Much about melee weapons has already been touched upon in our articles - types, history, care and storage. But an important aspect is the ability to use the blade. Be it a knife, a halberd, a sword and others like them. Here is about one of the types of fencing, namely about fencing with bayonets we'll talk. And this is not a knife fight with bayonet-knives, namely bayonet fencing when the bayonet or bayonet is attached to the weapon. How much bayonet fight necessary? Is it relevant bayonet fencing in terms of modern weapons?
In the 20th century, with the advent of automatic small arms, armored vehicles and tanks on the battlefield, the question of the advisability of having bayonets in service was raised many times (especially after global wars). About the relevance of skills bayonet fencing in modern combat. This item of soldier's equipment was discussed both in the Soviet Union and in post-Soviet Russia.
History knows no declensions, but rather likes to repeat itself. And here is another example of this. Here is what Alexander Lugarr, a professional military man and fencing teacher at the Alexander Military School, wrote in his manual at the very beginning of the 20th century:
« Unfortunately, I have to be banal from the very beginning, turning to the Russo-Japanese War for practical examples. The point is that, being a fencing professional, before this war I was, like most of the military, convinced that the song had already been sung, and with the improvement of modern guns, the bayonet is an extra burden for the soldier when shooting. That such a view really existed is proved by the error of the Japanese, who changed their guns according to the theoretical European opinion about the proposed tactics of a future war. Their bayonets, according to eyewitnesses, are not practical due to the fact that they have to be either unscrewed or screwed on: a circumstance that convincingly proves that the inventor of their bayonet and the commission that accepted the invention were of the opinion that bayonet fighting was a special case in a future war, whose main strength is rifle fire».
Familiar? fifties of the last century. The modernized Kalashnikov assault rifle enters service with the Soviet Army. And new bayonet knife(model 6x4), in which the combat properties are almost completely destroyed. As a result, the soldier did not get any good bayonet for hand-to-hand combat, nor a practical economic and trench tool. The last, really fighting bayonet, was bayonet knife AK-47 assault rifle and SKS carbine. The leading minds considered that with the massive introduction of automatic weapons into service bayonet attacks and the battle went down in History as an anachronism, leaving weapons with bayonet-knives only a company of the guard of honor.
And again the words of Alexander Lugarre:
«… one thing is certain - the Russo-Japanese war showed ... the bayonet decides the battle, despite the improvement of artillery and the multi-shot guns. Therefore, one does not need to be a prophet at all in order to easily foresee that the evolution of the bayonet, as a weapon of fencing, must again receive movement. The sooner this happens, the better it will be for the army that first comes to its senses. Will have to go back to fencing with bayonets and pull out of the archives already forgotten theories of fencing».
Isn't it true that the words are still relevant today. And if during the Great Patriotic War the machine gunners of the Red Army had a good NR-40 knife, there were specialists - hand-to-hand and knife fighting instructors. Nothing has passed, and during both Chechen campaigns, our fighters (except for the elite of the Armed Forces - Spetsnaz) no longer owned bayonet fencing.
Yes, not now bayonet attacks. But Chechnya has shown that hand-to-hand skirmishes, especially in street fights, are not uncommon.
« And, in any case, for the fulfillment of something, readiness and will are not enough, it is necessary, mainly, skill, for which one must first learn. In addition, in the performance of any of his duties by a person, it is important, in our time, not that a person fulfills his duties, but it is important how he fulfills them. That's the whole point. The enemy can be defeated by force, time and exhaustion, but victory can also be achieved by art. Each of us is ready to lay down his life for the homeland, but our homeland, in the event of our death, does not need from us that we die, it needs in this case that it would have at least some benefit from our death. Therefore, if we are given a weapon in our hands in order to beat the enemy and die, then we must conscientiously be able to do this as best as we can. If every soldier and commander understands this simple and uncomplicated matter, then those of us whom fate leads to clash chest with chest with the enemy will give him the victory at a high cost or easily take it themselves. This will happen because each of us will be able to do his job well, as he learned this “be able to do it well”».
What now? In the army of such a combat training center as bayonet fencing no. To date bayonet fencing is studied only in the schools of hand-to-hand combat of the Kadochnikov system. And let the firepower of weapons decide a lot at long distances, but as Suvorov used to say, “A bullet is a fool, a bayonet is well done.” And in close combat bayonet fight can solve a lot. To know once again the lessons of History is not for the future.
UPD. 16.02.2015
Here is a quote from a book on basic military training:
Photos of the cover of the book on NVP and the photo of the bayonet on the spread are used with the permission of their author - http://nikolaj-s.livejournal.com/1212826.htmlA bayonet thrust is applied quickly, accurately and strongly, at least half the length of the bayonet. Depending on the situation, it can be performed without a lunge and with a lunge.
