April 4, 2004; Najaf, Iraq: Brought a knife to a gunfight

www.washingtontimes.com/world/20040503-115511-7092r.htm

SALVADORAN SOLDIERS PRAISED FOR IRAQ ROLE

By Denis D. Gray
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NAJAF, Iraq — One of his friends was dead, 12 others lay wounded and the four Soldiers still left standing were surrounded and out of ammunition. So Salvadoran Cpl. Samuel Toloza said a prayer, whipped out his knife and charged the Iraqi gunmen.

In one of the only known instances of hand-to-hand combat in the Iraq conflict, Cpl. Toloza stabbed several attackers swarming around a comrade. The stunned assailants backed away momentarily, just as a relief column came to the unit's rescue.

"We never considered surrender. I was trained to fight until the end," said the 25-year-old corporal, one of 380 Soldiers from El Salvador whose heroism is being cited just as other members of the multinational force in Iraq are facing criticism.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said recently that the Central American unit has "gained a fantastic reputation among the coalition" and expressed hope that the Salvadorans will stay beyond their scheduled departure.

Phil Kosnett, who leads the Coalition Provisional Authority office in this holy Shi'ite city, says he owes his life to Salvadorans who repelled a well-executed insurgent attack on his three-car convoy in March. He has nominated six of them for the U.S. Army's Bronze Star medal.

"You hear this snotty phrase 'coalition of the billing' for some of the smaller contingents," said Mr. Kosnett, referring to the apparent eagerness of some nations to charge their Iraq operations to Washington. "The El Sals? No way. These guys are punching way above their weight. They're probably the bravest and most professional troops I've every worked with."

The Salvadorans are eager to stress their role as peacekeepers rather than warriors, perhaps with an eye toward public opinion back home. Masked protesters last week seized the cathedral in the capital, San Salvador, demanding that President-elect Tony Saca pull the troops out of Iraq.

Mr. Saca, who takes office June 1, has said that he will leave the unit in Iraq until August as had been planned, despite the early departure of Spanish troops, under whom the Salvadorans were serving. The other three Central American contingents — from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras — have returned home or are scheduled to do so soon.

"We didn't come here to fire a single shot. Our rifles were just part of our equipment and uniforms. But we were prepared to repel an attack," said Col. Hugo Omar Orellana Calidonio, a 27-year-old who commands the Cuscatlan Battalion.

The troops, El Salvador's first peacekeepers abroad, have conducted a range of humanitarian missions in Najaf. They have provided books, electricity, playground equipment and other supplies to destitute schools and have helped farmers with irrigation works and fertilizer supplies.

"Our country came out of a similar situation as in Iraq 12 years ago, so people in El Salvador can understand what is happening here," said Col. Calidonio, referring to the civil war between the U.S.-backed government and leftist guerrillas that left about 75,000 dead. The military was held responsible for widespread abuses.

"We came here to help and we were helping. Our relationship with the people was excellent. They were happy with what we were doing," Col. Calidonio said.

Then came April 4, when armed followers of Sheik Muqtada al-Sadr, a radical Shi'ite cleric, seized virtual control of the city and staged attacks on two camps — Baker and Golf — near bases on the fringes of Najaf occupied by the Salvadoran and Spanish units.

When Cpl. Toloza and 16 other Soldiers arrived that morning at a low-walled compound of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, about a mile from their camp, they found that its 350 occupants had melted away. They also found themselves trapped by Sheik al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

Lt. Col. Francisco Flores, the battalion's operations officer, said the surrounded Soldiers held their fire for nearly a half-hour, fearful of inflicting civilian casualties, even as 10 of their number were wounded by rocket-propelled grenades and bullets from assault rifles and machine guns.

After several hours of combat, the besieged unit ran out of ammunition, having come with only 300 rounds for each of their M-16 rifles. Pvt. Natividad Mendez, Cpl. Toloza's friend for three years, lay dead, shot twice probably by a sniper. Two more were wounded as the close-quarters fighting intensified.

