According to Denis Cherevichnik's "World history of knifing", argentineans were in love with 1891 Mauser bayonets, that were used without rifles as shortswords.
Interesting, Argentina has a martial art called esgrima criolla ( spaniards’ new world born offspring’s fencing ) were they use knives made out of broken Sabres or swords and also bayonets. It might have something to do with that. Gauchos (Argentinian cowboys) were famous for dueling with knives.
I just dont see how I have 2 1891 Argentine bayonets one brass handle and one aluminum and they are beautiful bayonets but they were issued unsharpened
@@Mibit911 All bayonets and military bladed weapons are issued unsharpened. It's part tradtion (as war is declared, weapons must be sharpened), part common sense (if you start sharpening your blade, you would be required to keep it combat ready, this would mean sharpening it more often and eventually more and more bayonets would be wasted without any good purpose).
A number of people have already mentioned the Australian 4th Light Horse and their charge at Beersheba on the 31st of October 1917, I would like to clarify however that the Cavalry Manual at the time specified that if the bayonet was used on horseback in place of a sword it was suitable for pointing (ie attacking with the point like a lance) and should not be used for slashes or cuts from horseback
Cool, thanks for the info. That's not surprising really, given that the actual cavalry sword was used the same way at that time, and that the P1907 bayonet is even shorter (only 17") than the yataghan Matt is using in the video and its blade geometry isn't especially suited to cutting, being quite thick, narrow and with an edge ground at a fairly obtuse angle.
That makes perfect sense as the bayonet's edge isn't made for cutting like a sword would and being so short of a blade you won't have much of an edge to use for slashing anyhow.
To clarify further the Light Horse regiments were more like mounted rifles than the heavier British cavalry of the western front, the emphasis on pointing only applied to using the bayonet when mounted. The bayonets could have been (and likely were) used with both cutting and thrusting attacks when dismounted (after the charge the 4th Light horse did dismount and engage the Turks in close quarters in the trenches, the 12th light horse also engaged in dismounted combat during their capture of Beersheba Town) and when it became apparent that a cavalry charge would likely be required in the course of the battle orders were issued to the divisional armourers to sharpen all bayonets in anticipation of hand to hand fighting
The Australian Light Horse where mounted infantry and used the appropriate equipment. The British still had sworded cavalry an nd did not need to reintroduce it
Back in the 90s, when this was relevant to me, the emphasis in bayonet training was still fighting with them attached, because you really do need the extra leverage to get through heavy clothing, webbing and maybe even flak jackets.
If I remember correctly the Imperial War Museum used to have as part of a display an audio account from an Australian soldier during WW2 who killed an enemy using his bayonet. It's consistent with what's brought up in this video: it was in a jungle and neither he nor his opponent were expecting to encountee each other, they stumbled into each other and rushed for the first weapon to hand, which in his case happened to be a particular model of bayonet that he described as being large and 'effectively like a short sword'.
Hi Matt! I have an account of a sword bayonet being used in combat for you, straight from D.A. Kingsley's Swordsmen of the British Empire. Page 345. "At the storming of Cuidad Rodrigo [during the Peninsular War], a sergeant threw his rifle from him and rushed into the breach, where he was seen fighting with his sword bayonet like a demon; he killed eleven of the enemy before they succeeded in knocking him on the head". It goes on to say; "In the siege of Bajadoz, [Sgt. Thomas] Mayberry [of the Rifle Brigade], although covered with wound killed seven with his sword bayonet, till at last he was cut down by a tremendous sword cut, which cleft his skull almost in twain".
I don't want to modify my antique, but I would love to stick a cutlass guard on chassepot bayonet. I feel it would make an amazing alternative cutlass blade design.
Side note: In Hasek's The Good Soldier Sveik it is mentioned that bayonets where used sheathed as very effective club like weapons during some drunk brawls among Austro-Hungary soldiers :D
Klewang in the right hand and karabine in the left is about the dutch did in indonesia. De combat was almost always close range so that a bajonet was a disadvantage . I guess..
Yes, the klewang and carbine manual is a great source and is surprising close to what we know was happening in other armed forces earlier on, but for which we have no manuals. For example, we know the gurkhas used their kukris like that.
@@scholagladiatoria This is something that’s still officially taught in island southeast asian military martial arts even today. It stems from an ancient austronesian dueling practice where a stick is used in place of the shields that were traditionally used in the precolonial eras but became obsolete during colonization. I’m most familiar with it from FMA where it’s still taught as a living martial art.
From memory the Australian Light Horse charge at Beersheba in World War 1 did use bayonets in their hands fighting from Horse back and once they dismounted.
That's true, although I suspect this was mostly used in practice for parrying enemy bayonet thrusts and for psychological effect. The light horsemen jumped the trenches and dismounted to fight with rifles and presumably bayonets fixed, rather than trying to run down the defenders in the saddle. The P1907 bayonet is very short, much more so than the one Matt has in this video, and I think a mounted trooper would really struggle to even hit an infantryman with it.
A note on trench warfare--trenches were generally narrow for two reasons. The wider the trench, the more likely an artillery shell could fall into the trench. Narrow trenches required less shoring--military engineering manuals note that if trenches and tunnels are kept to no more than a meter wide, shoring isn't required in most soils. All these made fighting in a trench a narrow alley fight.
It seems that most mentioned examples are of WW1 but there was a WW2 example of a bayonet used as a sword. As cavalry sabers were being phased out, few were equipped with swords in the 26th cavalry regiment when they preformed the last cavalry charge in US history in 16 Jan 1942. What they had was a dual purpose tool called a bolo bayonet. A bolo is a Philippine machete and the bayonet version was both bush clearing tool and rifle attachment. Most of the regiment were scouts so combat sabers weren't as common as bush clearing equipment. With sabers unavailable, they used their bayonets as replacements and charged using them like sabers.
the zig zag of trenches is less about shrapnel and more about concussion waves which would just propagate down an even gracefully sloped trench that would prevent sight lines for shrapnel.
Another mention. Soviet recons in WWII used german K98 bayonets as well as soviet SVT bayonets and factory made knives for all the possible tasks, from can opening to fighting. In Memoir compilations, such as the ones made by Artyom Drabkin, they were often called "german finkas".