A thrust without a lunge is applied when colliding with an enemy at close range. To inflict an injection, sharply send the machine gun with both hands with a bayonet at the target until the left arm is fully extended. Pull out the bayonet immediately. Then, quickly taking the machine gun to the ready position for battle, continue moving forward.
To deliver an injection with a lunge from a ready position for battle, send the machine gun with both hands forward with a bayonet at the target. At the same time, sharply straightening the right leg and sending the body forward, lunge with the left leg, placing it with a roll from the heel to the entire foot. After inflicting an injection, immediately pull out the bayonet and, having taken the position of ready for battle, continue moving forward.
The shortcomings of the four-sided bayonet became clear back in World War I, but there was no time to re-equip the multi-million infantry with new bayonet options - it was necessary to rearm aviation, tank troops, and naval forces.
However, in 1944, a new carbine with a bayonet of a different design entered service. The bayonet was attached to the carbine under the barrel and leaned forward if necessary. By the way, such a mount was then on the Kalashnikov assault rifle until the 90s of the XX century. Simonov's self-loading carbine was also supplied with the same bayonet variant, but after the war it was replaced by a knife bayonet.
The needle four-sided bayonet after the Great Patriotic War was stored for a very long time in the warehouses of the emergency reserve (NZ), along with the “three-ruler” and the Mosin carbine of various modifications.
If we return to the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War, then, as the German archives testify, in 80% of cases the initiative for a bayonet fight came from Soviet soldiers.
The bayonet attack was especially willingly used during defensive battles in fortifications or cities (Brest Fortress, Stalingrad, and so on) - when there is no clear front line, and artillery, aircraft and tanks do not solve anything or their use can cause losses among their own. It is worth noting that in hand-to-hand combat, the soldiers of the Red Army skillfully used not only a bayonet, but also a sapper shovel. The bayonet proved itself well in the attack, when clearing the trenches occupied by the enemy. And the sight of an approaching mass, gleaming with deadly steel, could make Wehrmacht soldiers or allies of Nazi Germany take flight.
A.A. Shevtsov
Two centuries ago Lermontov wrote the immortal lines:
The enemy knew a lot that day,
What does the Russian fight remote mean,
Our hand to hand combat...
Under hand-to-hand combat during the battle of Borodino was understood not so much a fight with fists as a bayonet fight. However, this concept is much broader, because it included blows with the butt of a gun, and everything that could help survive in a fight. Only in peacetime hand-to-hand combat was understood as combat without weapons. During the war, hand-to-hand combat was all that could be done when there was nothing else to shoot with. We know from epics how our ancestors fought in hand-to-hand combat in ancient times. And fights and fights between the troops began with long weapons, with spears. Then clubs and swords or sabers went into action, and when all the weapons were broken, the fighters switched to hand-to-hand combat. Here is an excerpt from the epic about Ilya and his son Sokolnichka:
Dispersed into spears vostra:
Their spears died in their hands,
The spears crumbled into black;
Dispersed into battle clubs:
Their clubs perished in their hands;
On the tops of the clubs broke off;
Dispersed on sabers vostra:
Their sabers died in their hands,
Poshcherbili on mail armor,
Soon they dismounted from good horses,
They grabbed hold of
They began to fight, to break.
Ilya waved the right hand,
Left leg twisted
Ilya fell on the damp ground.
Sokolnichek sat down on his white chest,
He took out a knife-dagger ...
This is how the princely squad fought, and the militias fought the same way, except that they had a different set of weapons. There were also volunteer soldiers from among the urban population, howls. Peasants and townspeople fought every year during various holidays, such as Maslenitsa, in wall battles and in duels. But, in addition, in the difficult times of Russia, military training was organized almost every year, during which everyone who wished was taught to fight on foot. The combatants also learned to fight window-only, that is, on horseback. But this is a special, so to speak, professional training, which I am not considering now. My task is to tell about hand-to-hand combat.
Hand-to-hand combat in the meaning of a bayonet takes its origins in spear combat. A spear is much simpler than a sword or saber. You can learn spear combat in a matter of days, while the sword must be devoted to a lifetime. Therefore, the militias were armed with spears. Yes, and the regular army in the old days, first of all, was an army of spearmen.
Each country had its own spear fighting techniques. Naturally, they grew out of those movements that were most familiar to man, which means that the origin of spear techniques is labor. However, in Europe, the development of fencing techniques both with swords and daggers and spears begins quite early. Swordsmanship, as we know it now, is a rather artificial construction. And although European spearmen were famous for their art, thanks to training, nevertheless, all the Middle Ages, our troops successfully resisted them. So, the training of Russian spearmen was no worse!