"I thought, 'This is the end.' But, at the same time, I asked the Lord to protect and save me," Cpl. Toloza recalled.

The wounded were placed on a truck while Cpl. Toloza and the three other Soldiers moved on the ground, trying to make their way back to the base. They were soon confronted with Sheik al-Sadr's fighters, about 10 of whom tried to seize one of the Soldiers.

"My immediate reaction was that I had to defend my friend, and the only thing I had in my hands was a knife," Cpl. Toloza said.

As reinforcements arrived to save Cpl. Toloza's unit, the two camps were under attack, with the Salvadorans and a small U.S. contingent of Soldiers and civilian security personnel trying to protect the perimeter and retake an adjoining seven-story hospital captured by the insurgents.

The Spaniards didn't fight and only after a long delay agreed to send armored vehicles to help evacuate the wounded. Col. Flores said he cannot question the Spanish decisions that day, but added that the Spaniards "could have helped us sooner."

U.S. troops have replaced the Spaniards. Salvadoran officers, many of whom were trained at military schools in the United States, say they're pleased to be working with the Americans.

3-Para mounts an assault on Mount Longdon. The battle on this heavily defended position, which was supposed to last until dawn, proves much tougher and longer than expected. Mount Longdon and its surroundings are finally taken after hand-to- hand and bayonet fighting with the Argentine troops position by position. The British casualties mount to 23 men, one of which, Sergeant Ian John McKay of 3-Para is later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, 47 more British are wounded. The Argentine suffer over 50 dead and many more injured. 6 more British die shortly afterwards.

RIFLE-BAYONET SAVES THE DAY IN NORMANDY

"Strike Attack" by Jim Dietz www.jamesdietz.com

Image Size: 16 1/2" x 25" 502 Military Edition (Limited Edition, Signed and Numbered) 250 Publisher Proof Edition (Limited Edition, Signed and Numbered) 100 Artist Proof Edition (Limited Edition, Signed and Numbered)

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor posthumously to: LIEUTENANT COLONEL ROBERT G. COLE UNITED STATES ARMY for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole distinguished himself with 3d Battalion, 502 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during combat operations on 11 June 1944 in France. LTC Cole was personally leading his battalion in forcing the last of four bridges on the road to Carentan when his entire unit was suddenly pinned to the ground by intense and withering enemy rifle, machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire placed upon them from well prepared and heavily fortified positions within 150 yards of the foremost elements. After the devastating and unceasing enemy fire had for over one hour prevented any move and inflicted numerous casualties, LTC Cole, observing this almost hopeless situation, courageously issued orders to assault the enemy positions with fixed bayonets. With utter disregard for his own safety and completely ignoring the enemy fire, he arose to his feet in front of his battalion, and, with drawn pistol, shouted to his men to follow him in the assault. Catching up a fallen man's rifle and bayonet, he charged on and led the remnants of his battalion across the bullet-swept open ground and into the enemy position. His heroic and valiant action so inspired his men that it resulted in the complete establishment of the bridgehead across the Douve River. The cool fearlessness, personal bravery, and outstanding leadership displayed by LTC Cole reflect great credit upon himself and are worthy of the highest praise in the military service.

RIFLE-BAYONETS IN SUB-NATIONAL CONFLICTS

Imperial Policing by Major-General Sir Charles Gwynn, K.C.B, C.M.G, D.S.O

In modern 4th Generation Wars (4GWs) the ability to use force skillfully and not inflame civilians into guerrilla fighters means the rifle-bayonet is MORE important not less.

RIFLE-BAYONET AS A BATTLE WEAPON FOR THE 21st CENTURY AND BEYOND

Its very humorous to constantly hear from mainstream America and even Soldiers in the Army how certain things have become "passee" or obsolete. They say "horse cavalry" is dead, yets its alive and well in Africa. That battleships are a thing of the past, yet our 4 x Iowa class battleships are the most missile armed and protected ships in the world, even though we have them in mothballs.