@@boriskapchits7727 I know. Thing is that many soldiers weren't so educated in weapon terminology. Quotes from memoirs, posted on Rusknife forum in "puukkos and scandi knives" section, often contain such word combination as "german finka" (probably, K98 bayonet), "Our (soviet) dagger-knife" (NR-40), "SVT pallasch" (large bayonet for SVT-38, in the story they used to shorten it for use as a fighting knife).
Great video! I have a USMC KABAR Knife I love using for various things and you make a good point with the modern rifles. Though I also have (I believe, it was a gift) German WWII K-98 Mauser Bayonet that is incredibly durable. Probably the best weapon I own. I do know that Trench Knives in WW1 were fairly popular so they might opt to use those instead of bayonets in the close quarter's fighting at times, but I'm also certain bayonets were used extensively.
When I was doing my military service (France) I noticed that many NCO owned a Russian bayonnett which I assume was appreciated as a tool because used with the scabbard it makes a wire cutter.
Matt, I think you have to admit, you don't do short. You do information-packed and interesting. You do things for fact addicts. And we love you for it.
The Mauser G98 is a fine example for this discussion. Some of its sword bayonets had blades which became wider at the point, making them able chopping tools. An available ersatz hybrid bayonet/trench dagger was also made available from 1917 for private purchase and is a fine example of a blade not adapted for use but designed specifically with flexibility of use in mind.
In modern warfare, your rifle is slung to your body, you cant exactly thrust it out in front of you without adjusting the sling to be really loose, that is generally a bad idea. You just let go of the rifle, and it falls to your chest, then you are free to use both hands to do whatever, including using a hatchet or large knife. Although you can barrel thump an unruly person that is not a lethal threat but is being restive.
Makes sense, I think a lot of people forget using the dagger like you said in the beginning would be great in a 1 on 1 battle, but this is a group combat scenario, and you didn't tend to do that in wars. At least i wouldn't want to.
I am a gun fan, but l like swords too...lol We have something similar bayonet in Norway, it was used on the Remington 1867 rolling block rifle made by Kongsberg våpenfabrikk.
Contrast this with modern-day bayonets (or for many countries, from WWII onward), which are most often designed to serve the functions of utility, fighting knife, and bayonet.
I think in the modern context, it would be worth not affixing the blade to your carbine, because a shorter length matters much more in close quarters and having 6-8" extra inches to bring your muzzle to bear on a rushing target is more valuable.
I agree 100% about the usefulness and effectiveness of bayonets as weapons and tools. It is how melee meets firearms. Thank you for your descriptive accounts and instruction about this misunderstood and under rated weapon. The long-gun held by the fore-end/balance point in the support hand is an orthodox gun-handling position BTW. If you're firing your rifle and hit a "click" and need a "bang" ASAP and you don't have a sling that allows the weapon to just hang plus you want to retain the weapon, you hold as you would for parrying (close to the body to not inhibit shooting or mobility). See PolenarTactical's video "SKS Operator" for a great visual example of this technique expertly employed. Thank you for making me realize how useful the rifle is in that position for offense and defense rather than just temporary storage, and that if the damn Gurkhas do it - it probably works. I have a bayonet for my AK74M and have practiced with it. I don't find the rifle much less unwieldy or any heavier on long hikes over rough terrain, but I prefer it off for obvious reasons. Gabriel Suarez and Sonny Puzikas have good lectures on how to use an AK as a contact weapon, I can only imagine and get more creative with a bayonet fixed. A shorter knife blade on a shorter barrel makes it more handy for "trench" distance, and it's still a "knife" if I don't fix it. If I knew I was going to be shooting at distances where people are likely to grab at my long-gun or have a real chance of being close enough to hit with contact weapons, I'd prefer a fixed bayonet even on an 8 inch barrel AK74U to discourage, possibly prevent, and more effectively deal with this. Even if they have sufficient combat power to overcome the bayonet, fear alone may do my work for me. Provided of course no precision hostage as body shield precision is expected, of course. People at close range can be shot many times without being incapacitated, I'd rather have a spike for banzai charges if I'm going into terrain made for the 21 foot rule etc. I used to get into arguments with ROTC guys in college (who all got commissions...) about this. I didn't care that their precious Military Science class said less than 1% of casualties were caused by them, bayonets don't suck and aren't useless! The American military since the Korean War has a bad history of fudging or ignoring statistics and data it doesn't like as well as not considering "heretical" ideas; like that people were kept at bay due to bayonets and so were able to become casualties more easily from other weapons. Or that bodies killed by bayonets may end up too badly mutilated from the nature of CQB in war of the period to have an accurate cause of death determined, if soldiers even bothered to (lolz!) before burying people in the hundreds of thousands over the centuries. Give me a pump-action shotgun with bayonet mount until you can hand me a Kalashnikov with the same. You don't ever need the mount it, a knife that cuts wire is still good and costs nothing extra, may as well be able to stick it on my gun and know how to fight with it. A friend and militia buddy of mine was a US Army soldier in Iraq. He was an engineer, so he could carry a bayonet because the scabbard and blade wire cutter tool. He was the first guy into a room one day and there was an enemy crouched and blazing away with an AK right away. He shot once with his AR, and then it malfunctioned (if he told me what type of malfunction it was, I don't remember now). He had no pistol, so rather than fix the problem exposed under point blank fire, he pulled his bayonet and threw it into the guy. He died very quickly, the second and third people into the room had nothing to worry about. My friend said he'd never thrown a knife before, and the US Army bayonet is hardly a throwing dagger. After that he started practicing with throwing knives and got a fair amount of demonstrable skill. He also ordered parts for his AR and installed them (he was a gunsmith and had armorer training) that were much better than mil-spec and would have prevented that malfunction, even though it would have gotten him in bad trouble if his officers founds out.
One thing I found is in WW1 some German soldiers cut down their bayonettes and used them as short knifes/daggers rather than like a polearm on their rifles. However you have all sorts of devices being used in WW1 as a trench weapon so that wouldn't be anything special or officially sanctioned.
My Grandfather who spent four years in the trenches of WW I with the CDN army spoke of firing his SMLE to loosen the bayonet should it become 'stuck.' Somehow he managed to escape being killed or wounded physically, though mental scars remained from the war. At Vimy his company with the Seaforths got pinned in machine gun crossfire and 3/4 of the personnel were either wounded or killed but a convenient shell crater provided concealment for himself and several others. If not for that crater and its orientation he said he would have been a casualty. He was also present at Passchendaele. The CDN general in command Arthur Curry predicted it would cost 12,000 men to take the position and was accurate within a few hundred. Curry was to be given top command of the Allied forces when to war came to a close. ruclips.net/video/DChJIa79ajk/видео.html
In WWI some frontline workshops reground bayonets, that were often too long due to obsolete military doctrine, into shorter trench knives. The German gun magazine Visier had special issues on bayonets as well as military knives that are surely worth checking out.