Both in the Livonian (1558-1583) and the Swedish War (1590-1593), our archers, armed with a squeaker, saber and reed, repelled the first-class infantry of the Swedes, Poles, Germans and Hungarians, who were famous as the best spearmen and swordsmen. They also beat the Turks, moreover, holding the Turkish sabermen with spears and bayonets. Alexei Tolstoy in Peter the Great describes the Russian bayonet fight: “I saw only the wide backs of the Preobrazhenians working with bayonets, like pitchforks - like a peasant ...
In most cases, Russian men dressed in uniforms acted with a fusee like a horn or a pitchfork.
This was precisely the Russian bayonet fight, which by the end of the eighteenth century was considered the strongest in the world. For an uninitiated person, the mention of simple, peasant work with a bayonet like a pitchfork or a horn may seem ridiculous. How can a Russian peasant resist the best fighters Europe, who were taught by world-famous masters? Yes, easily! Habitual work with a pitchfork allowed the Russian peasant not to get tired, even if he waves his bayonet all day. The strength in these movements was such that a European could not even dream of, since each movement of the pitchfork had to carry a heavy armful of hay or an even heavier lump of manure. Whoever has tried it knows. Working with a horn is a hunting art. A Russian peasant used to go with one shoemaker to a bear, and even with a horn it was a matter of daring and youth. But any hunter knows that the bear is lazy and slow-moving only in cartoons. In life, this is a very fast and treacherous beast, catching up with an elk on the run and capable of flying several meters in a jump. The Russian bayonet fight had an excellent basis, to which it remained only to add techniques against bipedal predators. In the “Institution for battle” of 1708, Peter wrote: “... the first line should never shoot unnecessarily, but, having joined the baguettes, that is, bayonets, keep the gun. So in this, through a person, pikemen should be and teach them how to use a peak; three ranks, changing, shoot from the shoulder ... "
At the same time, pikes were stuck into the ground, and if the enemy cavalry broke through our system, bayonets came into play. If, after firing, the horsemen were too close, the first rank, firing from the knee, rose and the whole army rushed into a bayonet counterattack. After Peter, Suvorov made a breakthrough in hand-to-hand training. His "Science of Victory" taught: "The bullet will miss, but the bayonet will not miss. The bullet is a fool, but the bayonet is well done! When once! Throw the bad boy off the bayonet! - dead on a bayonet, scratching his neck with a saber. Saber on the neck - jump off a step, strike again! If another, if the third! The hero will stab half a dozen, and I have seen more. Watch out for the bullet in the muzzle! Three will jump in - stab the first, shoot the second, shoot the karachun with the third bayonet. ”This is exactly how our miraculous heroes of the Turkish Janissaries beat. Before the Italian campaign of 1799, Suvorov wrote how to beat the Austrians, who were weak fighters on bayonets:“ ... and when the enemy approaches thirty paces, then the standing army itself moves forward and meets the attacking army with bayonets. The bayonets are held flat with the right hand, and stabbed with the left. On occasion, it does not interfere with a butt in the chest or on the head ... at a distance of a hundred steps to command: march-march! At this command, people grab their guns with their left hand and run at the enemy with bayonets shouting “Vivat”! The enemy must be stabbed in the stomach, and if he is not pinned with a bayonet, then with his butt.
The enemy's chest was covered with thick straps crosswise, so they stabbed in an unprotected place, in the stomach. But the spear was a weapon not only of the infantry, where it turned into a bayonet with the advent of firearms. Thin and long spears of horsemen began to be called peaks in the European manner. Almost all types of Russian cavalrymen were armed with them, although pikes are best known in the Cossack units. How to work with a lance is described in the Charter of the Cossack service. The pike in experienced hands not only stabbed, but also chopped, or even reared up the enemy horse, forcing the rider to drop.
Russian bayonet fighting was recognized as the best in Europe before the Second World War. The primacy of the Russians was also recognized by the French inventors of the bayonet. At the same time, we did not have any textbooks on bayonet fighting until the middle of the nineteenth century. The art of combat was transmitted by direct transmission by experienced fighters. Obviously, there were many of them. The best textbook is considered to be the “Guide to Fencing with Bayonets”, written in 1905 by the Russian officer Alexander Lugarr, who comprehended the experience of fighting in the Russo-Japanese War. Lugarr divided fencing with bayonets into ten basic strikes and defenses. In addition to the battle of the foot soldiers, he also describes how to fight with the rider. It is probably the best manual on bayonet fighting even to our time, although it calls the methods of bayonet fighting in the French manner.
However, the French school of fencing was the ruling school in Russia until the sixties of the last century, when fencing with bayonets was banned, and this sport left our lives at the request of the International Olympic Committee. This was a condition for the admission of the Soviet Union to the number of participants in the Olympic movement. Probably, the European democrats thus tried to weaken the combat power of Russia. Which, of course, they managed to do, since the bayonet fight to this day can be the most important part of the combat. So, owning it will save more than one Russian guy who finds himself in close proximity to the enemy. Lose this view martial art it would be an unforgivable mistake, which will cost our army and people too dearly.
