NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Bayonets

A bayonet (from French "baïonnette") is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon. It is a close combat or last-resort weapon. Download high resolution version (1200x558, 72 KB)Bayonet OKC-3S - Ontario Knife Company. ... Download high resolution version (1200x558, 72 KB)Bayonet OKC-3S - Ontario Knife Company. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... Traditional Finnish puukko knife A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ... A dagger (from Vulgar Latin: daca - a Dacian knife) is a blade weapon (essentially a double-edged knife) used for stabbing, thrusting or as a secondary defense weapon in close combat. ... The bayonet, still used in war as both knife and spearpoint. ... The muzzle of a firearm is the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit. ... A rifle is a firearm with a stock and a barrel that has a spiral groove or grooves (rifling) cut into its interior. ... The bayonet, still used in war as both knife and spearpoint. ...

1 History
2 Design
3 Modern use
- 3.1 Commonwealth armies
- 3.2 The United States
4 Cultural impact
5 References
6 Footnotes
7 See also

History

Early 19th century socket bayonet

socket of a bayonet

The evolution of the bayonet can be traced to a certain extent to a fortuitous accident. In the mid-17th century irregular military conflicts of rural France, the peasants of the Southern French town of Bayonne, having run out of powder and shot, rammed their long-bladed hunting knives into the muzzles of their primitive muskets to fashion impromptu spears, and by necessity created an ancillary weapon that was to influence Western European infantry tactics until the early 20th century. The weapon was introduced into the French army by General Jean Martinet. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2548x736, 50 KB) Bayonette Ã douille, XIXe siÃ¨cle Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Bayonet ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2548x736, 50 KB) Bayonette Ã douille, XIXe siÃ¨cle Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Bayonet ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 2534 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bayonet Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 2534 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bayonet Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Irregular soldiers in Beauharnois, Quebec, 19th century Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. ... Bayonne. ... A hunter on horseback shoots at deer or elk with a bow. ... Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ... Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ... A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Jean Martinet (d. ...

The benefit of such a dual-purpose arm contained in one was soon apparent. The early muskets fired at a slow rate (about a round per minute when loading with loose powder and ball, and no more than 3-4 rounds per minute using paper cartridges), and were unreliable. Bayonets provided a useful addition to the weapon-system when an enemy charging to contact could cross the musket's killing ground (a range of approximately 100 yards/metres at the most optimistic) at the expense of perhaps only one or two volleys from their waiting opponents. A foot-long bayonet, extending to a regulation 17 inches (approx. 43 centimetres) during the Napoleonic period, on a 5 foot (around 1.5 metre) tall musket achieved a reach similar to the infantry spear, and later halberd, of earlier times. Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ... Black powder - here a 100 grams container - can be freely bought in Switzerland. ... Orders of magnitude (length) 1 E-13 m 1 E-12 m 1 E-11 m 1 E-10 m 1 E-9 m 1 E-8 m 1 E-7 m 1 E-6 m 1 E-5 m 1 E-4 m 1 E-3 m 1 E... Orders of magnitude (length) 1 E-13 m 1 E-12 m 1 E-11 m 1 E-10 m 1 E-9 m 1 E-8 m 1 E-7 m 1 E-6 m 1 E-5 m 1 E-4 m 1 E-3 m 1 E... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ... Swiss halberds from 16th century Different sorts of halberds and halberd-like pole weapons in Switzerland This article is about the weapon. ...

Early bayonets were of the "plug" type. The bayonet had a round handle that fit directly into the musket barrel. This naturally prevented the gun from being fired. In 1671 plug bayonets were issued to the French regiment of fusiliers then raised. They were issued to part of an English dragoon regiment raised in 1672 and disbanded in 1674, and to the Royal Fusiliers when raised in 1685. The danger incurred by the use of this bayonet (which put a stop to all fire) was felt so early that the younger Puysgur saw a ring-bayonet in 1678 which could be fixed without stopping the fire. The defeat of British army forces by Jacobite Highlanders at the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689 was due (among other things) to the use of the plug-bayonet; and shortly afterwards the defeated leader, Hugh Mackay, is believed to have introduced a ring-bayonet of his own invention. Soon "socket" bayonets offset the blade from the muzzle. The bayonet attached over the outside of the barrel with a ring-shaped socket, secured on later models by a spring-loaded catch on the muzzle of the musket barrel. Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. ... A light dragoon from the American Revolution French dragoon, 1745. ... Combatants Jacobite Royalists (Highlanders & Irish) Orange Royalists (Covenanters, Lowlanders) Commanders Viscount Dundeeâ€ Hugh Mackay Strength 2400 foot 3500 foot Casualties 800, inc. ... Hugh Mackay Hugh Mackay (c. ...

