I have recently come into the possession of a WW2 Marine bolo. This is a very sturdy implement with U.S.M.C. ingraved on one side with the word BRIDDELL (apparently the manufacturer) just under it. It has a rounded front and would be a good tool for hacking jungle or in a hand-to-hand fight. It came with a scabbard marked, "USMC, BOYT, 45". In all my years I have seen only one other that I can remember so they're rather rare. The really interesting thing is that an on-line search reveals that they were issued to Navy medics working with Marine units! I have not been able to find out why they were issued to the medics and not a general issue. Any ideas or info on this piece of WW2 equipment?
More information: The bolo was indeed used for brush clearing and chopping poles for litters and splints. Some have also suggested that it was also used for emergency amputations of mangled limbs, but I'm not sure about that. Briddell was only one of several manufacturers but only Boyt made the scabbards. The design changed some over the course of the war, going from three rivets in the handle to four. My rivets are brass but other metals such as steel were used. The whole thing is 16.5 inches long with the blade being 11.5" long, a quarter inch wide and varying from approximately 1.75" to 2.75". The weight is approximately 2.5 pounds. believe US Army medics were given a hatchet for the same purposes.