It was considered the main weapon for infantry attacks. Today, the bayonet is considered a secondary weapon, or the last weapon in use.
Later version - bayonet knife.
Baguette with brass frame and wooden cork handle, con. XVII century; two baguettes, England, 17th century; French bayonet, 1724; French bayonet of the Delvin system, model 1840 (the so-called "scimitar")
Story
In the 16th century, firearms were firmly entrenched in all the armies of the world. In Europe, firearms gradually took over the baton of the "main weapon" of the infantry from the pikemen. If at the beginning of the 16th century only 1/6 of the soldiers were armed with arquebuses and muskets, then at the beginning of the 17th century already 2/3 of the soldiers were musketeers. This led to the fact that the pikemen lost their shock functions and turned into defenders of the musketeers from the cavalry. But there were more and more musketeers, as there was an urgent need to increase the firepower of the units. Because of what, the musketeers, deprived of the cover of pikemen, became more and more vulnerable to a sudden attack by cavalry (although they had to be covered by their own cavalry, but this was not always possible).
A new word in solving this problem was the bayonet, which turned the musket into a kind of spear. Now musketeers, theoretically, could fight in hand-to-hand combat and repel cavalry attacks. The bayonet was first adopted in 1647 in France under the name "bayonet" or "baguinet" (in honor of the French city of Bayonne, where it was allegedly invented in 1641). However, the term "bayonet" itself has been known since the 16th century; this was the name of a hunting dagger, which in the 17th century began to be inserted into the bore of a gun barrel. Apparently, the bayonet is an invention of hunters, and only later the military began to use it.
In the army, the baguinet remained for a long time a curious, but not relevant invention: a heavy musket was ill-suited for fencing. As an additional weapon, the shooter used a sword or saber, and in Russia - also a reed (combined with a supporting bipod), in Sweden - the so-called. "Swedish pen" (support bipod with a long blade). Only after the change of muskets at the end of the 17th century to a lighter gun (fuzea) did the bayonet begin to play an important role in battle and gradually replaced the pole cold weapon (lance, halberd, etc.).
Baginet allowed, if necessary, to turn the musketeers into a kind of pikemen. However, to use it, it was necessary to insert the handle of the baguette dagger into the barrel of the gun. It was impossible to fire the gun until the baguette was removed. Such baguettes were introduced in Russia in 1694. By that time, in Western Europe, they had already begun to manufacture an all-metal bayonet with a tube mounted on the barrel. This made it possible to load and fire with an attached bayonet. The French army was equipped with these new baguettes in 1689. Brandenburg-Prussia did so in the same year, Denmark in 1690; in Russia, bayonets were introduced in the guard in 1702; in the army, the transition to them was completed by 1709. With the advent of a new type of bayonets (as well as with an increase in the loading speed), the need for pikemen gradually disappeared, and in the first half of the 18th century they disappeared from European armies. Currently, in Russia and a number of other countries, the term "baginet" or "bayonet" is used to refer to an old bayonet, the handle of which is inserted into the barrel of a weapon.
According to data taken from the personal forms of soldiers and officers of the Russian army at the beginning of the 19th century, it is clear that they quite rarely entered into close combat with the enemy. Only 2% of all soldiers and officers had wounds from bayonets. This is confirmed by English-language sources: "At Malplaquet, for example, the best evidence indicates that 2/3 of the wounds received by French troops came from the enemy's fusils, with only about 2% were inflicted by bayonets. Of the men wounded by gunfire, 60% had been struck in the left side, the side facing the enemy as a soldier stood in line to fire himself". This is not surprising, for the most part, the bayonet was used as a psychological weapon to attack a broken enemy or to defend against cavalry.
The first instruction manual for bayonet fighting was published in Europe in 1816 and contained many artificial multi-syllabic movements. In this case, metal masks, horsehair armor and wooden (modeled on firearms) guns were used. In Russia, the Rules for training infantry to fight with a bayonet were published in 1837.
The most common were removable bayonets with a tube for mounting on the barrel and with a needle-shaped blade. A needle-shaped bayonet has an advantage in a bayonet fight over a blade one: it penetrates the enemy’s body more easily, reduces the chance of getting bogged down, and with the same length of the blade, the needle bayonet has less mass and greater strength. It is practically impossible to use a needle bayonet with a tube mounted on the barrel for purposes other than bayonet fighting.
Prussian bayonet model M. 1898/05
Classification
Blade shape:
- needle:
- round,
- faceted:
- trihedral (sometimes it is also called Russian),
- tetrahedral (its variant is diamond-shaped),
- tee (with a section in the shape of the letter "T").
- blade:
- bayonet-cleaver, (including scimitar bayonet)
- bayonet-knife - a flat blade of a knife type (sometimes with a sawtooth sharpening along the butt) with a handle for holding in the hand, a device for adjoining the weapon and a scabbard; can also be used as a saw or wire cutters (when connected to a sheath).