In the Paraguayan Triple alliance war most soldiers in the Paraguayan side used bayonets with no rifle. Or Bayonets with a baboo stick as a spear due to the lack of rifles.
Great video. As a bayonet collector, this is a especially interesting video to me. I'd like to own a 19th century bayonet, all mine are from the 20th/21st century
Matt,I think maybe short shovel could also been used in WW1 and 2 in cqb fight, Russian did that a lot and my former army instructor ( in PLA ) taught me lots of tricks of how to use the shovel like a short axe and he also told me that is probably a very good side arm beside of pistol in the tunnel (he used to fight in China-Vietnam broad war).
What you have to consider is that with the L85 you also have the very effective slinging system that carriers the rifle either across the chest, ot allows it to hang down at the right side of the user. This allows you to swap from firing the rifle to using your hands for something else almost instantly. IIRC the US has a similar system for modern iterations of the M16 platform. I only ever used the L1A1 SLR, and that essentially had the same sling as had been on issue in various materials for almost as long as soldiers have carried individual firearms. Fine if you want to sling it on your back, where it is useless to you, or potentially to use as an aid to steadying the rifle while you fire it. Fortunately in the 80's RAF I only had to carry it on exercise and gate guard, the only time I saw a bayonet was while on parade.
Sounds like a 3-point sling. They were all the rage in the 80's and 90's. The French have them on their FAMAS' and the Germans on their G36s. I dunno how euros do it now, or even what's officially USGI issue for the US mil, but these days it's quick-adjust 2-point slings that are all the rage amongst the tacticool gearqueers. I've got one for my AK. It's comfy. You can keep it slung over your shoulder while having it at the ready or just let it go and it'll hang at your front where you left it. Demonstration: ruclips.net/video/ZJCBmCQ7Txo/видео.html
In Japan they have two separate martial arts for bayonet, jukendo for bayonet mounted on a rifle and tankendo for using a bayonet directly in the hand. Both uses kendo-like protective gear.
I think it was at the Battle of Hlobane during the Zulu War that a company of British regulars performed a bayonet charge and drove off a group of Zulu who had managed to flank their regiment. I'm not certain of the battle because it has been years since last I studied it, but I was very impressed with the bravery of the men and the fact they used their bayonets against warriors equipped with shields.
Reminds me of how my dad summed up his first day of hand to hand training in the USMC. Instructor pointed to the biggest guy in the unit and said, "Come at me." The guy takes one step, and the instuctor picked up an M16 and emptied an entire magazine of blanks; turned the guy's shirt black with powder. He said, "Lesson 1. Melee is a last resort. If you have a bullet in the chamber, you shoot the son of a bitch."
I did hear that the Marine guards at Benghazi were issued the "Fix bayonets" command. Oh and soldiers do use their bayonets in the hand all the time, and I suspect that they always have. They are very handy indeed. Great for pounding on things, spreading cheese on crackers, opening random packages, playing the odd bit of mumbly peg..... Nothing that the Sergeant would approve of, but still commonly used.
This made me think of an animated mini-series where one of the main antagonists uses bayonets as his main weapon. Always thought it would be ungainly, because his bayonets have a distinct shape. Not a curved blade, but it's off-set from the handle by about 90 degrees.
Some of the trench warfare in the American Civil War might be place to look for sources on bayonets being used dismounted. I don't know that it happened, but it's a possible place to look.
with a modern carbine, i sling my rifle and go for a sharpen entrenchment tool and bayonet for close quarter action. the command Fix bayonet is for crowd control.
I recall some accounts from "Swordsmen of the British Empire" criticizing the yatagan bayonet for not serving as a particularly good bayonet, though. I think they mostly didn't like the idea of a cut-and-thrust bayonet, and believed that a purely thrust-oriented bayonet would be better.
I agree with them, the main reason being that it is a lot heavier than the spike bayonet. It significantly slows down your movements and puts you at a disadvantage.
There are a handful of examples from the American Civil War of bayonets being used as last-ditch hand weapons. Given that the bayonets of that time and place weren't really designed with hand use in mind, that had to be a desperation move. I know that I've read about such instances, but I can't at the moment remember where. I'll do some digging if and when I ever have a day off again; I'm intrigued now.
Anither thing i want to add, is most bayonets werent sharpened. I have around 12 bayonets to match the rifles i have. All are unadultered and in original condition and none of fhem except 2 are even close to sharpend and thats the m1 and m5 bayonets that i have and even them its not what i would call fighting sharp, more just thin edged. Most that i have have thick or sharp points and then have thich edges or false edges. The bayonets i own are 1. British 1907 sword bayonet 2. Indian 1941 cutdown 1907 bayonet mk1** 3. U.S M1 bayonet 4. U.S m5a1 5. South korean K-m5a1 6. Argentine model 1891 sword Bayonet 1st model brass handle 7. Argentine model 1891 sword bayonet 2nd model aluminum handle 8. Swiss 1918 Bayonet 9. Swedish m1896 Bayonet 10. Italian 1891 Carcano sword bayonet 11. Mosin Nagant Socket Bayonet Triangular 12. Sks Folding bayonet Triangular There might be 1 or 2 more im forgetting at rhis time but the point is all of these bayonets from various countries during the 1890s to 1950s were issued with thick blades with no sharpness. The only way to use them wpuld be as a spear or stabbing weapon unless you sharpened them yourself but i heard rumours that soldiers did not sharpen bsyonets due to them cutting into rib bones andngetting wedged or stuck in place or them being snapped due to the metal being too thin. So most examples i have are quite thick. I just dont see how they could be used as swords unless troops sharpened them themselves but if thats the case it wasnt how they were issued or trained
In close combat I'd prefer a spear (bayonet) to a shorter weapon, it makes far more sense that bayonets would be used primarily as bayonets on the end of a rifle.