A trial with badly-fitting socket or zigzag bayonets was made after the battle of Fleurus, 1690, in the presence of Louis XIV, who refused to adopt them. Shortly after the peace of Ryswick (1697), the English and Germans abolished the pike and introduced these bayonets, and plates of them are given in Surirey de St. Remy's Mémoires d'Artillerie, published in Paris in that year; but owing to a military cabal they were not issued to the French infantry until 1703. Henceforward the bayonet became, with the musket or other firearm, the typical weapon of infantry. Combatants France England United Provinces Spain Holy Roman Empire Commanders Duc de Luxembourg Prince of Waldeck Strength 35,000 38,000 Casualties 3,000 dead 3,000 wounded 6,000 dead 5,000 wounded 8,000 captured The Battle of Fleurus took place on July 1, 1690. ... Louis XIV (Louis-DieudonnÃ©) (September 5, 1638 â€“ September 1, 1715), reigned as King of France and of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death at the age of 77. ... The Treaty of Ryswick was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the United Provinces (now the Netherlands). ... Look up Pike and pike in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Many socket bayonets were triangular in cross-section in order to provide sideways stability of the blade without much increase in weight. This design of bayonet did not include a handle to use the blade apart from the gun. The triangular bayonet also created wounds which were difficult to stitch when attended to by a medic, as it is more difficult to stitch a three-sided wound than a two-sided one, thus making the wound more likely to become infected. Similarly, in the Soviet Union, bayonets were made with a cross-section in the form of a cross. It is said that self-inflicted wounds made by soldiers to get themselves out of the line of battle would be recognized as such and bring them greater disciplinary punishment.

18th and 19th century military tactics included various massed bayonet charges and defences. The Russian Army used the bayonet the most times in any Napoleonic conflict. Their motto was 'The Bullet is foolish, the Bayonet wise'. This implies that the bullet of a musket was wildly inaccurate (which was true in most cases) but with the close quarters of bayonet fighting, it was hard to miss. It should be noted however, that in the thick of a close-quarters combat, many soldiers revert to using bayonet rifles as clubs, this apparently being a more 'natural' way of fighting (as described by military historians like John Keegan). (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir John Keegan (born 1934) is an English military historian. ...

Swedish Royal Guard

Bayonets were experimented with through much of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the United States Navy during the American Civil War, bayonets were even affixed to single shot pistols, although they soon proved useless for anything but cooking. Cutlasses remained the favoured weapon for the navies of the time, though Queen Victoria's Royal Navy gave up the pikes once used to repel attacks by boarders in favor of the cutlass bayonet. Image File history File links This image was made by Robert Swanson of a member of the Swedish Royal Guard on duty at the Royal Palace in Stockholm File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links This image was made by Robert Swanson of a member of the Swedish Royal Guard on duty at the Royal Palace in Stockholm File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Royal Guards: Livgardet-cavalrymen in ceremony at the Royal Palace. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The Civil War is by far the most common term for this conflict; see Naming the American Civil War. ... A pistol is a usually small, projectile weapon, normally fired with one hand. ... This article is about the sword. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Look up Pike and pike in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

A late 19th century Prussian bayonet

Image File history File links Artwork by Rama Prussian bayonet, from a Public Domain photograph of English Wikipedia [1] File links The following pages link to this file: Bayonet ... Image File history File links Artwork by Rama Prussian bayonet, from a Public Domain photograph of English Wikipedia [1] File links The following pages link to this file: Bayonet ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ...

Design

Modern bayonets are often knife-shaped with handles and a socket, or permanently attached to the rifle as with the SKS. Depending on where and when a specific SKS was manufactured, it may have a permanently attached bayonet with a knife-shaped blade (Russian, Romanian, Yugoslavian, early Chinese), or a cruciform (late Chinese) or triangular (Albanian) spike bayonet, or no bayonet at all. The SKS is a Russian semi-automatic carbine, designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. ... The SKS is a Russian semi-automatic carbine, designed in 1945 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all South Slavic languages, ÐˆÑƒÐ³Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð²Ð¸Ñ˜Ð° in Serbian and Macedonian Cyrillic) is a term used for the three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ... Early 19th century socket bayonet A spike Bayonet is a blade attachment for a firearm taking the form of a pointed spike rather than a knife. ...

