A la baionnette! - - Again!!

This is coolbert:

Here are some photos and commentary thanks to the excellent web site by Professor Rudy Rummel. A man who has been a finalist for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The photographs speak for themselves. What was it the guy said? OH, YES, "one picture worth a thousand words" - - Confucius!!

"One picture is worth more than ten thousand words."
----Chinese proverb




"the military [Japanese] frequently used their prisoners to give their new soldiers bayonet practice and to harden them to killing."



"During the Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945, one of the many ways the Japanese military would murder their Chinese prisoners was by bayonet. But this was not a simple execution. Often the purpose was to give their new soldiers real life bayonet practice, and especially to remove their normal inhibitions against killing other human beings."

"Amongst the heathen we shall find none that exceed the Japanese in manners!!" - - Saint Francis Xavier.

They Japanese once again exhibiting a contradiction in their basic character? The oh-so-polite-and-mannerly Japanese behaving as a savage and barbarian when outside of the home islands!!

And those Japanese soldiers COULD HAVE NOT GOTTEN MUCH BAYONET TRAINING AND PRACTICE!! Those victims are tied, on their knees, weaponless, helpless and not resisting.

Unfortunately, the practice of, "harden [ing] them to killing", and "remove [ing] their normal inhibitions against killing" did not begin or end with the defeat of the Japanese during World War Two [WW2].

Was a common practice in the old Soviet Union [and maybe still is in Russia today??]. According to Suvorov, the Soviet Spetsnaz troops, on occasion [??], were given the opportunity to engage in hand-to-hand combat TO THE DEATH WITH A CONDEMNED CRIMINAL AS PART OF THEIR NORMAL TRAINING!!

More on this topic from the writings of Suvorov:

"What we call 'a puppet' is actually a man. A special kind of man for training purposes. For example, you can hit him. But unlike your partner in a match [sparring] or your instructor [SAMBO master], a puppet also puts up a fight, and may even kill you . . . Our work is very risky and exceptionally responsible. Just imagine . . . a group of Spetnaz who have the task of slitting the throats of some sleeping enemy soldiers hesitate because they are not used to killing or simply because they suddenly experience feelings of compassion, charity or humanity . . . To prevent that happening, they invented the 'puppets' . . . In the Cheka [Soviet secret police] they are called 'gladiators', in the NKVD [Soviet secret police] 'volunteers' and in Smersh [war-time counter-intelligence] 'Robinsons'."

" A 'puppet' is a criminal who has been condemned to death . . . They are . . . used as training material . . . They get their lives prolonged, and we have an opportunity for real-life training . . . . A fight with a 'puppet' - - very often a very tough criminal - - is a serious and very risky business . . . He fights back . . . It's not a phony fight . . . It's a real fight, involving real risk."

Spetsnaz [special purpose] troops, after being given extensive training in the Soviet/Russian martial art of SAMBO, are sometimes put into a room with a condemned criminal, and told to fight to the death. According to Suvorov, today [1986], only the professionals are allowed such a privilege!! Those persons, full time active service career cut-throat elite soldiers, are allowed to fight and kill a puppet. Elite troops whose tasks in wartime, for instance would be to kill the President of the United States and the most senior commanders of the military.

I would suggest, that the degree to which this odious practice [if it can be determined] has either been eliminated or ameliorated is an indication of whether or not the modern "democratic" Russia has shed the spots of the totalitarian communist leopard!

coolbert.

A la baionnette! VI. [Conclusion]

This is coolbert:

"'He must have seen his blood flow, have his teeth
crackle under the blow of his adversary, have dashed to earth with such force as to feel the weight of his foe, and disarmed twenty times. He must twenty times retrieved his failures, more set than ever upon the combat. Then will he be able to confront actual war with the hope of being victorious' - - 14th century - - Rodger of Haveden"

Here is the saga of a man who DID get himself stirred up.

Anthony J. Drexel Biddle.

"Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, USMC CQB Pioneer"

An American aristocrat and proponent of the manly arts. Boxing, fencing, bayonet fencing, and martial arts period.

Biddle was from a very old, wealthy, aristocratic American family. Long time resident of the Main Line area of Philadelphia. When you see the names of Drexel, Biddle, Duke, etc., you are talking about old time money and lineage NOT often seen in American culture or society. Persons variously referred to as "blue-bloods".