I have a WW2 Japanese bayonet that helped protect my home. One night I caught two men casing our house and stepped out to confront them with the bayonet, in it's scabbard, in hand for protection. Upon being challenged, the two slunk on down the street but one of them turned back to face me. He shouted as he began to approach: "Is that a gun you got?" I didn't answer but pulled the bayonet from it's scabbard quickly. It came out of the scabbard singing with a loud metallic "Schwinnnnng" and the man stopped frozen in his tracks. The two then turned and scurried up the street like the cockroaches they were. I guess the sound of a 15 inch blade being uncovered scared them more than a gun. Good thing it did as I never saw them on our street again.
From what I have seen concerning American Forces during World War Two, in Korea and in Vietnam, the only time a bayonet was used without being attached to the end of a rifle was during an act of pure desperation. It takes time to attach a bayonet to the end of a rifle, and you could be killed if you did not defend yourself NOW! And so use the bayonet in the hand, even if logic says that it is more useful attached to the end of a rifle.
I have known people in elite military units - 1st Special Forces, 75th Rangers, Marine Force Recon. They all say pretty much the same thing: The most important operational role of the modern bayonet is spreading MRE peanut butter.
My medieval kit is comprised of a spear, arming sword, and rondel dagger. All three are hand-made/hand-forged. My modern kit consists of my Colt M4 carbine in .223 caliber, my Beretta M9 in 9mm, my tomahawk, the "Kestrel", by RMJ Forge of Chattanooga, TN, and my dagger, the "ADRA" by Extrema Ratio of Prato, Italy. Incidentally, the dagger and pistol were made only about a 20-minute drive apart from each other in Northern Italy! Also, my dagger is a separate knife from the rifle, not a bayonet. I agree with Matt's philosophy he mentioned at 11:50.
@scholagladitoria - have you ever ran across Alfred Hutton's "Our Daggers: or, How to Use the New Bayonet (1890)"? If so, how does it stack up to Huttons content in Cold Steel?
Ooh, this so Father Alexander Anderson from Hellsing isn't too far off. Good to know! Honestly, I like this idea. It would seem a damn shame if such blades were only considered useful if attached to a rifle.
If bayonets weren't useful in battle, as some people claim, then WW1 wouldn't have been the the mess it was during the first few months. There's a reason armies kept charging at each other even though they were getting mowed down by rifle fire, generals still thought a bayonet charge would win the day. Rapid fire and trench warfare really took the bayonet out of the picture, as endimic to the battlefield as it was.
Yeah, it's quite famous - though in that case it was a matter of using literally the only thing they had to hand, as they didn't have swords. A sort of last resort. Worked well though!
Dual wielding! Sling the rifle, pull your saber and pistol. Block and parry with the saber; and use the pistol for offense. Imagine it swords and glock 17s! With extended mags! Our military needs sabers, pretty ones with shiny bass! Like the U.S. 1860 model. I think I just designed an action movie character 🤔
De: modern carbine doctrine: I've heard that most of the reason for issuing bayonets these days is to make sure everybody has a good all-purpose knife for use around camp. On the other hand, there have been successful bayonet charges in this century. Personally, I think it's be cool if they went back to the SMLE philosophy and made up for the shortness of the carbine by making the bayonet longer. :D
The biggest problems for using a bayonet as a sword, besides the short length, would be the edge. They are not sharp like a sword would be as it's meant for only thrusting and not slashing. You can take your average bayonet and slide along your arm without breaking your skin.
I have a British sword-bayonet from 1907 (hooked quillon). A bit shorter and not the same shape as this one. It is blunt though, don't know if I should sharpen it, or keep it in the state it is for "collection value".
Please don't sharpen it! These are very rare and valuable - sell it and buy three normal ones, sharpen all of those instead :-) If you want advice on selling it then contact me at Easton Antique Arms
Hey Matt, will you be making a video on the "EA5100 - Highly unusual French Napoleonic era infantry officer's broadsword." on your website. That thing looks amazing.
According to Denis Cherevichnik's "World history of knifing", argentineans were in love with 1891 Mauser bayonets, that were used without rifles as shortswords.
Interesting, Argentina has a martial art called esgrima criolla ( spaniards’ new world born offspring’s fencing ) were they use knives made out of broken Sabres or swords and also bayonets. It might have something to do with that. Gauchos (Argentinian cowboys) were famous for dueling with knives.
@@eoagr1780 yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Though theory-wise esgrima criolla is basically spanish knife fighting.
I just dont see how
I have 2 1891 Argentine bayonets one brass handle and one aluminum and they are beautiful bayonets but they were issued unsharpened
@@Mibit911 All bayonets and military bladed weapons are issued unsharpened. It's part tradtion (as war is declared, weapons must be sharpened), part common sense (if you start sharpening your blade, you would be required to keep it combat ready, this would mean sharpening it more often and eventually more and more bayonets would be wasted without any good purpose).
@@SamuraiAkechi interesting thankyou for the information
Yet-aghan an interesting video. Thanks Matt.
Every time I see a pun, there is a little man inside my head that starts screaming. I guess I should get that checked out...
SNORT
good one
A number of people have already mentioned the Australian 4th Light Horse and their charge at Beersheba on the 31st of October 1917, I would like to clarify however that the Cavalry Manual at the time specified that if the bayonet was used on horseback in place of a sword it was suitable for pointing (ie attacking with the point like a lance) and should not be used for slashes or cuts from horseback
Cool, thanks for the info. That's not surprising really, given that the actual cavalry sword was used the same way at that time, and that the P1907 bayonet is even shorter (only 17") than the yataghan Matt is using in the video and its blade geometry isn't especially suited to cutting, being quite thick, narrow and with an edge ground at a fairly obtuse angle.
That makes perfect sense as the bayonet's edge isn't made for cutting like a sword would and being so short of a blade you won't have much of an edge to use for slashing anyhow.
To clarify further the Light Horse regiments were more like mounted rifles than the heavier British cavalry of the western front, the emphasis on pointing only applied to using the bayonet when mounted. The bayonets could have been (and likely were) used with both cutting and thrusting attacks when dismounted (after the charge the 4th Light horse did dismount and engage the Turks in close quarters in the trenches, the 12th light horse also engaged in dismounted combat during their capture of Beersheba Town) and when it became apparent that a cavalry charge would likely be required in the course of the battle orders were issued to the divisional armourers to sharpen all bayonets in anticipation of hand to hand fighting
I understand that in response to the charge at Beersheba the British hastily began *reintroducing* swords.
The Australian Light Horse where mounted infantry and used the appropriate equipment. The British still had sworded cavalry an nd did not need to reintroduce it
Back in the 90s, when this was relevant to me, the emphasis in bayonet training was still fighting with them attached, because you really do need the extra leverage to get through heavy clothing, webbing and maybe even flak jackets.