- instrumental:
- spade bayonet,
- ramrod bayonet,
- bipod bayonet (for example, a bayonet for ABC-36),
- bayonet-saw (can also be classified as a special kind of bladed bayonet),
- etc.
Mounting type:
- detachable (removable):
- with handle to hold in hand
- with a tube for mounting on the trunk.
- non-removable (non-removable).
The detachable bayonet lightens the weight of the weapon (this is all the more important since the attached bayonet increases the load on the front of the barrel). Also, only a detachable bayonet can be used as a knife or multi-purpose tool.
On the other hand, an integral bayonet is always on alert or is brought into it much faster (if it is on a hinge). It is almost impossible to lose him in combat. However, these qualities are not very important for modern armed forces, and most bayonets are of the detachable type.
Tool bayonets are a rather exotic type. From time to time there are attempts to combine a bayonet with a certain tool (shovel, saw) or a useful device (ramrod, bipod). As a rule, such a "hybrid" is of little use. As an exception, it can be pointed out that most modern bayonets have a saw on the butt, and can also be used for cutting wire, sawing wood for various defensive work, and also for butchering livestock. It was initially adopted by Germany in 1865, Belgium in 1868, Great Britain in 1869 and Switzerland in 1878 (the latter introduced their latest model in 1914). Until the middle of the First World War, about 5% of the bayonets were supplemented with saws. Later German saws were more of a rank indicator than a functional saw. The saw bayonet proved relatively ineffective as a cutting tool and was soon rendered obsolete by improvements in military logistics and transportation; most countries abandoned saw bayonets by 1900. The German Army stopped using the saw bayonet in 1917 after protests that its serrated blade caused unnecessarily severe wounds.
The shovel bayonet was of a different design, intended to be used both as an offensive weapon and also as a ladle for making trenches. Since 1870, the US Army has issued bayonet spades for infantry regiments designed by Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Rice, a US Army officer and Civil War veteran, which were made at the Springfield Armory. In addition to being useful as a fixed bayonet and digging tool, such a bayonet could be used to build log cabins and stone chimneys for winter quarters; sharpened at one edge, it could cut through sticks and pins. Ultimately, ten thousand of these bayonets were fired. In 1877 Rice was given permission to display his bayonet in several European countries. The spade bayonet was declared obsolete by the US Army in December 1881.
Bayonet fighting as an applied sport
Red Army training. August 1941
In favor of retaining the bayonet in the modern armed forces is its extreme effectiveness in finishing off wounded enemy soldiers on the battlefield and in escorting prisoners or detainees, but this consideration is not advertised in order to avoid negative public perception.
The word "bayonet" at the beginning of the 20th century was also used as a synecdoche in the sense of "a fighter in the infantry", for example, "... after the battle in the regiment, only a little more than 200 bayonets remained in the ranks" (in the cavalry they talked about "sabers").
Gallery
A Japanese soldier practices a bayonet strike on the corpse of a Chinese soldier. 1937
The bayonet-knife is attached to the machine gun.
see also
Notes
- Brayley, Martin, Bayonets: An Illustrated History, Iola, WI: Krause Publications, (2004), pp. 9-10, 83-85
- D.G.Tselorungo. The nature of the wounds of the soldiers of the Russian army (indefinite) .
- Infantry Tactics and Combat: Musket Accuracy: Bayonet Attack: Esprit de Corps (indefinite) . napoleonistyka.atspace.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- Rules for training infantry to fight with a bayonet for use by skirmishers in single combat during the war, compiled by the fencing teacher for all edged weapons, Captain Rengau and published with the permission of the higher authorities. - St. Petersburg: Pec. K. Kray, 1837. - 4, 130 p., 1 sheet. front. (grav. tit. sheet), 12 sheets. ill.; 22.
- Punch, "The Soldier's Side-Companion", Punch's Almanack For 1869, Vol. 57 (7 August 1869), London: Punch Publications Ltd. (1869), p. 54
- Knight, Edward H., Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary(Vol. 1), New York: J.B. Ford & Co, (1874), p. 252
- Rhodes, Bill An Introduction to Military Ethics: A Reference Handbook, ABC CLIO LLC,
Chapter Twelve
BAYONE FIGHT
A. OBJECTIVES OF A BAYONE FIGHT
Bayonet fighting is the main part of hand-to-hand combat. Training in bayonet fighting and training are carried out on training rifles with a combat bayonet.
The main task of bayonet fighting is to teach the most appropriate methods of attack and defense, that is, “to be able at any time and from different positions to quickly inflict injections and blows on the enemy, beat off the enemy’s weapons and immediately respond with an attack. To be able to timely and tactically expediently apply this or that method of combat ”(NPRB-38).
