  Intervals and distances will be taken as in Infantry Drill Regulations, except that in formations for bayonet exercises the men should be at least six paces apart in every direction. Classes should always work with bayonets fixed. Before requiring soldiers to take a position or execute a movement for the first time, the instructor shows them the position, explaining essential points, and giving the reasons for them. Then show the position a second time, making the class observe each movement, so that from the very commencement of the bayonet training, a man is taught to use his eyes and brain. The class is then ordered to assume the position explained and shown. Pick out the man The recruit course consists of five lessons and the Final Assault Practice. The men should be accustomed to wear the cartridge belt in the training, and packs may be required to be worn in efficiency tests. For the “thrust” and “parrying” exercises a light stick, 5 feet to 5 feet 6 inches long and ¾ to 1 inch in diameter, must be provided for every two men. Half an hour a day, at least five days a week, should be devoted to the daily practice in bayonet fighting for trained soldiers. By this daily practice accuracy of direction, quickness, and strength are developed, and a soldier is accustomed to Lesson I.Point of the bayonet directed at the base of the opponent’s throat, the rifle held easily and naturally with both hands, the barrel inclined slightly (about 30 degrees) to the left, the right hand at the height of the belt grasping the small of the stock, the left hand holding the rifle at the most convenient position in front of the rear sight, so that the left arm is only slightly bent; i.e., making an angle of about 150 degrees. The legs well separated in a natural position, such as a man walking might adopt on meeting with resistance; The position should not be constrained in any way, but be one of aggression, alertness, and readiness to go forward for immediate attack (see Plate I). COMMON FAULTS. 1. Leaning body back. 2. Left arm too much bent. 3. Right hand held too low and too far back. 4. Rifle grasped too rigidly, restraining all freedom of movement. Assume the “order” in the easiest way without moving the feet. “High port.” In this position the hands hold the rifle as in guard; the left wrist level with, and directly in front of, the left shoulder; the right hand above the right groin and on level with the belt. When jumping ditches, surmounting obstacles, PLATE I.—“GUARD.” Being in the position of guard, to execute “long thrust,” grasp the rifle firmly, vigorously deliver the thrust to the full The chief power in a thrust is derived from the right arm with the weight of the body behind it, the left arm being used more to direct the point of the bayonet. The eye must be fixed on the object thrust at. In making thrusts other than straight to the front, the left foot should move in the same direction as that in which the thrust is made. During the later stages of this lesson the men should be practised in stepping forward with the rear foot when delivering the thrust. COMMON FAULTS. 1. Rifle drawn back before delivering the thrust. 2. Butt of the rifle held as high as or against the right shoulder. 4. Left knee not sufficiently bent. 5. Body not thrust sufficiently forward. REMARKS. The “long thrust” is made against an opponent at a range of about four to five feet from the attacker’s eye. To withdraw the bayonet after a long thrust has been delivered, draw the rifle straight back until the right hand is well behind the hip and immediately resume the guard. If the leverage or proximity to the object transfixed renders it necessary, the left hand must first be slipped up close to the stacking swivel and, when a pupil has reached that stage of delivering a thrust while advancing on a dummy, he will adopt this method. After every thrust a rapid “withdrawal,” essential to quick work with the bayonet, should be practised before returning to the guard. PROGRESSION. First Practice: PLATE II.—“LONG THRUST.” Men should always be made to thrust at a target, e.g., at a named part of the body of the opposite man—“At the right eye; thrust, withdraw.” Oblique thrust should PLATE III.—“WITHDRAWAL.” As progress is attained, the pause between the thrust and the withdrawal should be shortened, until the men reach the stage when they withdraw and come to guard directly after making the thrust, judging To practise action against a retreating foe, first show the position of the kidneys (small of back, either side of the spine). If possible, the point of the bayonet should be directed against an opponent’s throat, especially in hand-to-hand fighting. Other vulnerable and usually exposed parts are on the face, chest, lower abdomen, and thighs, and the region of the kidneys when the back is turned. Four or six inches penetration is sufficient to incapacitate and allow for a quick withdrawal, whereas if a bayonet is driven home too far, it is often impossible to withdraw it. In such cases, a round should be fired to break the obstruction. Second Practice: The class working in pairs, with the instructor supervising, should be practised in thrusting in various directions: (1) at the opposite man’s hand, which he places in various positions on and off his body; (2) Third Practice: The men will be taught to transfix a disc or number painted on a dummy; first at a distance of about five feet from the dummy, i.e., the extreme range of the bayonet; then, after advancing three or more paces. The advance must be made in the most practical and natural way, and should be practised with either foot to the front when the thrust is delivered. The rifle must never be drawn back when making a long thrust in a forward movement. The impetus of the body and the forward stretching of the arms supply sufficient force. The bayonet must be withdrawn immediately after the thrust has been delivered, and a forward threatening attitude be assumed to the side or beyond the dummy. To guard against accidents, the men must be at least five feet apart when the practice is carried out collectively. The principles of this practice will be observed when thrusting at dummies in trenches, standing upright on the ground or suspended on gallows. They should be applied at first slowly and deliberately, for no attempt must be made to carry out the final assault practice before the men have been carefully instructed in, and have thoroughly mastered, the preliminary lessons. Lesson II.THE RIGHT AND LEFT PARRY. From the position of guard, vigorously straighten the left arm, without bending the wrist or twisting the rifle in the hand, and force the rifle forward far enough to the right (left) to ward off the adversary’s weapon. COMMON FAULTS. 