If I remember correctly the Imperial War Museum used to have as part of a display an audio account from an Australian soldier during WW2 who killed an enemy using his bayonet. It's consistent with what's brought up in this video: it was in a jungle and neither he nor his opponent were expecting to encountee each other, they stumbled into each other and rushed for the first weapon to hand, which in his case happened to be a particular model of bayonet that he described as being large and 'effectively like a short sword'.
Hi Matt! I have an account of a sword bayonet being used in combat for you, straight from D.A. Kingsley's Swordsmen of the British Empire.
Page 345.
"At the storming of Cuidad Rodrigo [during the Peninsular War], a sergeant threw his rifle from him and rushed into the breach, where he was seen fighting with his sword bayonet like a demon; he killed eleven of the enemy before they succeeded in knocking him on the head".
It goes on to say;
"In the siege of Bajadoz, [Sgt. Thomas] Mayberry [of the Rifle Brigade], although covered with wound killed seven with his sword bayonet, till at last he was cut down by a tremendous sword cut, which cleft his skull almost in twain".
Faith no more! good stuff
Lost the Superdry sponsorship?
I was humming "The gentle art of Making Enemies" just as I clicked on this video. Holy shit it was kismet.
I looked them up, hadn't heard about them before (or at least never looked them up). All I can think about now is Limozeen...
That shirt is Epic.
..which happens to be the only song I know by them, hence the pun.
@@YouADamnWitch the gentle art of making enemies. that wgen he is wearing the F.A.R shirt and the edgelords come out to play
The Japanese used bayonets as swords while infiltrating American lines during WWII as documented in Eugene Sledge's book "With The Old Breed".
I don't want to modify my antique, but I would love to stick a cutlass guard on chassepot bayonet. I feel it would make an amazing alternative cutlass blade design.
Side note: In Hasek's The Good Soldier Sveik it is mentioned that bayonets where used sheathed as very effective club like weapons during some drunk brawls among Austro-Hungary soldiers :D
Matt Easton will be the inventor of cqc in this timeline
"CQC? real Big Boss, huh."
Close quarters context
He's pretty good
Klewang in the right hand and karabine in the left is about the dutch did in indonesia. De combat was almost always close range so that a bajonet was a disadvantage . I guess..
Yes, the klewang and carbine manual is a great source and is surprising close to what we know was happening in other armed forces earlier on, but for which we have no manuals. For example, we know the gurkhas used their kukris like that.
@@scholagladiatoria This is something that’s still officially taught in island southeast asian military martial arts even today. It stems from an ancient austronesian dueling practice where a stick is used in place of the shields that were traditionally used in the precolonial eras but became obsolete during colonization. I’m most familiar with it from FMA where it’s still taught as a living martial art.
A special case of spears are better then swords. A bayonet on the end of a rifle is the last iteration of the spear.
Can you talk about the advantages of domed shields vs flat shields? particularly in the context of early medieval "viking" boss held shields?
I'm always impressed with how well spoken you are and how easily you can organize and relay all your thoughts well without much or any editing
In WW I the Germans very often used their short service shovels as a hand weapon.....
At the Sharp End: Canadians in the Great War also tells a couple anecdotes of sharpened entrenching tools being used as effective melee weapons
From memory the Australian Light Horse charge at Beersheba in World War 1 did use bayonets in their hands fighting from Horse back and once they dismounted.
That's true, although I suspect this was mostly used in practice for parrying enemy bayonet thrusts and for psychological effect. The light horsemen jumped the trenches and dismounted to fight with rifles and presumably bayonets fixed, rather than trying to run down the defenders in the saddle. The P1907 bayonet is very short, much more so than the one Matt has in this video, and I think a mounted trooper would really struggle to even hit an infantryman with it.
A note on trench warfare--trenches were generally narrow for two reasons. The wider the trench, the more likely an artillery shell could fall into the trench. Narrow trenches required less shoring--military engineering manuals note that if trenches and tunnels are kept to no more than a meter wide, shoring isn't required in most soils. All these made fighting in a trench a narrow alley fight.
It seems that most mentioned examples are of WW1 but there was a WW2 example of a bayonet used as a sword. As cavalry sabers were being phased out, few were equipped with swords in the 26th cavalry regiment when they preformed the last cavalry charge in US history in 16 Jan 1942. What they had was a dual purpose tool called a bolo bayonet. A bolo is a Philippine machete and the bayonet version was both bush clearing tool and rifle attachment. Most of the regiment were scouts so combat sabers weren't as common as bush clearing equipment. With sabers unavailable, they used their bayonets as replacements and charged using them like sabers.
The trenches were zig-zagged not just for protection from shrapnel but it also protected from the blast pressure wave.
the zig zag of trenches is less about shrapnel and more about concussion waves which would just propagate down an even gracefully sloped trench that would prevent sight lines for shrapnel.
Another mention. Soviet recons in WWII used german K98 bayonets as well as soviet SVT bayonets and factory made knives for all the possible tasks, from can opening to fighting. In Memoir compilations, such as the ones made by Artyom Drabkin, they were often called "german finkas".
Finka (Finnish) is a russian term for a short knife.
@@boriskapchits7727 I know. Thing is that many soldiers weren't so educated in weapon terminology. Quotes from memoirs, posted on Rusknife forum in "puukkos and scandi knives" section, often contain such word combination as "german finka" (probably, K98 bayonet), "Our (soviet) dagger-knife" (NR-40), "SVT pallasch" (large bayonet for SVT-38, in the story they used to shorten it for use as a fighting knife).
Great video! I have a USMC KABAR Knife I love using for various things and you make a good point with the modern rifles. Though I also have (I believe, it was a gift) German WWII K-98 Mauser Bayonet that is incredibly durable. Probably the best weapon I own.
I do know that Trench Knives in WW1 were fairly popular so they might opt to use those instead of bayonets in the close quarter's fighting at times, but I'm also certain bayonets were used extensively.
in ww1 many bayonets were considered too long for the very close quarters fight in trench and many of them were cut and reshaped for that.
Thumbs up for the info. Extra thumbs up for the Faith No More shirt.
When I was doing my military service (France) I noticed that many NCO owned a Russian bayonnett which I assume was appreciated as a tool because used with the scabbard it makes a wire cutter.
