The V-42 combat knife was designed in part by Frederick when commanding officer of the 1st Special Service Force. The V-42 was the trademark weapon of the 1st Special Service Force, and its members were trained extensively in its use. It is a short-bladed stiletto with a thumb groove on the top of the blade to promote proper hand placement when attacking an opponent. It is often confused with the longer- and thicker-bladed Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife. The profile of the V-42 knife appears in the crests of the U.S. Army Special Forces and Canada's Joint Task Force Two. Military awards Frederick's military decorations and awards include: Distinguished Service Cross Citation (1st Award) Rank: Brigadier General (then colonel) Unit: 1st Special Service Force Awarded on: 1944 Action: January 10 to 13, 1944 General Orders: Headquarters, Fifth U.S. Army, General Orders No. 102 (1944) Distinguished Service Cross Citation (2nd Award) Rank: Major General (then Brig. General) Unit: 1st Special Service Force Awarded on: 1944 Action: June 4, 1944 General Orders: Headquarters, Fifth U.S. Army, General Orders No. 102 (1944) See also James M. Gavin Tommy Prince References Bibliography Burhans, Robert D., The First Special Service Force: A Canadian/American Wartime Alliance: The Devil's Brigade (Washington: Infantry Journal Press Inc. 1947) Cottingham, Peter Layton Once Upon a Wartime: A Canadian Who Survived the Devil's Brigade (P.L. Cottingham, Manitoba Canada, 1996) Hicks, Anne. "The Last Fighting General: The Biography of Robert Tryon Frederick" (Schiffer Pub Ltd, 2006) . Ross, Robert Todd, The Supercommandos First Special Service Force, 1942-1942, An Illustrated History (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 2000). Springer, Joseph, The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force, (Pacifica Military History, 2001). Werner, Brett. "First Special Service Force 1942 - 44" (Osprey Publishing, 2006) . Wickham, Kenneth. "An Adjutant General Remembers" (Adjutant General's Corps Regimental Association, 1991). Wood, James. "'Matters Canadian' and the Problem with Being Special: Robert T. Frederick on the First Special Service Force." Canadian Military History 12, no. 4 (Autumn 2003): 17-33. Wood, James A. We Move Only Forward: Canada, the United States, and the First Special Service Force, 1942-1944 (St. Catharines, ON: Vanwell Publishing, 2006). Generals of World War II |- |- Staunton Military Academy alumni United States Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of