One of the common misconceptions about infantry combat is that the "bayonet charge is obsolete".

This comes from the mistaken notion that since we do not employ bayonets as high-visibility organized aspects of an attack that they are not needed as individual capabilities. The bayonet was necessary during the early years of firearms because it was slow to reload muzzle loading weapons. The time could come when you were too close to the enemy to stop and ram down a charge and patch then ball, since he could just stab you with a knife at this point. So we fixed knives to the end of our shoulder weapons so when we got close we could engage in hand-to-hand combat until such time we were seperated far enough to reload safely. In fact, our nation owes its very existence as a unified whole thanks to Col Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's desperate bayonet charge (Fix Bayonets, Charge!...Fix Bayonets, Charge!)on Little Round Top Hill when his men ran out of ammunition, but saved the Union army's left flank with their audacity. Watching the film "Gettysburg" would be a good "training event" to drive home the technical reasons for the early rifle-bayonet interface, a close range weapon when reloading or in close. A bayonet charge by LTC Harold G. Cole's 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles" took the town of Carentan joining the two D-Day beach forces together and earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor. Or then Captain Lewis Millett's bayonet charge in the Korean war, which earned him a CMH...

Capt. Millett, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. While personally leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position he noted that the 1st Platoon was pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and antitank fire. Capt. Millett ordered the 3d Platoon forward, placed himself at the head of the 2 platoons, and, with fixed bayonet, led the assault up the fire-swept hill. In the fierce charge Capt. Millett bayoneted 2 enemy soldiers and boldly continued on, throwing grenades, clubbing and bayoneting the enemy, while urging his men forward by shouting encouragement. Despite vicious opposing fire, the whirlwind hand-to-hand assault carried to the crest of the hill. His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder. During this fierce onslaught Capt. Millett was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation until the objective was taken and firmly secured. The superb leadership, conspicuous courage, and consummate devotion to duty demonstrated by Capt. Millett were directly responsible for the successful accomplishment of a hazardous mission and reflect the highest credit on himself and the heroic traditions of the military service

Everywhere infantry combat takes place, the bayonet gets used, we just don't want to admit it in our infatuation with electro-gizmos.

Actually, this reality is still true today.

While we have made loading instantaneous with self-contained cartridges held in detachable magazines, it still takes a few critical seconds to remove the magazine and put a new one inside. If you are close to the enemy, he could stab or shoot to kill you before you are reloaded. Even more so, to shoot accurately you need to aim, and in hand-to-hand combat the scuffling will not allow you to aim and hit the enemy.

Thus, bayonets are still standard equipment on most infantry weapons AND recent combat operations PROVE that the ability to bayonet charge is still important.

Take a look at these bayonets used by the Russian Airborne:

Erik Pakieser writes in:

"Hello.

I really enjoy reading your website. I periodically check it to keep myself sharp. I served in the U.S. Army from 1988-1992 (serving in both Panama and Gulf War I), and the Nasty Guard from 1992-1999, until medical issues forced me out. What you are saying now is what I've been thinking all along - we need a military that's designed to fight and win wars, not elections.

I did want to offer some "supplemental" information for you - on your Bayonet page you mentioned a Lt. in Vietnam who led bayonet charges at LZ X-Ray. That Lt. would be Rick Rescorla. You might know it by now, but the "Sky Soldier" pictured on the your bayonet page is Rick.

Rick Rescorla's story doesn't end in Vietnam. He was killed in the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Here's a good link to Rick Rescorla's story:

http://militaryhistory.about.com/library/prm/blrickrescorla1.htm

Every time I read about Rick Rescorla, it reminds me of why I became a Soldier.

Keep up the good work."

"Out of 100 people who go into battle, 10 shouldn't even be there. Eighty are just targets. Nine will go to the fight. One will be the warrior who brings the others home...."