Matt, I think you have to admit, you don't do short. You do information-packed and interesting. You do things for fact addicts. And we love you for it.
The Mauser G98 is a fine example for this discussion. Some of its sword bayonets had blades which became wider at the point, making them able chopping tools. An available ersatz hybrid bayonet/trench dagger was also made available from 1917 for private purchase and is a fine example of a blade not adapted for use but designed specifically with flexibility of use in mind.
I have an Eddystone US Model of 1917 with the long bayonet; and I thank you for the useful information!
In modern warfare, your rifle is slung to your body, you cant exactly thrust it out in front of you without adjusting the sling to be really loose, that is generally a bad idea. You just let go of the rifle, and it falls to your chest, then you are free to use both hands to do whatever, including using a hatchet or large knife. Although you can barrel thump an unruly person that is not a lethal threat but is being restive.
Makes sense, I think a lot of people forget using the dagger like you said in the beginning would be great in a 1 on 1 battle, but this is a group combat scenario, and you didn't tend to do that in wars. At least i wouldn't want to.
I am a gun fan, but l like swords too...lol We have something similar bayonet in Norway, it was used on the Remington 1867 rolling block rifle made by Kongsberg våpenfabrikk.
Yep
They are awesome
Nice patu in the background. Tena koe from Aotearoa :)
I noticed it to. I hope he does a review
anyone know were i can get a jade patu for under 500
@@charliedilltarde9881 from your tupuna
Good timing. I have a couple of 1907 Enfield sword-bayonets. I was going to ask the same question.
Contrast this with modern-day bayonets (or for many countries, from WWII onward), which are most often designed to serve the functions of utility, fighting knife, and bayonet.
I think in the modern context, it would be worth not affixing the blade to your carbine, because a shorter length matters much more in close quarters and having 6-8" extra inches to bring your muzzle to bear on a rushing target is more valuable.
I agree 100% about the usefulness and effectiveness of bayonets as weapons and tools. It is how melee meets firearms. Thank you for your descriptive accounts and instruction about this misunderstood and under rated weapon. The long-gun held by the fore-end/balance point in the support hand is an orthodox gun-handling position BTW. If you're firing your rifle and hit a "click" and need a "bang" ASAP and you don't have a sling that allows the weapon to just hang plus you want to retain the weapon, you hold as you would for parrying (close to the body to not inhibit shooting or mobility). See PolenarTactical's video "SKS Operator" for a great visual example of this technique expertly employed. Thank you for making me realize how useful the rifle is in that position for offense and defense rather than just temporary storage, and that if the damn Gurkhas do it - it probably works.
I have a bayonet for my AK74M and have practiced with it. I don't find the rifle much less unwieldy or any heavier on long hikes over rough terrain, but I prefer it off for obvious reasons. Gabriel Suarez and Sonny Puzikas have good lectures on how to use an AK as a contact weapon, I can only imagine and get more creative with a bayonet fixed. A shorter knife blade on a shorter barrel makes it more handy for "trench" distance, and it's still a "knife" if I don't fix it. If I knew I was going to be shooting at distances where people are likely to grab at my long-gun or have a real chance of being close enough to hit with contact weapons, I'd prefer a fixed bayonet even on an 8 inch barrel AK74U to discourage, possibly prevent, and more effectively deal with this. Even if they have sufficient combat power to overcome the bayonet, fear alone may do my work for me. Provided of course no precision hostage as body shield precision is expected, of course. People at close range can be shot many times without being incapacitated, I'd rather have a spike for banzai charges if I'm going into terrain made for the 21 foot rule etc.
I used to get into arguments with ROTC guys in college (who all got commissions...) about this. I didn't care that their precious Military Science class said less than 1% of casualties were caused by them, bayonets don't suck and aren't useless! The American military since the Korean War has a bad history of fudging or ignoring statistics and data it doesn't like as well as not considering "heretical" ideas; like that people were kept at bay due to bayonets and so were able to become casualties more easily from other weapons. Or that bodies killed by bayonets may end up too badly mutilated from the nature of CQB in war of the period to have an accurate cause of death determined, if soldiers even bothered to (lolz!) before burying people in the hundreds of thousands over the centuries. Give me a pump-action shotgun with bayonet mount until you can hand me a Kalashnikov with the same. You don't ever need the mount it, a knife that cuts wire is still good and costs nothing extra, may as well be able to stick it on my gun and know how to fight with it.
A friend and militia buddy of mine was a US Army soldier in Iraq. He was an engineer, so he could carry a bayonet because the scabbard and blade wire cutter tool. He was the first guy into a room one day and there was an enemy crouched and blazing away with an AK right away. He shot once with his AR, and then it malfunctioned (if he told me what type of malfunction it was, I don't remember now). He had no pistol, so rather than fix the problem exposed under point blank fire, he pulled his bayonet and threw it into the guy. He died very quickly, the second and third people into the room had nothing to worry about. My friend said he'd never thrown a knife before, and the US Army bayonet is hardly a throwing dagger. After that he started practicing with throwing knives and got a fair amount of demonstrable skill. He also ordered parts for his AR and installed them (he was a gunsmith and had armorer training) that were much better than mil-spec and would have prevented that malfunction, even though it would have gotten him in bad trouble if his officers founds out.
One thing I found is in WW1 some German soldiers cut down their bayonettes and used them as short knifes/daggers rather than like a polearm on their rifles. However you have all sorts of devices being used in WW1 as a trench weapon so that wouldn't be anything special or officially sanctioned.
Thumbs up, Matt, experimental/out of the box themed vids are the way forward!
This is a great video and I am looking for more videos, which expand the topics you mentioned, Matt.
My Grandfather who spent four years in the trenches of WW I with the CDN army spoke of firing his SMLE to loosen the bayonet should it become 'stuck.' Somehow he managed to escape being killed or wounded physically, though mental scars remained from the war. At Vimy his company with the Seaforths got pinned in machine gun crossfire and 3/4 of the personnel were either wounded or killed but a convenient shell crater provided concealment for himself and several others. If not for that crater and its orientation he said he would have been a casualty. He was also present at Passchendaele. The CDN general in command Arthur Curry predicted it would cost 12,000 men to take the position and was accurate within a few hundred. Curry was to be given top command of the Allied forces when to war came to a close.
ruclips.net/video/DChJIa79ajk/видео.html
Great shirt Matt. Glad you're a fan too.
