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LOT 1357
Scarce Numbered Case V-42 Stiletto with Sheath - Marked “CASE” at base of blade and “U.S. 203” on reverse side.
A descendant of the Fairbairn-Sykes combat knife, the V-42 Stiletto was designed with input from members of the
First Special Service Force, the joint American/Canadian arctic and mountain warfare unit that is considered one of the forefathers of modern American Special Forces. The majority went to the 1st SSF, but around 70 were diverted to the
Navy and among the armament issued to the light cruiser U.S.S. Omaha. The stiletto measures 12 1/2 inches overall
with a 7 1/4 inch double edged, hollow ground blade showing the signature serrated “thumbprint” on the ricasso
above “CASE”, with the reverse stamped “U.S./203”, an atypical marking for the V-42. The alloy guard is fitted with a
thick leather finger pad on the underside with a ribbed leather washer grip and distinctive “skull crusher” pommel. The
brown leather sheath is in the original SSF-style “long drop” configuration, with staple and rivet reinforcement, and a
copper reinforcement plate riveted to the back.
CONDITION: Fine. Most of the original high polish blue remains on the ricasso, with the remainder of the blade cleaned bright and showing minor shallow pitting, and the skullcrusher showing a duller blue with areas of brown patina and spotting, and the crossguard retaining about half the black enamel finish, the remainder flaking to bright metal. The
grip shows minor wear, with the sheath showing a number of stains and scuffs but remaining strong and supple. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 2,500 - 3,750
LOT 1358
Historic Grouping of Medals and Patches Attributed to Sergeant Salvador Fabrega, OSS
Man and Tacoma Mission Veteran - The grouping consists of a machine stitched 5th Army
patch, hand-stitched “PARACHUTE” rocker, medal and ribbon bar for the Distinguished Service
Cross, and the medal for the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart is numbered “167115” on the edge,
and the Distinguished Service Cross engraved “SALVADOR/FABREGA” on the back. Records show
that Fabrega (recorded in different sources as either a T/5 Technician or a Sergeant) lived a life that
could best be described as “interesting”. Born in either 1910 or 1913 in Catalonia depending on
source, Fabrega spent much of his life on the move, living in Spain, Germany and Argentina in his
youth, serving some time in the merchant marine before joining the Loyalist Army for the Spanish
Civil War, a brief stint in the French Foreign Legion ending with him going off the reservation
during the Fall of France, and eventually winding up in New York City, where he would enlist in the
U.S. Army in 1942. His robust language skills made him an ideal candidate for service with the OSS,
and he was recruited and trained to be part of the Tacoma Mission, an OSS operation to drop Allied military advisors to aid and train Italian partisan forces as a threat to German supply lines in the Italian Alps. Dropping in just after Christmas of 1944, Fabrega fought alongside a mixed force of Italian partisans, OSS advisors, and rescued Allied airmen doing damage to supply lines and dumps while evading and fighting both Italian and German pursuers. Eventually, their luck ran out, and Fabrega fell into the custody of the SS, where he was subjected to a variety of physical and psychological tortures. Notably, at one point he was given the opportunity to escape by an SS driver who claimed to be a spy for the OSS; either believing it some manner of setup (he had maintained under brutal interrogation that he was just a mundane airman, not an OSS man) or believing the driver more valuable to the war effort where he was, he opted to remain captured. He would later escape on his own, and reportedly managed to bluff the occupants of a SS barracks in Merano that he was an officer there to officially capture them, ordering them to put themselves on lockdown a day prior to the arrival of the 10th Mountain Division to actually secure the area. For his service he would be awarded the DSC and the Purple Heart; his DSC citation including incidents such as getting into a two-on-one machine gun duel with a pair of Italian Fascist machine gun crews to support an entire partisan flank
so they could reposition and eventually attempt a breakout, and tells the story of the driver/spy (the citation presents the driver’s story as true). He would return to America following the war, with records showing him settling in Miami and later residence in Texas, where he would pass on in 1993. Includes a copy of “The Brenner Assignment” by Patrick K. O’Donnell. CONDITION: Very good overall, with the patches showing mild wear and the medals and ribbon bar showing light staining. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
280 Estimate: 4,500 - 7,000