As I have said in a previous blog entry, the children of wealth and privilege in American society generally are often useless persons. NOT having drive, initiative, desire to succeed. Why would they need to? They already have the measure by which success is usually measured within American culture, money!

Biddle was NOT by any means a useless person. Quite the contrary. Served his country in an admirable fashion in both World War One [WW1] and World War Two [WW2] Became a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps first [WW1] at the rather advanced age of forty one [41], being recalled to duty during WW2 at the even MORE advanced age of sixty six [66]!!!

[in this regard, Biddle greatly resembles such persons as Selous, Steichen, Fairbairn, Munro [Saki], and Corbett. Men of vigor, honor, and valor. Men of older age, sometimes advanced age, who desire to contribute to the war effort, and do so in a manner few others can EVER hope to emulate.]

Biddle was responsible for training U.S. Marines in hand-to-hand fighting techniques and bayonet fencing. I would have to think primarily the USMC had in mind the trench raid type of combat very common during WW1 when Biddle was assigned the task of teaching combatatives to the Marines.

"Colonel Biddle taught them the use of the machete, saber, dagger, bayonet, and hand grenade. He taught them also the techniques of jiu-jitsu and the French punch-and-kick man-killing attack known as savat [sic] [savate']."

"Biddle . . . then convinced Headquarters Marine Corps to make boxing part of Marine Corps recruit training . . . Although said to closely resemble rifle-bayonet fighting methods, the boxing was useful mostly for increasing recruits’ physical self-confidence."

Here is a news article about some Scotsmen in Iraq who have that physical self-confidence. DID use the bayonet and engage in close quarters combat with Iraqi Shia militia. The Scots emerging triumphant!! Bloody good show!!

Biddle had a strong interest in bayonet fencing even AFTER WW1 ended.

"In 1919 he exhibited rifle-bayonet fencing before the Willard-Dempsey prizefight"

[combat bayonet fencing was a military competitive sport even up unto the period of the 1940's and 1950's?? Slowly died out as a "sport"? NOT practiced anymore with the exception of jukendo??!!]

Anthony was a helluva man. Even fought a match as an amateur boxer against the World Champion of the period, Jack Johnson!!

"‘Now, you boy, there; don’t get yourself stirred up.’" - - Jack Johnson.

I just don't think they make them like Anthony J. Drexel Biddle anymore!!

coolbert.

A la baionnette! V.

This is coolbert:

"If you are fearful, never learn any art of fighting"
- Master Liechtenauer, c.1389

Here are an assortment of web sites that describe and illustrate bayonet fencing from the period of the American Civil War and World War One. American Civil War reenactors taking things very seriously. I have a suspicion that soldiers of that period spent a lot of time in bayonet practice, even if the "cold steel" was seldom used.

19th Century American Bayonet Fencing



7 Key Techniques of Bayonet Fencing



Bayonet fencing is described as - - "the mysterious '4th Form' of Fencing!"

The Training Bayonet 1858-1912 - - Bayonet History American


The illustration above shows two American Federal troops [Zouaves] training with the bayonet. Some sort of hard rubber ball was placed on the tip of the bayonet so as not to stick the other troop. Makes sense. Butt strokes were not considered "legal"?

Please note the various uses of fencing terms to describe bayonet fencing moves as practiced during the American Civil War. High Quarte - - High Tierce, Quarte - - Tierce, Prime - - Seconde, In-Quartada. Terms that would have been used in the Italian school of fencing?

And here is a web site describing how Canadian troops of the World War One era were taught combatatives. Beginning with boxing and proceeding to bayonet fencing. The footwork, arm, and body movements with both being similar?

"Boxing for Beginners, with Chapter showing its 'Relationship to Bayonet Fighting"

"It has long been recognized in the army that good boxers make good bayonet fighters."

"The object of the boxing was twofold . . . Many qualities had to be developed and developed quickly. Physical courage is perhaps the most common of virtues, but the courage needed in the soldier, and especially in the bayonet fighter, is a courage born of confidence and ability to fight and to defend himself. I do not believe there is any other form of exercise which develops this as quickly as the practice of boxing. Secondly, and fortunately, bayonet fighting is so near akin to boxing that the practice of boxing develops skill in bayonet fighting in less time, with less expense, and with fewer casualties."