A bayonet fight instills in a fighter the most valuable skills and qualities, dexterity, quick reaction, calmness and endurance, courage, determination, etc.
TECHNIQUE AND TACTICS OF THE BAYONE FIGHT
I. PROVISION "TO BATTLE"
The "to fight" position is the most convenient position for offensive and defensive actions with a rifle.
From the “at attention” position, at the command “to battle”, the rifle is thrown forward with a bayonet and is picked up with the left hand just above the lower lozhny ring, and with the right hand by the neck of the butt. At the same time, a step forward is taken with either foot. Then, the fighter assumes the following position: legs are slightly bent; the heaviness of the body is predominantly on the front leg; the heel of the standing leg is separated from the ground; the body is slightly inclined forward, the rifle is slightly retracted to the left, the butt is pressed against the forearm, the bayonet is at the height of the neck and against one's left shoulder; the left arm is slightly bent and her elbow is lowered down; the forearm of the right hand touches the right cheek of the butt, the elbow “pushes down. The reception is performed together, quickly, at one pace (Fig. 229, 230). To return to the “at attention” position, the command “to the leg” is given. The “to fight” position can also be taken on the move (on the move or on the run). To return to the starting position during the movement, a command is given “in the hand”.
II. INJECTIONS IN A BAYONE FIGHT
A thrust is the main method of attack in a bayonet fight. There are three types of injections: 1) basic, 2) short and 3) long. Depending on the situation, one or another injection is used.
Requirements for a fighter when performing injections: 1) accuracy; 2) speed; 3) suddenness (choice of the moment); 4) the force necessary to hit the target; 5) maintaining combat capability after hitting a target.
Each of these requirements is a necessary condition for the success of attacks and thrusts in hand-to-hand combat. Immediately after the injection, the bayonet is pulled out, the position “for battle” is taken and the movement continues forward or towards the nearest enemy.
Main injection
It is applied from a medium distance and is used in an attack with and without an effect on the enemy’s weapon, as well as after taking a defense and during a repeated attack.
At the command "if" the rifle is sent forward with both hands, with the tip of the bayonet at the target. At the same time, sharply moving the body forward, a full forward lunge is made from behind. standing foot and an injection is applied to 1/3 of the length of the bayonet, followed by pulling out the bayonet (Fig. 231). The moment of injection coincides with the setting of the leg on the ground, producing a lunge. When performing the main injection, the left hand does not move along the rifle. The fingers squeeze the rifle at the moment of injection, while the left hand directs the bayonet to the target, and the right hand sends the rifle forward with force. The lunge can be made from the right or left leg. With a lunge, the shin of the leg on which the lunge is made is sharply thrown forward and the foot is placed on the heel, and then on the entire track; the other leg straightens and at the moment of the lunge rests on the front of the foot. The body is tilted forward in the direction of the leg remaining behind. The bayonet is pulled out in the plane of the injection; hands are pulled back to failure (Fig. 232).
The whole reception is performed together, as one holistic movement.
In practice, the following type of injection occurs: at the moment of lunging and moving the body forward, the rifle is slightly pulled back (a small swing is made). Otherwise, the reception is performed in the same way as in the first case (Fig. 233).
Leaving after the main injection is carried out as follows: after pulling out the bayonet, the fighter assumes the “to fight” position and begins to move forward, to the right or left of the effigy, depending on the position of the teacher. The first step is taken with the back foot. The body is straightened at the end of the first step (Fig. 234).
Short shot
It is used in a collision with an enemy at close range (in the forest, in a trench, indoors, to help a comrade). From the “to fight” position, at the “short prick” command, pull the rifle back with a quick movement, pressing the forearm of the left hand to the body. The right arm is slightly bent, the butt is lowered, the bayonet is aimed at the target, the body is moving forward (swing) (Fig. 235). With a quick movement, the rifle is sent forward - from bottom to top at the target, an energetic injection is made (Fig. 236). Then, without stopping, the bayonet is pulled out to the swing position, the “to fight” position is taken and the forward movement (leaving) continues.
long prick
It is used in cases where it is not possible to hit the enemy in another way, such as: in the trenches, on a tree, on the enemy’s departure (as a second injection), etc. It is performed with a lunge and without a lunge. With a lunge: from the “to fight” position, at the “long prick” command, the lunge is made in the same way as in the main injection, the right hand sends the rifle along the palm of the left straightened arm to the position when the magazine box is in the palm of the left hand and both straightened arms will be at the level of the chin (Fig. 237). Without a lunge: the arms produce the same movement as with a lunge. The body tends forward behind the outstretched arms, due to which the weight of the body shifts more to the leg standing in front.