Most modern bayonets have a fuller (visible on the top half of the blade shown above), which is a concave depression in the blade designed to reduce the weight while keeping the blade's stiffness. Some speculate that this design feature makes a bayonet easier to withdraw after a stabbing attack by allowing air into the wound it produces, or to allow blood to drain from it, but in fact fullers have not been experimentally shown to have such an effect. For people named Fuller, see Fuller (disambiguation). ...

Modern use

Swiss army Sig 550 rifle with bayonet.

US Marines practicing bayonet combat.

The advent of modern warfare in the 1800s decreased the bayonet's usefulness and as early as the US Civil War (1861-65) the bayonet was ultimately responsible for less than one percent of battlefield casualties.^[1] Modern warfare still sees the use of the bayonet for Close Quarters fighting. British forces for example performed bayonet charges during the Falklands War and the invasion of Iraq. ^[2] ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2304x735, 112 KB) fr: Fusil dassaut Sig 550 (F ass 90) dordonance de larmÃ©e suisse, avec sa sangle (alongÃ©e par des lacets pour permettre le port en bandouillÃ¨re prÃªt Ã tirer) et la bayonnette. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2304x735, 112 KB) fr: Fusil dassaut Sig 550 (F ass 90) dordonance de larmÃ©e suisse, avec sa sangle (alongÃ©e par des lacets pour permettre le port en bandouillÃ¨re prÃªt Ã tirer) et la bayonnette. ... The SIG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by SAN Swiss Arms (formerly SIGARMS) of Switzerland. ... Image File history File links Combat_knife_attached_to_gun. ... Image File history File links Combat_knife_attached_to_gun. ... Modern warfare is a complex affair, involving the widespread use of highly advanced technology. ... Combatives FM 21-150 Figure 4-1, Vital Targets. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Combatants United Kingdom Argentina Casualties 255 killed 777 wounded 1 taken prisoner 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner The Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas) was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands (also known in Spanish as the Islas... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq without the explicit backing of the United...

One USMC bayonet instructor has opined "The purpose of a bayonet is to stick your enemy as quickly and as many times as freaking possible".^{[citation needed]} Trainees at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego get their first instruction in using the bayonet as a lethal weapon on their 10th day. The essence of bayonet fighting is to spring forward from a modified crouch and thrust the blade into the enemy. Recruits are taught to slash an enemy diagonally from shoulder to hipbone and how to use a bayonet to push aside an enemy's weapon.

We've created this myth that we can stay in the clouds and win wars...But the only way to control territory is with infantry, and for the individual fighter on the ground, a bayonet is indispensable.

^{[citation needed]}

In a modern context, bayonets are known to be particularly good for controlling prisoners, poking an enemy to see whether he is dead and for when the fighter is out of ammunition or so close to the enemy that firing a round is impossible.

A bayonet also remains useful as a utility knife, and as an aid to combat morale.^{[citation needed]} Training in the use of the bayonet has been given precedence long after the combat role of the bayonet declined as it is thought to increase desired aggressiveness in troops.^{[citation needed]} Despite the limitations of the bayonet, it is still issued in most armies and most armies still train with them.^{[citation needed]} In economics, utility is a measure of the happiness or satisfaction gained consuming good and services. ... Morale is a term for the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal. ...

Commonwealth armies

In close-order drill the command to fix bayonets is a two-part command. It consists of the preparatory order "Fix" and the execution order "BAYONETS". It is only issued from the Order Arms position. The commands to "Fix" and "Unfix" bayonets are among the only drill commands not executed in a specified cadence.