"Major Nobbs [Canadian] has had a great deal of experience as an athlete, boxed in the semifinals at his university, was a good cross-country runner and a champion swordsman. When the war broke out [in 1914] he was professor of architecture at McGill University and went to England to join the Imperial Army. His work was of such high order that he was sent out to the Canadian Forces to take charge of bayonet fighting and physical training. He is a worker and a fighter."



[The Major was a pretty remarkable person. NOT a college professor who was a dilettante or an effete'. The foot movements of fencing and boxing are similar to one another? The foot movements of bayonet fencing also similar as well to boxing and fencing?]

"ef·fete adj.

Marked by self-indulgence, triviality, or decadence: an effete group of self-professed intellectuals. Overrefined; effeminate."

"dil·et·tante adjective

–noun 1. a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, esp. in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler."


coolbert.

A la baionnette! IV.

This is coolbert:

Here is another martial art, Russian All-Round Fighting, that to this day, has bayonet fighting [sport and combat forms] taught as an integral part of the eight disciplines that comprise RAF.

"Bayonet Fighting"

"In RAF we actively practice Sport and Combat versions of the Bayonet Fighting. The model of a rifle [NOT a real working rifle.] with an attached bayonet is used."

"In the Sport version only thrusts are allowed. In the Combat version thrusts are combined with the blows with the rifle butt, kicks and punches."

"Bayonet fencing had been widely practiced as the Russian variant of sport fencing till the middle of the 20th century. Bayonet fencing was a required part of military training for the Russian army soldier."

"We build our Bayonet fighting technique on the Soviet Army study materials that were issued in the early 1940s, and on the 19th century Russian Army manuals."

Am I correct, that bayonet and stick fighting, taught as separate disciplines, are closely related? Stick fighting, with a baton or a cane, resembles in many respects the same techniques that would be used with the bayonet?

Here also is another description of a Russian marital art form. ROSS. Distinct from RAF? Included in one of the eight schools of direction you will find:

"4. Bayonet Fencing with Carbines"




Bayonet fencing can be done with either an AK or an SKS? In the photo it appears the two men wearing Russian style camo uniforms are wielding AK with bayonet attached.

coolbert.

A la baionnette! III.

This is coolbert:

Jukendo!!

Again, more amazing stuff.

Here is a web site about jukendo . Bayonet fencing for both health [Swedish professor Ling would be proud!] and sport purposes.

As currently practiced in Japan. A popular [?] form of martial art.

"it is an exceedingly rare sport in Japanese primary schools, but not unheard of. In the minds of many Japanese it is still not considered a proper sport."

"Jukendo is a relatively new [post-WW2] martial Way developed out of the bayonet fighting tactics of the Toyama Gakko, the special military training school of the Imperial Japanese Army."

"a healthy activity for physical, mental and spiritual health apart from actual fighting methods."

"A mokuju, or wooden rifle and simulated bayonet, is used in different kata (forms)."

"Besides kata, there is a competitive side to jukendo which utilizes protective armor similar to that found in kendo."

[in the small video accompanying the web site, the man on the left appears to not be wearing body armor, the man on the right is wearing the kendo [Japanese swordsmanship] style body armor and dress!!]

Here too is the wiki entry on jukendo.

"The thrust is the only form of attack in jukendo. Targets are the throat, the left upper chest (heart), the left side, and the back of the left hand."

As in fencing, thrusts only. NO butt strokes, kicking, punching, etc., as you would find in the Russian form of bayonet fencing or commonly taught military bayonet combatatives!!

coolbert.

A la baionnette!! II.

This is coolbert:

Here is the most amazing stuff.

Nineteenth Swedish sports physiologist [that term would not have been in use at the time] who devised a "exercise" system as a form of medicine.

Called the "Swedish Movement Cure".

Exercise based upon "mixture of the bayonet, fencing, and gymnastic movements".

"strategically designed medical and orthopedic gymnastics"

OF WHICH BAYONET FENCING WAS AN INTEGRAL PART!!

"it was volunteer work on Danish ships that exposed Ling to his first observation of one-to-one bayonet duels or fencing. The curious Ling was intrigued by the physical prowess of the combatants. Inspired, Ling soon became a competitor himself and shortly dominated all comers."

