I came across this great article about the Polish Sapper Knife: WZ 69 and asked the author for permission to translate it and post it in MT.O. You can find the the original article written by Helidoc at the Armas Blancas Forum: Noz wieloczynnosciowy (saperski) wz. 1969 (wz. 69)"Although it has been reviewed several times, I will like to show you one of these multifunction knives that I recently acquired.
It has a complicated name for us, but the translation is: “Multipurpose Knife (Sapper) WZ 69”
The WZ is impressive not only by its size but also for its design and toughness. It is also one of those rare knives/tools that were developed for exclusive military use and as such it incorporates all the tools needed by a demolition soldier on the battlefield. The one presented here is in great condition with its original canvas sheath and lanyard cord.
The measurements of this knife are:
Length: 5.9 Inches (150 mm) and 10.2 inches (260 mm) with the main blade open
Blade length: 4.33 inches (110 mm)
Weight: .88 pounds (0.4 kg)
The idea to create this multipurpose knife came the end of the 1960’s at the Wojskowym Instytucie Technicznym Uzbrojenia w Zielonce (Zielonka’s Militar Institute of Weapons and Technology)
Designed by Ryszard Szyd?owski and Henryk Adamczyk. It was a pioneering project at that time, trying to incorporate all the different tools needed by a combat engineer in one knife. The Project “Utility Knife Model 1969” was registered at the patent office of Poland with the number nº 25.125, and manuals for its use were printed between 1960 and 1974.
The manufacturing company was KMW WIFAMA located in Lódz, which produced a series of 3,000 units, however it is known that aside form the original series several dozens of these knives were assembled by factory workers for personal purposes using defective and overstock parts. These unofficial knives differentiate from the official ones by not having the cap crimper notch and lacking any serial number.
The WZ 69 was distributed to paratroopers, special operations, recon units and combat engineers. Some of them even fell in the hands of the anti-terrorist forces from the Milicja Obywatelska and after 1990 several ended up in the anti-terrorist police division.
Due to the scarcity of manufactured units these knives are highly valued by collectors, especially one in great condition and with all its components included.
The knife consists of two steel arms where all the different tools are stored. In the front part you can see there is a button that allows the release of the automatic blade without opening any of the arms.
Notice how three small indentations are used to secure the main blade screw.
Curiously the main blade has a polish finishing (no pun intended
). Being (as the whole tool) very strong, manufactured in HSA-50 steel with a length of 4.33 inches (110mm)
Both arms of the knife keep closed by a small tab at the end, similar to a balisong knife.
A second tab is used to lock the different tools once they are deployed. The letters O and Z stand for Odblokowany and Zablokowany (Open and Closed)
In the front part you can also see the cap crimper, used to crimp the end of blasting caps onto the safety fuse.
Also at the front of the knife you will find a hard wire cutter capable of cutting wire up to a thickness of .09 inches (2.5 mm)
Now let’s take a look at the innards of this knife:On the right side arm the first thing you notice is a small squared aluminum pipe with a threaded cap at the end and a magnesium bar at the bottom.
It is in fact, a lighter that works with regular lighter fluid like a traditional Zippo.
At one side it has a ruler, very practical for measuring slow fuses
The other tools present in this arm are a metal file and a metal saw. The canvas sheath include spares of both of them and you can change them easily using a flat screwdriver.
The second arm includes a 7mm borer, can opener, flat screwdriver, and a long awl used for placing the detonators in plastic explosives.
This arm includes a locking tab to secure any of the tools
And finally the serial number of the knife which always consist of two letters and three numbers, practically the only mark present in the knife.
To finish this review lets compare both the official and the unofficial model side by side:
As you can see both are very similar, same strength and finishing. However the unofficial model doesn’t have the cap crimper notch. It also lacks the indentations that secure the blade screw.
The unofficial model doesn’t have any serial number and also missing is the lanyard hole.
In the front part both release buttons for the automatic blade are the identical
… Same as the blades
Well that’s it for the review of this curious military knife. Surely some polish members could contribute more details… "
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