A other use for bayonets like that-when you need to set up camp in an area heavily covered with brush, that yagahtan style would make a great machete.
In WWI some frontline workshops reground bayonets, that were often too long due to obsolete military doctrine, into shorter trench knives.
The German gun magazine Visier had special issues on bayonets as well as military knives that are surely worth checking out.
Instant like for the Faith no More shirt.
In the Paraguayan Triple alliance war most soldiers in the Paraguayan side used bayonets with no rifle. Or Bayonets with a baboo stick as a spear due to the lack of rifles.
Great video. As a bayonet collector, this is a especially interesting video to me. I'd like to own a 19th century bayonet, all mine are from the 20th/21st century
Once bayonets were used , those on the receiving end were killed. They did not make it back for aid at field hospitals.
Very interesting topic, and an excellent t-shirt! Makes sense that you'd have good taste in music.
Faith No More! Hell yeah, sweet shirt Mr. Easton. A crimminally underrated band.
Matt,I think maybe short shovel could also been used in WW1 and 2 in cqb fight, Russian did that a lot and my former army instructor ( in PLA ) taught me lots of tricks of how to use the shovel like a short axe and he also told me that is probably a very good side arm beside of pistol in the tunnel (he used to fight in China-Vietnam broad war).
An entrenching tool would be a very effective parrying& thrusting weapon in a tunnel fight, more effective the smaller the tunnel.
I'm skeptical, most shovels have points that come together at a 90 degree angle or similar, so they'd be very unlikely to penetrate deep.
What you have to consider is that with the L85 you also have the very effective slinging system that carriers the rifle either across the chest, ot allows it to hang down at the right side of the user. This allows you to swap from firing the rifle to using your hands for something else almost instantly. IIRC the US has a similar system for modern iterations of the M16 platform. I only ever used the L1A1 SLR, and that essentially had the same sling as had been on issue in various materials for almost as long as soldiers have carried individual firearms. Fine if you want to sling it on your back, where it is useless to you, or potentially to use as an aid to steadying the rifle while you fire it. Fortunately in the 80's RAF I only had to carry it on exercise and gate guard, the only time I saw a bayonet was while on parade.
Sounds like a 3-point sling. They were all the rage in the 80's and 90's. The French have them on their FAMAS' and the Germans on their G36s. I dunno how euros do it now, or even what's officially USGI issue for the US mil, but these days it's quick-adjust 2-point slings that are all the rage amongst the tacticool gearqueers. I've got one for my AK. It's comfy. You can keep it slung over your shoulder while having it at the ready or just let it go and it'll hang at your front where you left it.
Demonstration:
ruclips.net/video/ZJCBmCQ7Txo/видео.html
In Japan they have two separate martial arts for bayonet, jukendo for bayonet mounted on a rifle and tankendo for using a bayonet directly in the hand. Both uses kendo-like protective gear.
Rocking that King for a day T-Shirt Matt!
I think it was at the Battle of Hlobane during the Zulu War that a company of British regulars performed a bayonet charge and drove off a group of Zulu who had managed to flank their regiment. I'm not certain of the battle because it has been years since last I studied it, but I was very impressed with the bravery of the men and the fact they used their bayonets against warriors equipped with shields.
I keep flinching and weaving when you swing it toward the camera... 😂
Reminds me of how my dad summed up his first day of hand to hand training in the USMC.
Instructor pointed to the biggest guy in the unit and said, "Come at me."
The guy takes one step, and the instuctor picked up an M16 and emptied an entire magazine of blanks; turned the guy's shirt black with powder.
He said, "Lesson 1. Melee is a last resort. If you have a bullet in the chamber, you shoot the son of a bitch."
I did hear that the Marine guards at Benghazi were issued the "Fix bayonets" command.
Oh and soldiers do use their bayonets in the hand all the time, and I suspect that they always have. They are very handy indeed. Great for pounding on things, spreading cheese on crackers, opening random packages, playing the odd bit of mumbly peg..... Nothing that the Sergeant would approve of, but still commonly used.
This made me think of an animated mini-series where one of the main antagonists uses bayonets as his main weapon. Always thought it would be ungainly, because his bayonets have a distinct shape. Not a curved blade, but it's off-set from the handle by about 90 degrees.
If you lengthened the hilt, would you have a romphaia? So, leave it on the rifle ... unless you're in a trench. Strangely elegant. Interesting post.
Some of the trench warfare in the American Civil War might be place to look for sources on bayonets being used dismounted. I don't know that it happened, but it's a possible place to look.
with a modern carbine, i sling my rifle and go for a sharpen entrenchment tool and bayonet for close quarter action. the command Fix bayonet is for crowd control.
I recall some accounts from "Swordsmen of the British Empire" criticizing the yatagan bayonet for not serving as a particularly good bayonet, though. I think they mostly didn't like the idea of a cut-and-thrust bayonet, and believed that a purely thrust-oriented bayonet would be better.
I agree with them, the main reason being that it is a lot heavier than the spike bayonet. It significantly slows down your movements and puts you at a disadvantage.
Wow that bayonet looks sick and cool, I like its slightly curved shape.
It's recurved to give space for blackpowder rifle,which sometimes need to be cleand mid battle for fouling. it's a lovely blade nontheless
The Australian Light Horse at Beersheaba used Mk 3 bayonet like swords. Mounted Infantry
example are tunnel rats in vietnam and afgan wars where you usually used a pistol and bayonet
There are a handful of examples from the American Civil War of bayonets being used as last-ditch hand weapons. Given that the bayonets of that time and place weren't really designed with hand use in mind, that had to be a desperation move. I know that I've read about such instances, but I can't at the moment remember where. I'll do some digging if and when I ever have a day off again; I'm intrigued now.
Anither thing i want to add, is most bayonets werent sharpened. I have around 12 bayonets to match the rifles i have. All are unadultered and in original condition and none of fhem except 2 are even close to sharpend and thats the m1 and m5 bayonets that i have and even them its not what i would call fighting sharp, more just thin edged. Most that i have have thick or sharp points and then have thich edges or false edges.