"he [Ling] turned his focus towards what he labeled military gymnastics. (Military gymnastics, according to Ling was a combination of bayonet fencing and marching movements.)"

Bayonet fencing as a form of sports medicine. NOT sports medicine as defined in the modern world. A form designed to increase the health and physical abilities of those NOT sick, AND, as a means for those sickly to regain their health!!

coolbert.

A la baionnette!! I.

This is coolbert:

Regarding the use of the bayonet in both historical and modern terms, here are various excerpts from the web site:

[my comments in BOLD!]

"An Introduction to Training in Rifle-Bayonet Fighting in the US Military"

"During the 1590s the Republican Dutch started developing military musket drills. Mostly a form of industrial safety – accidental discharges pose a serious threat to closely- packed ranks of armed men"

Right. NOT necessarily to teach how to fire the muskets quicker or more accurately. WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TROOPS, IN RANKS, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, DID NOT KILL ONE ANOTHER!!

[in the PBS series about Vietnam, an American soldier stated that half of his squad became casualties EVEN BEFORE THEY HAD MADE CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY!! Weapon accidents was the main culprit!!]

"During the eighteenth century bayonet training continued to be mostly a form of industrial safety. Most soldiers drank a gallon of beer or wine a day, and fought and moved in closely packed squares. Unsurprisingly, accidents were common and considerable effort was expended to keep soldiers from cutting, sticking, or shooting one another."

Several comments here. AGAIN, THE TRAINING WITH THE BAYONET WAS NOT NECESSARILY TO TEACH PROFICIENCY WITH THE WEAPON AS MORE TO TRAIN TROOPS IN CLOSELY PACKED FORMATIONS NOT TO KILL OR INJURE ONE ANOTHER. That enormous consumption of wine or beer on the part of the troops was usually part of the enlistment contract the soldier would sign. Prevent water-borne diseases from killing the troop and also at the same time providing calories for a person who generally at an early age HAD NO TEETH LEFT IN THEIR MOUTH!!

"Eighteenth-century musketry training was equally rudimentary . . . [more than anything else] it had to do with safety. First, the flash from a flintlock's pan was so fearsome that soldiers were taught to close their eyes and turn their heads away to prevent eye injuries. Second, not all accidental shootings on the battlefield are accidental, and for the safety of officers and NCOs, supply sergeants only issued ball and powder after ranks had been formed and the enemy sighted . . . most European armies considered it good shooting if a battalion could consistently put half its shots into a target six feet high and a hundred feet long from a range of fifty yards."

"Originally, the British and the Japanese were the main proponents of rifle-bayonet fencing."

"While the Japanese turned to their own martial art traditions for fighting methods, the British turned to a Florentine system designed by Ferdinando Masiello."

Right, each culture adopts methods and techniques that are appropriate and familiar. NOT slavishly copying what someone else is doing!!

"in 1904, a Japanese Army rifle-bayonet fencing team that kicked, shouted, and screamed trounced a Royal Marine team in Shanghai."

This had to be an traumatic experience for the British. The Japanese were using a form of bayonet fencing recognized today as jukendo!!??

"During World War II the Detroit journalist and Army historian S.L.A. Marshall found only a couple of documented uses of Americans using their rifle-bayonet combination in combat – and all of those involved soldiers killing unarmed prisoners."

Right, the American infantryman in training for combat in WW2 was probably told he had to be ready to use that bayonet in an instant!! BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED EXCEPT IN THE MOST EXTREMELY RARE OF INSTANCES!!

"During the Vietnam and post-Vietnam eras, the US military generally kept bayonets in supply rooms . . . the reason was fear that troops would use the knives against one another during interracial brawls."

Please recall what I have said previously about troops having in their possession unauthorized weapons. Departing oversea from the Oakland Army Terminal [OART] in 1966, Army troops were cautioned not to carry unauthorized weaponry with them. An amazing number of troops DID turn in firearms and a LOT of edged weapons of all varieties. YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR OWN TROOPS IN ENCAMPMENT CUTTING THEMSELVES UP IN BRAWLS AND "DISPUTES"!!

"It is also my belief [that of the author] that in most combat situations US soldiers would be better off carrying an extra canteen of water or an extra 30-round magazine for their M-16."

There it is in a nutshell. Get rid of the bayonet and carry extra ammo or water. This is not, however, what folks want to hear.

coolbert.