My guess is the tang was filed flat, a crude handle was made, and then the bit sticking out the end was hammered flat with the new handle. You can see the lip at the end of the tang. I have seen several Chinese blades with a similar look. (
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...-1000-full.jpg)
The closest thing I could find to a replacement handle was this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/WW2-CHINESE-MILI...QQcmdZViewItem
It would not really do though.
Josh