III. IMPACTS ON WEAPON AND "BEATS" IN THE BAYONE FIGHT
A blow is an offensive action aimed at taking the opponent's weapon out of a threatening position and thereby "opening" it. "Repulse" - a defensive action from an enemy attack. After a rebound and a blow, an attack on the enemy immediately follows with a prick, a blow from the butt, a leg, etc. The blow (beat) must be strong, short ("dry"). It is applied by the muzzle of the rifle to the enemy's weapon and is made with one hand, without turning the body. The force of impact (bounce) is achieved by a sharp extensor or flexion movement of the left (mainly) hand. At the moment of impact on the enemy's weapon, the movement is abruptly stopped by squeezing the rifle with the fingers. Weapon strikes and rebounds are taught with a training stick, with which the teacher inflicts conditional injections on the student.
Possession of a training stick requires clarity, quickness, mobility and technically correct execution by its trainer. From the correct and timely "prick" with a stick depends on the technique of performing one or another technique by the practitioner.
The leader conducting the classes must: 1) attack quickly, decisively and accurately, giving a stick to beat or hit; 2) timely protect yourself from a bayonet or butt by a quick departure to the side or back; 3) timely give a ball or stick to hit.
Kick (beat) to the right - the main injection
A blow to the weapon to the right is made: in offensive actions - in order to beat off the enemy’s weapon to the right (away from oneself), open the enemy and immediately hit him with a prick; in defensive actions - in order to beat off the enemy's bayonet directed to the upper body and hit him with a subsequent injection.
From the position “to battle” - with a sharp extensor movement of the left hand to the right and slightly forward, the fighter beats off the enemy’s weapon with the muzzle of the rifle (Fig. 238), hits the target with the main injection and pulls out the bayonet, then assumes the position “to battle” and continues to move. The blow is made without any preliminary swing and without the participation of the body. At the moment of impact, the fingers are strongly compressed, sharply stopping the movement of the rifle on the line of the right shoulder (Fig. 239).
The stick is fed in the following way. Starting position: the puffy one becomes inconsistent with the scarecrow, having the latter to the right of him; left foot in front half a step behind the front frame of the effigy; the stick is held with the right hand over the grip, with the left grip, ball forward; the ball is on the ground.
Stab with a stick: when a fighter approaches the distance of the main injection, taking a step forward with his right foot, send the stick forward to the right shoulder of the fighter with his right hand until it is completely straightened. The left hand releases the stick. Having received a blow on a stick, immediately take a step forward with your left foot - to the left with a simultaneous half-turn to the right (towards the target) and putting your right foot to your left, in such a way as to protect yourself from being stabbed by a fighter (with a strong rebuff to the right) and at the same time be able to monitor the implementation of the reception. In group training, the method of feeding the stick should be studied in separate elements, then everything is put together (Fig. 240).
Beating down to the right-prick
Beating down to the right is used in cases where the enemy pricks in the lower part of the body and to the right of the fighter’s rifle. From the “to battle” position, with a semicircular movement of the left hand down - to the right, a sharp (dry) blow is applied to the enemy’s weapon with the muzzle of the rifle. After the rebound, the left arm remains half-bent, and the right elbow is freely lowered down. Bayonet at knee height, butt at mid-shoulder height (Fig. 241), magazine box facing right. For injection, the guide, left, hand sends the bayonet in the shortest way forward in a helical manner, and the main injection is applied with subsequent withdrawal.
The serving of the stick is the same as for the rebound to the right, only the injection is made in the right thigh.
Beating (hit) to the left-prick
In offensive actions, a “hit on the weapon to the left” is carried out in order to knock the enemy’s weapon to the left (away from oneself) and immediately hit him with a thrust, and in defensive actions, throw back the enemy’s bayonet directed to the upper left part of the body and hit him with a thrust.
With a sharp movement of the left hand to the left and slightly forward (left elbow lowered down) while turning the rifle to the left (magazine box to the right), apply a short, sharp blow to the enemy’s weapon with the muzzle of the rifle (Fig. 242) and immediately make an injection.
Feeding the stick: the trainer becomes the same as when rebounding to the right, only being on the right side of the effigy. The injection is made in the left shoulder (Fig. 242).
Beating off to the left - blow with a butt from the side
Butt strikes should only be used at close range. The tactical meaning is to repulse an attack made by the enemy in the upper left part of the body (Fig. 243), quickly close to eliminate the possibility of a second attack (Fig. 244) and hit the enemy with a butt from the side of the head (Fig. 245).
After rebounding to the left (see “Rebounding to the left” above), an approach is made to the enemy in such a way that the left leg is in front, and the weight of the body is greater on the right leg (legs half-bent). The body is turned half-turn to the right (swing). With a sharp turn of the torso to the left - forward with a simultaneous push of the right leg, bent at a right angle, with the right hand, deliver a blow to the opponent's jaw or temple with a sharp butt angle. At the same time, the left hand tears the rifle towards itself, the hand is at the height of the belt. The body is slightly tilted forward. In order not to create an unsupported position, the right leg is placed on the front of the foot forward - to the right on the line of the left leg or slightly forward. After the blow, the fighter, having described with his left hand a semicircular movement upwards - forward, takes the position "to fight" and leaves (Fig. 246). Rapprochement with the enemy can be done in two ways - step and jumps.