The bayonets i own are
1. British 1907 sword bayonet
2. Indian 1941 cutdown 1907 bayonet mk1**
3. U.S M1 bayonet
4. U.S m5a1
5. South korean K-m5a1
6. Argentine model 1891 sword
Bayonet 1st model brass handle
7. Argentine model 1891 sword bayonet 2nd model aluminum handle
8. Swiss 1918 Bayonet
9. Swedish m1896 Bayonet
10. Italian 1891 Carcano sword bayonet
11. Mosin Nagant Socket Bayonet Triangular
12. Sks Folding bayonet Triangular
There might be 1 or 2 more im forgetting at rhis time but the point is all of these bayonets from various countries during the 1890s to 1950s were issued with thick blades with no sharpness. The only way to use them wpuld be as a spear or stabbing weapon unless you sharpened them yourself but i heard rumours that soldiers did not sharpen bsyonets due to them cutting into rib bones andngetting wedged or stuck in place or them being snapped due to the metal being too thin.
So most examples i have are quite thick.
I just dont see how they could be used as swords unless troops sharpened them themselves but if thats the case it wasnt how they were issued or trained
In close combat I'd prefer a spear (bayonet) to a shorter weapon, it makes far more sense that bayonets would be used primarily as bayonets on the end of a rifle.
I have a WW2 Japanese bayonet that helped protect my home. One night I caught two men casing our house and stepped out to confront them with the bayonet, in it's scabbard, in hand for protection. Upon being challenged, the two slunk on down the street but one of them turned back to face me. He shouted as he began to approach: "Is that a gun you got?" I didn't answer but pulled the bayonet from it's scabbard quickly. It came out of the scabbard singing with a loud metallic "Schwinnnnng" and the man stopped frozen in his tracks. The two then turned and scurried up the street like the cockroaches they were. I guess the sound of a 15 inch blade being uncovered scared them more than a gun. Good thing it did as I never saw them on our street again.
Shwinnng sound eh? 🙄
Yup, it schwang it's way right out of there. =)
Hahaha, I wanted to bust your balls about that post a little more, but that was genuinely funny; well played sir.
Thanks Zack. It is a true story right down to the sound effect. =)
I like the "Faith No More" T-shirt.
That blade shape is too sexy.
From what I have seen concerning American Forces during World War Two, in Korea and in Vietnam, the only time a bayonet was used without being attached to the end of a rifle was during an act of pure desperation. It takes time to attach a bayonet to the end of a rifle, and you could be killed if you did not defend yourself NOW! And so use the bayonet in the hand, even if logic says that it is more useful attached to the end of a rifle.
I have known people in elite military units - 1st Special Forces, 75th Rangers, Marine Force Recon. They all say pretty much the same thing:
The most important operational role of the modern bayonet is spreading MRE peanut butter.
Saw faith no more in low angeles two or three years ago. Nice matty e
Even his T-shirt advocates Evidence.
Facinating topic
Awesome shirt!
My medieval kit is comprised of a spear, arming sword, and rondel dagger. All three are hand-made/hand-forged.
My modern kit consists of my Colt M4 carbine in .223 caliber, my Beretta M9 in 9mm, my tomahawk, the "Kestrel", by RMJ Forge of Chattanooga, TN, and my dagger, the "ADRA" by Extrema Ratio of Prato, Italy. Incidentally, the dagger and pistol were made only about a 20-minute drive apart from each other in Northern Italy! Also, my dagger is a separate knife from the rifle, not a bayonet. I agree with Matt's philosophy he mentioned at 11:50.
@scholagladitoria - have you ever ran across Alfred Hutton's "Our Daggers: or, How to Use the New Bayonet (1890)"? If so, how does it stack up to Huttons content in Cold Steel?
King for a Day - Fool for a Lifetime! Maybe the best FNM-Album! So incredibly diverse and so brilliant! Also the best album to sing along with :-)
Ooh, this so Father Alexander Anderson from Hellsing isn't too far off. Good to know! Honestly, I like this idea. It would seem a damn shame if such blades were only considered useful if attached to a rifle.
Bonus Faith no More T shirt!!
👍
Matt is king...
...but just for one day.
One Superdry fan dislikes this video ;-)
If bayonets weren't useful in battle, as some people claim, then WW1 wouldn't have been the the mess it was during the first few months. There's a reason armies kept charging at each other even though they were getting mowed down by rifle fire, generals still thought a bayonet charge would win the day.
Rapid fire and trench warfare really took the bayonet out of the picture, as endimic to the battlefield as it was.
Love the shirt. Good taste.
Australian Light Horse's Charge of Beersheba in WW1 only with bayonet in hand on horse back. Look it up. God bless the Anzacs.
Yeah, it's quite famous - though in that case it was a matter of using literally the only thing they had to hand, as they didn't have swords. A sort of last resort. Worked well though!
@@scholagladiatoria That is true. Thanks man.
But did they shout to the Ottomans "that's not a knoife, THAT'S a knoife!" while charging?
Dual wielding! Sling the rifle, pull your saber and pistol. Block and parry with the saber; and use the pistol for offense. Imagine it swords and glock 17s! With extended mags! Our military needs sabers, pretty ones with shiny bass! Like the U.S. 1860 model. I think I just designed an action movie character 🤔
De: modern carbine doctrine: I've heard that most of the reason for issuing bayonets these days is to make sure everybody has a good all-purpose knife for use around camp. On the other hand, there have been successful bayonet charges in this century. Personally, I think it's be cool if they went back to the SMLE philosophy and made up for the shortness of the carbine by making the bayonet longer. :D
Australian lighthorse at Bersheba in 1917 charged the ottoman garrison on horseback bayonets drawn.
I was worried after the first bit that you wouldn't clarify the trenches of WW1 aspect. That is the one place where I know they where used.
The biggest problems for using a bayonet as a sword, besides the short length, would be the edge. They are not sharp like a sword would be as it's meant for only thrusting and not slashing. You can take your average bayonet and slide along your arm without breaking your skin.
I have a British sword-bayonet from 1907 (hooked quillon). A bit shorter and not the same shape as this one. It is blunt though, don't know if I should sharpen it, or keep it in the state it is for "collection value".
Please don't sharpen it! These are very rare and valuable - sell it and buy three normal ones, sharpen all of those instead :-)
If you want advice on selling it then contact me at Easton Antique Arms
Bayonets for days.
Love the shirt
I want a Winchester 30-08 lever action with a modified Bowie knife for it's bayonet.
Hey Matt, will you be making a video on the "EA5100 - Highly unusual French Napoleonic era infantry officer's broadsword." on your website. That thing looks amazing.
Don't forget about entrenching spades being used in tench warfare during the Great war.
In the US Army we were taught to use are Bayonets as a combat knife if we couldn't attach them for whatever reason.