--LTC (Retired, USA) David Grossman, "On Killing"

Military veteran, historian and tactical innovator Emery Nelson writes:

"I've always felt that nothing could scare me more then being on the receiving end of a bayonet charge. I admit that I've read about them my whole life and this could have a lot to do with it. I remember reading, 'Hell In A Very Small Place' and seeing that every counter attack in which the French fixed bayonets, carried the day. I could almost feel the French losing confidence and using it less and less. Although it doesn't always work it will carry the day in most close situations. I don't remember his name but there was a Plt leader in We Were Soldiers Once and Young, who lead three bayonet charges during the first day. Each time he cleared the enemy to his front, which is more than other Plt leaders were able to do."

At "helicopter Valley" marines were overwhelmed by NVA Soldiers who bayoneted our men to death:

"It was a harrowing night for Company I as NVA Soldiers probed to within fifteen to twenty feet of the marines' perimeter. Corporal Mack Whieley remembered, 'The Commies were so close we could hear them breathing heavily and hear them talking.' For Private First Class Michael Bednar, it was hell. Struck by a bullet, he fell near another wounded marine just as some NVA Soldiers emerged from a clump of trees. Both marines played dead, but the NVA wanted to make sure. After the Soldiers plunged a bayonet into the marine beside Bednar and he groaned, they shot him through the head. Three times the Soldiers jabbed Bednar with bayonets but he refused to cry out. Leaving him for dead, the Soldiers snatched Bednar's cigarettes and watch and moved on to other wounded marines. According to another wounded survivor, Corporal Raymond Powell, 'it was damn near like a massacre'.

The enemy has no "avante garde" attitudes about using bayonets. It works "low-tech" or not.

Our "Achilles Heel" in the U.S. military is if the enemy can get "up close and personal" with us despite that the very purpose of the infantry is to "Locate, fix and close with the enemy to destroy him with firepower and hand-to-hand combat". We PREACH that we want to get close to the enemy but in actual reality we want to get the enemy in our sights and engage him from a safe stand off. This is an admirable tactic as it reduces friendly casualties as long as we are prepared to win the close fight if the situation doesn't go our way. Even Hollywood understands this, remember the Lousiana National Guardsmen fixing bayonets to their M16s when they ran out of ammo to attack/escape their pursuers in Southern Comfort?

So let me be blunt (ehh sharp!).

The world is URBANIZING. Maneuver spaces are shrinking, fights will be closer. We need to stop wasting so much time on sports PT, in favor of COMBAT-oriented PT. At least once a week every unit in the Army should conduct rifle/bayonet training with Soldiers wearing helmet, body armor and full TA-50 (rucksack) and/or LBE. We need to make rifle-bayonet fighting a part of the "muscle-memory" of every Soldier so if everything goes to "hell in a hand basket" he can win the close fight despite being mentally stressed out.

This is not encouraged because in our maneuver training centers like JRTC, there is no safe way yet to train in hand-to-hand and rifle-bayonet fighting without injury, so the Soldier that gets the "drop" on the enemy under 25 meters yells "Close kill" and the Observer/Controller awards him the kill with the MILES "god gun". Perhaps we should develope a thick foam Nerf ball-type cover for the bayonet sheath so the Soldier can clunk another Soldier without injury in training? There is no career-enhancing incentives (OER bullet statements, "atta-boys" from a job well done at JRTC etc.) for commanders to train our Soldiers to win the close fight. Short-term expediency focusing only on the upcoming METL tasks while ignoring the long-term combat skills of the Soldier as we waste time on sports PT, sexual harassment classes and cleaning the post. Because we ignore the close-range fight, things like RPGs can get shot at us en masse, resulting in us being stunned and bleeding. Because we ignore the close-range fight, things like gunshields on the ends of our weapons have yet to be developed. Because we are afraid of our men being real warriors, we don't teach them hand-to-hand combat in a REAL martial arts regimen because we are afraid of what they will do off-duty at bars/clubs. In war, we could pay for this timidity in our own blood.