The United States

Adopted in 1984:the M9 bayonet and scabbard;Used on M16/M4

The M6 Bayonet with scabbard; Used on M14

The modern sawback U.S. M9 Bayonet, officially adopted in 1984, is issued with a special sheath designed to double as a wire cutter, developed by Phrobis III. Some production runs of the M9 have a fuller and some do not, depending upon which contractor manufactured that batch and what the military specs were at the time. The M9 Bayonet partially replaced, but is used in addition to the older M6 and M7 Bayonets, introduced in 1957 and 1964 respectively. Many troops have retained the M7, since the M9 has a reputation for breakage, due to a combination of its thin blade and varying quality among the various contractors used. As of 2002, the US Marine Corps is also issuing small quantities of new bayonets of a different design from the M9, with an 8″ Bowie knife-style blade and no fuller, manufactured by the Ontario Knife Company of New York. This new bayonet, the OKC-3S is cosmetically similar to the Marines' famed Ka-bar fighting knife. The weapon upgrade is part of a push begun four years ago by then-Commandant Gen. James L. Jones to expand and toughen hand-to-hand combat training for Marines, including more training in the martial arts and knife fighting. The new bayonet -- with a steel blade 8 inches long, 15/16 inches wide and which weighs 1¼ pounds with its scabbard -- is slightly longer, thicker and heavier than the current model M9. A sharper point and serrations near the handle help penetrate body armor that many modern adversaries wear. In one demonstration, a prototype was able to pierce a punching bag covered with aircraft aluminum and a bulletproof flak jacket. Also, the handle is more oval than round to prevent repetitive-stress injuries during training. Image File history File links M9 bayonet-knife and sheath Taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links M9 bayonet-knife and sheath Taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 265 KB) Summary Taken by me on March 8, 2006. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 265 KB) Summary Taken by me on March 8, 2006. ... This article is about the country in North America. ... M9 bayonet and scabbard The M9 Bayonet is a multi-purpose knife and bayonet officially adopted in 1984 by the U.S.. It is issued with a special sheath designed to double as a wire cutter, developed by Qual-A-Tec (later development and production by Phrobis III) from the... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For people named Fuller, see Fuller (disambiguation). ... The M6 Bayonet with scabbard The M6 Bayonet is a bayonet used by the U.S. military for the M14 rifle. ... The M7 Bayonet is a bayonet used by the U.S. military for the M16 rifle. ... Bowie knife is a term commonly used in modern times to refer to any large sheath knife. ... The Ontario Knife Company, or OKC, is an American manufacturer of knives and other edged tools. ... The OKC-3S bayonet The OKC-3S is a bayonet developed by the US Marine Corps to replace the M7 bayonet as its service bayonet for the M16 rifle. ... USMC Ka-bar knife, standard model A Ka-bar is the 7-inch fighting and utility knife used by the US Marines in World War II, and has been carried into battle by generations of Marines since. ...

"We spent a lot of time making sure the handle was ergonomically correct...There are no blister points on the handle. The Marines are the best and they deserve the best."^[3]

Cultural impact

The push-twist motion of fastening the older type of bayonet has given name to:

The "bayonet mount" used for various types of quick fastenings.
Several connectors and contacts including the bayonet-fitting light bulb that is common in the UK (as opposed to the continental screw-fitting type).
The BNC ("Bayonet Neill-Concelman") RF connector.

Bayonet-type connections are also common among detachable lens for cameras. A bayonet mount is a fastening mechanism that relies on mated surfaces; a male side with one or more pins or slots, and a female receptor with matching slots and a spring that maintains a clamping force. ... The light bulb is one of the most significant inventions in the history of the human race, illuminating the darkness of the evening and bringing light indoors at all times in order focus on the task at hand. ... Male BNC connector Wikimedia Commons has media related to: BNC The BNC connector is a type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable. ... An RF connector is an electrical connector designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range. ... Photographic lens One of Canons most popular wide angle lenses - 17-40 f/4 L The zoom lens of the Canon Elph A photographic lens (or more correctly, objective) is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images... Olympus OM-2 A single-lens reflex camera shows the same view in the viewfinder as what is recorded. ...

The bayonet has become a symbol of military power. The term "at the point of a bayonet" refers to using military force or action to accomplish, maintain, or defend something.

Undertaking a task 'with fixed bayonets' has this connotation of no room for compromise and is a phrase used particularly in politics.^{[citation needed]}

It serves as the inspiration for the gunblade from the Final Fantasy series of video games. Squalls Gunblade, Revolver. ... Final Fantasy ) is a series of computer and console role-playing games produced by Square Enix (originally Square Co. ...

The shoulder sleeve insignia for the 10th Mountain Division in the U.S. Army features crossed bayonets. (Redirected from 10th Mountain Division) Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica, the 11th edition The EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910â€“1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Footnotes

^ O'Connell, Robert L. "Arme Blanche", article in Military History Quarterly, Vol. 5 No. 1
^ Telegraph article.
^ Nick Trbovich Jr., president and chief executive of Ontario Knife Co., which won the Marine bayonet contract after a yearlong competition. It can also double as a fighting knife.^{[citation needed]}

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