue finish, showing some light wear on the blade concentrated towards the tip and some minor scratches. The guard is bright and the pommel shows mild spotting. A few cuts are present in the guard padding, with light handling marks on the grip. The holster is very good with some cracking on the retention strap, surface wear on the hanger and mild verdigris at the bottom. V-42 rigs are scarce in any condition; the stilettos typically suffered very hard use, and the sheaths were often discarded or altered to a more conventional profile, leaving very few this fine available today.