1st way: starting position "to fight" with the left or right foot in front. Take a step forward with your left foot from the heel to the entire track, quickly pull up your right foot, placing it on the forefoot. The weight of the body on both legs. Legs half-bent. The step is done quickly at one pace.
2nd way: starting position "to fight", left leg in front. By quickly tilting the torso forward, bring the body out of balance, applying the weight of the body to the left leg, take a step with the right foot forward and, with a simultaneous push of the left foot, move it forward in front of the right foot. Legs semi-bent, feet parallel.
The jump is performed together in one count.
Stick feed . Starting position: the stick is at the left side, the right hand holds it over the grip in the middle (the end of the stick is directed to the left shoulder of the fighter). The left hand is at the ball, also with an overhand grip. The stick is taken over. An injection (with a stick) is made: with the approach of the fighter to the distance of the main injection, the trainee makes a lunge with his right foot forward and pricks in the left shoulder. After rebounding, releasing the grip with the left hand, it makes it possible to move freely to the side to the right, and with the other end forward. At the same time, the left leg is placed to the left-back, the weight of the body is transferred to it, and the right leg is freely placed behind the left leg. At this moment of departure, the ball is substituted for the place where the head should be. After the strike, the front end of the stick drops down to let the fighter through.
Beating down
Rebounding down can be applied when the opponent stabs to the lower left side of the torso.
Beating down is done by a quick movement of the left hand to the left down and slightly forward, with the rifle turning the magazine box to the right. With the muzzle of the rifle, a short and sharp blow is applied to the enemy’s weapon from top to bottom (Fig. 247, 248) and immediately follows the main, short or long injection or with a jump with a butt from the side. “When rebounding, the forearm of the right hand lies on the butt. The rifle is sent to strike the enemy's weapon diagonally down - to the left and somewhat forward, covering the enemy's rifle from above and throwing it down and to the left ”(NPRB-38).
Stick feed - the same as when rebounding to the left. The injection is made in the left thigh.
Beating down - to the left
Beating down - to the left is used when the Opponent attacks with a thrust in the lower part of the body, being on the left. With a quick turn of the whole body to the left, at the same time describing the end of the bayonet in a semi-circle down - to the left, knock down with a short and with a strong blow directed from the side - on the left side of the enemy's weapon (Fig. 249, 250) and with a lunge strike him with a butt in the face (Fig. 251).
Stick feed : the starting position is the same as for the butt strike from the side, only the trainer is on the left side of the fighter. The injection is made in the thigh.
Having beaten off "close your head"
The “cover your head” technique is used mainly as a defense against saber blows from a cavalryman. It can be used with a counter attack with a long upward thrust. End position: rifle overhead, magazine box up; arms are bent, the position of the rifle is obliquely above the head, the bayonet is below the butt and somewhat in front, the fingers are directed along the rifle (Fig. 252).
Butt kick forward
The rifle is retracted with a bayonet back and down, with a magazine box half-turn to the left - up. The left arm is almost straightened, the right hand is at the left nipple of the chest. The elbow is raised (swing). With a step or lunge forward, strike the opponent's head with the back of the butt.
Stick feed : the starting position is the same as in the butt strike from the side, with the only difference that the ball is not substituted for the intended head, but is pulled back to the side.
Hit with a butt from below.
The rifle is retracted with the butt to the right, back and down, magazine box forward. Left hand at right shoulder height. The weight of the body is transferred to the right leg. The body is slightly tilted forward (swing) (Fig. 254). With a step of the left foot forward, strike with a sharp angle of the butt between the legs of the enemy (Fig. 255).
Stick feed : starting position is the same as in side kick. At the moment when the bset strikes with the butt from the side, quickly lower the ball down and back a little.
Cutting from left to right
(After a wide bounce to the left or a blow with a butt from the side)
With a sharp turn of the torso, send the rifle from left to right horizontally or diagonally from top to bottom. At the end of the movement, both hands make a pull on themselves, giving these blows; cutting character (Fig. 256).
Serving a stick (without a ball) is the same as for hitting with a butt from the side (Fig. 257).
Cutting from right to left (After a bounce to the right)
After rebounding, send the rifle from right to left and towards yourself, inflict a cutting blow (Fig. 258).
Submission of a stick (without a ball). Starting position: the stick is held with the left hand. With the approach of the fighter to the distance of the main injection, the trainer makes a lunge with his right foot forward and pricks in the right shoulder (Fig. 259). After the rebound, allowing the stick to move freely and picking it up with your left hand, substitute the other end of the stick for a strike from right to left.