Another weak point is all the Soldier Grenadier/Team Leaders with M16/M203 Grenade Launchers cannot attach bayonets using the existing lug because the 40mm grenade launcher barrel is in the way. Every Automatic Rifleman (AR) in the infantry squad cannot attach a bayonet to their M249 Light Machine Guns (LMGs). This means out of a 9-man squad, only 5 men in it can fix bayonets! It wouldn't be far from the truth to say; "Half the Army squad cannot even mount a bayonet charge". We can fix this.

This can be solved by obtaining a Quality Parts/Bushmaster 1-(800) 998-SWAT add-on bayonet lug ($14.95 each) and turning it sideways so the bayonet is fixed SIDEWAYS on the rifle. Actually, this is the best position of the bayonet on a rifle since it can penetrate between the ribs of the enemy if he isn't wearing body armor. The add-on bayonet lug may even work as an add-on to the M249 LMG, we will report back as soon as we determine this. The M249 LMG is NOT so heavy at 15 pounds that it can't be used with a bayonet to jab/attack an enemy. Its naive to think that its fickle belt of ammunition will always be there and working to fire after running and IMTing, its

Military historian/tactician Emery Nelson describes how to best get explosive effect muscle memory rifle-bayonet fighting capabilities:

"To teach the bayonet, I would start out by working on the thrust. Have your Soldiers get in a split stance, dominant foot-hand back, weak foot-hand lightly forward, eighty percent of their weight on back foot. From that position, have them practice pushing off the back foot and stepping forward hard with the leading foot. I would have them do this 300 or 400 times, on command. Don't allow them to push forward with their bayonets. all this work should be done with the feet only. You're trying to develop a good solid base which has to happen below the waist.

You want to give them time to recover the original position but this should also be work, with little time for rest. You must constantly stress explosion with the front step. You must explain to them that doing it right every time will allow the neural receptors to act at maximum speed, and if they do it different it will confuse the receptors and actually make them slow. One will help you win, and one will get you killed. Let them pick.

After you are sure you have enough reps to give them a good consistent base them they do the same with the thrust using only the arms, with the step already taken (in other words the feet should be in the position they will end up in). It would be best if they had a target to work from, perhaps something that is held by another Soldier. He should vary the height of the target but it shouldn't be moving (yet). After they work on exploding into the target with just their arms, several hundred times you are ready to get serious. It is important to make sure every Soldier 'earns the right' to go on to the full move. The full move should be done several hundred times again with explosion. If they can't do it with explosion for several hundred reps they move back to the beginning. after you are sure that they can perform the maneuver correctly you then turn it into brutal and competitive PT. After some easy jogging (half mile is good enough) you begin by having half of your men hold a target and the other assume the position I described in the beginning. To begin with they do ten thrusts just using the steps, no arms. Then the Soldier puts his feet shoulder width apart with hands and weapon extended over his head, hands also shoulder-width apart. The Soldier holding the target sets it down and puts his hands on the other Soldier's shoulders with his elbows locked. Soldier with weapon starts doing ten squat jumps while his partner provides resistance. The purpose is to develop explosive power. If done right this is a killer. You want to work up to a hundred jumps and one hundred steps without arm thrusts. Them go to arm-only thrusts. Repeat the same ten rep sequence only do ten pushups after ten thrusts. You can do different kinds of pushups like close grip, wide grip and dive bombers (killer). One hundred of these and most people will be quite 'stimulated'. Then you do one hundred full thrusts to finish. Over time I would add spice to the exercise by teaching the partner how to parry the thrust. Let them work in fear and fatigue, which is the way all infantrymen live anyway. You can figure out how to do butt strokes and other things using the same formula. The important thing to do is make them 'earn the right' to move on. You also want to move from the end of the move and work back to the beginning if possible, but you have to have a good base to start with.

