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Published: 2015-08-05

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13: 9781332272808

Excerpt from Notes on Bayonet Training: Compiled From Foreign Reports, Army War College March, 1917 Training in the use of the bayonet is receiving much attention by all the combatant nations in Europe. The aim of the instruction is twofold - (1) To develop great alertness of mind, readiness of muscle, and habit of quick obedience to command; (2) To develop fighting spirit. Physical drill and bayonet training go hand in hand, and their drill periods follow each other. The physical drill consists of calesthenic exercises for 15 or 20 minutes, followed by some game or exercise requiring great quickness of movement. To accomplish the aims of this training, especially the first named above, it is necessary to execute with snap the movements in the physical drill. The following is from the latest British Training Manual (1916), which is based on their experience, and the forces are now being trained in accordance therewith: 1. To attack with the bayonet effectively requires Good direction, Strength, and Quickness during a state of wild excitement and probably physical exhaustion. The limit of the range of a bayonet is about 5 feet (measured from the opponent's eyes), but more often the killing is at close quarters, at a range of 2 feet or less, when troops are struggling corps a corps in trenches or darkness. The bayonet is essentially an offensive weapon - go straight at an opponent with the point threatening his throat and deliver a thrust wherever an opening presents itself. If no opening is obvious, then create one by beating off the opponent's weapon or make a "feint thrust" in order to make him uncover himself. 2. Hand-to-hand fighting with the bayonet is individual, which means that a man must think and act for himself and rely on his own resources and skill; but, as in games, he must play as one of a team and not only for himself. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.