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Might have been a scam to get a couple of days off work, but we had to honor it. The image of (I assume) Shinto priest in costume dancing around our machines will always be with me. Belief in a supernatural source of evil is unnecessary - men alone are quite capable of all kinds of wickedness. Joseph Conrad |
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They were considered "magical" so could be defeated with more magic, whereas 18" of cold steel was, cold steel! as Corporal Jones so rightly put it; "They don't like it up 'em!" |
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Yes, a speciality of British infantry right up the 1960s at least, as far as training was concerned certainly. At that time the pig-sticker was preferred in combat to the flat blade generally. (unless my Regiment differed from the rest of the Army!) Either way, it is a nasty weapon to face.
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I wouldn't like one up me either lol |
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It was used in Iraq, by a Scottish Regiment
The Bayonet Charge The battle began when over 100 Mahdi army fighters ambushed two unarmored vehicles transporting around 20 Argylls on the isolated Route Six highway near the southern city of Amarah. Ensconced in trenches along the road, the militiamen fired mortars, rocket propelled grenades, and machine gun rounds. The vehicles stopped and British troops returned fire. The Mahdi barrage caused enough damage to force the troops to exit the vehicles.The soldiers quickly established a defensive perimeter and radioed for reinforcements from the main British base at Amarah – Camp Abu Naji. Reinforcements from the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment assisted the Argyles in an offensive operation against the Mahdi militiamen. When ammunition ran low among the British troops, the decision was made to fix bayonets for a direct assault. The British soldiers charged across 600 feet of open ground toward enemy trenches. They engaged in intense hand-to-hand fighting with the militiamen. Despite being outnumbered and lacking ammunition, the Argylls and Princess of Wales troops routed the enemy. The British troops killed about 20 militiamen in the bayonet charge and between 28 and 35 overall. Only three British soldiers were injured.This incident marked the first time in 22 years that the British Army used bayonets in action. The previous incident occurred during the Falklands War in 1982. II. Why the Bayonet Charge Was a Tactical Success The bayonet charge by British troops in Basra achieved tactical success primarily because of psychological and cultural factors. It also shows that superior firepower does not guarantee success by either side. In this case, the value of surprise, countering enemy expectations, and strict troop discipline were three deciding characteristics of the bayonet charge. |
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Nice one Le. My own experience is of a Scots infantry regiment, and the bayonet charge is indeed a psychological weapon. An advancing ans dtermined line of fixed bayonets, firing volleys on each single command of 'Bullets', and shrieking like banshees and fully intent upon leaping on and into their opponents as against simply thrusting is intended to strike terror, and my verdict on such Scots regiments is the famous quotation:- I don't know what the effect on their enemies is - but, By God (sic)- they terrify me!' Was that Wellington'?
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