Original U.S. WWII Service Worn Airborne Schrade Edgemaster M2 No.2 Paratrooper Knife with Metal Handle French & Indian War This started out life as

This started out life as a standard British P-1853 Percussion Rifle Musket

which were still in use in many places

This is an enlisted laundry number and a great starting point for research though there is quite the long list to sort through for possible owners

It reads:-

The arrival of the Military engineering vehicle and the deployment of weapons of mass destruction vastly expanded capabilities and complicated mission-profiles of modern pioneer units

Original U.S. WWII Service Worn Airborne Schrade Edgemaster M2 No.2 Paratrooper Knife with Metal Handle French & Indian War This started out life asOriginal Item: Only One Available. Worn in the breast pocket of the Paratrooper M2 Jump Jacket, these knives were intended for paratroopers to cut their parachute cords and anything else if they got entangled during a jump. All of the versions are quite rare and hard to find, partly because they continued to be used after the war, and simply wore out. This very nice service worn example offered in good functional condition, and is marked on the base