1. Wide sweeping parry with no forward movement in it. 2. Eyes taken off the weapon to be parried. Men must be taught to regard the parry as part of an offensive movement; namely, of the thrust which would immediately follow it in actual combat. For this reason, as soon as the movements of the parries have been learned, they should always be accompanied with a slight forward movement of the body. Parries will be practised with right, as well as with the left, foot forward, preparatory to the practice of parrying when advancing. First Practice: Men learning the parries should be made to observe the movements of the rifle carefully, Second Practice: The class works in pairs with scabbards on the bayonets, one man thrusting with a stick and the other parrying; the guard is resumed after each parry. At first, this practice must be slow and deliberate, without being allowed to become mechanical, and will be progressively increased in rapidity and vigor. Later a thrust at that part of the body indicated by the opposite man’s hand should immediately follow the parry, and, finally, sticks long enough to represent the opponent’s weapon in the position of guard should be attached to the dummies and parried before delivering the thrust. The men must be taught also to parry thrusts made at them: (1) by an opponent in a trench, when they are themselves on the parapet; (2) by an opponent on the Lesson III.TO EXECUTE THE SHORT THRUST. Shift the left hand quickly towards the muzzle and draw the rifle back to the full extent of the right arm, the butt either upwards or downwards as a low or a high thrust is to be made, then deliver the thrust vigorously to the full extent of the left arm. The short thrust is used at a range of about three feet, and, in close fighting, it is the natural thrust to make when the bayonet has just been withdrawn after a long thrust. If a strong withdrawal is necessary, the right hand should be slipped above the rear sight after the short thrust has been made. PLATE IV.—“SHORT THRUST.” Practice: The principles of the three practices of PLATE V.—“JAB.” Parries will be practised from the position of the short thrust. Lesson IV.THE JAB OR UPWARD THRUST. From the position of short thrust shift the right hand up the rifle and grasp it above the rear sight, at same time bringing the rifle to an almost vertical position close to the body, and, from this position, bend the knees and jab the point of the bayonet upwards into the throat or under the chin of the opponent. COMMON FAULTS. 1. Rifle drawn backward and not held vertically enough. 2. Rifle grasped too low with the right hand. PLATE VI.—“JAB” AT THRUSTING RING. When making a jab from the guard, the right, being in the thrusting hand, will be brought up first. The jab can be employed successfully in Lesson V.METHODS OF INJURING AN OPPONENT. It should be impressed upon the class that, although a man’s thrust has missed or has been parried or his bayonet has been broken, he can, as attacker, still maintain his advantage by injuring his opponent in one of the following ways: Butt Stroke I: Swing the butt up at the opponent’s crotch, ribs, forearm, etc., using a half-arm blow or advancing the rear foot. Butt Stroke II: If the opponent jumps back so that the first butt stroke misses, the rifle will come into horizontal position over the left shoulder, butt leading; the attacker will then step in with the rear foot and dash the butt into his opponent’s face. If the opponent retires still farther out of distance, the attacker again closes up and slashes his bayonet down on his opponent’s head or neck. PLATE VII.—“BUTT STROKE I.” If the thrust has been parried, the butt can be used effectively by crashing it down on the opponent’s head with an over-arm blow, advancing the rear foot. When the opponent is out of distance, Butt Stroke III can again be used. In individual fighting, the butt can also be used horizontally against the opponent’s ribs, forearm, etc. This method is impossible in trench fighting or in an attack, owing to the horizontal sweep of the bayonet to the attacker’s left. It should be clearly understood that the butt must not be employed when it is possible to use the bayonet effectively. Butt Stroke I is essentially a half-arm blow from the shoulder, keeping the elbow rigid, and it can therefore be successfully employed only when the right hand is grasping the rifle at the small of the butt. PLATE VIII.—“BUTT STROKE IV.” Butt strokes can be used only in certain circumstances and positions, but if men acquire absolute control of their weapons When wrestling, the opponent can be tripped by forcing his weight on to one leg and kicking that leg away from under him, or any other wrestler’s trip; e.g., “back heel.” The above methods will only temporarily disable an enemy, who must be killed with the bayonet, etc. Practice: When the classes have been shown the methods of using the butt and the knees, they should be practised on the padded stick; e.g., fix several discs on a dummy; make a thrust at one; use the knee on another, low down; jab a third, and so on. Light but still sufficiently-strong dummies should be used for practice with the butt, in order to avoid damage to it. It is apparent that bayonet fighting as taught for trench warfare abroad lacks all the niceties of the art of bayonet fencing prescribed in our manual. In bayonet fighting |
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