A few words of caution. I have never done this particular drill myself until recently to perfect it. You may have to change it to suit the Soldiers but if you stick to the basic idea, I think you'll find it works. A big problem is teaching your leaders first. If you can sell them by teaching them to do it first you're home free. I would use it as a little different method of doing PT. Tell them that during a real bayonet charge, there would be a high level of fatigue and this is what you are trying to overcome. No sense getting there and not being able to thrust and butt stroke with authority. Repetition will overcome fatigue and the natural fear of having a bayonet charge performed on you. Reaction will take over during the really stressful times. Also try and make the target as much like a head and neck (throat) as possible."

On the question of taking the scabbard off, within reason it should always be off if possible. Nothing like cold steel on a hot morning. So much of the bayonet is psychological. The more you expose your Soldiers to the point, the less likely they will be to defecate in their pants at the site of one on the battlefield. In my mind the reason the bayonet should be taught has two purposes. One is two teach close combat assaults on enemy positions. The other is to withstand those very same assaults on from your enemies. It all goes back to Gen. Cota teaching those men how to assault a farm house in Normandy. Although Ambrose doesn't say this, those Soldiers would have been equally unable to defend a building. I try to think of everything as if I'm looking in a mirror. For offensive action you have defensive action. Physics exists in war, you have action and reaction, if there's not enough reaction to action you have the beginning of a vacuum. When we talk about collapsing the enemy from within this is what we mean. As you know, I don't like any attempt to put things into a formula, so just consider my last couple of sentences as a point of view not a commandment from heaven. The silhouette is a good idea, but some kind of dummy would be better but maybe impractical.

One last thing. how come we don't fire our weapons with the bayonet mounted? If we're going to 'train as we fight' then it should be considered. I picture a range where men use the bayonet in a live-fire close-combat course. Even mounting them on an indoor range would be a good training aid. Constantly telling troops to not use their bayonets under any circumstances is creating psychological resistance in the mind of the troops to using them in combat as well as in training. It's Gen. Cota's farmhouse, only worse because you've been institutionally forcing your Soldiers to not use them. We will pay in blood for this kind of thing. I noticed the British Infantry in DS doing everything with bayonets attached. Of course they had just had the Falklands as a guide. I'd bet good money that Force XXXI will use bayonets on their pulse lasers as it's been used since man made his first edged weapon."

BAYONET AS MULTI-FUNCTIONAL TOOL

Many units do not even issue out bayonets to their men out of fears of what they might do with them. This forces the Soldier to buy his own field knife, but he still has no rifle-bayonet capability. Or you have one guy constantly bombarded by requests to use his knife to open ammunition cases, resulting in a lot of milling about and noise when if every Soldier had the M9 Wire-Cutter bayonet by his side that he is supposed to have, he could do the task in place.

The M9 Wire-Cutter Bayonet (M9 WCB) is an awesome battle tool.

The M9 has a bottle opener, a screw driver tip, a pouch to hold a Multi-tool or a 9mm pistol magazine, a saw tooth edge for cutting tree limbs for camouflage, and/or constructing survival shelters. If there is only one tool that you take into the field, it should be a good KNIFE, yet we have hundreds of men in the field without them!

The M9 has a sharpening stone, yet most Soldiers do not even know how to sharpen a knife "correctly" (See one set of directions at bottom of this page) and many commanders deliberately kept the older M7 bayonets dull due to risk aversion. Most M7 bayonets, or for the matter MOST U.S. BAYONETS PERIOD have never even seen daylight from the arms room.

The point here is develop some "cajones" (U.S. Army VALUE of COURAGE---Comes from CONVICTION about the mission and the men, means ignoring the "me") and issue out your M9 WCBs to your Soldiers. If you can't trust them then that's a problem that needs to be addressed NOW before they get live rounds in war. Find someone that knows how to sharpen and maintain them and spread the knowledge throughout the unit. Or get a small Fiskers sharpener tool and put it on your key chain.

BETTER CLOSE FIGHT TTP

The bayonet needs to be fixed before attacking or entering a building/room/trenchline to clear it as standard Tactics, Techniques, Procedures (TTP). There is no guarantee that your grenades will have killed let alone stunned the enemy, nor that your shooting has hit and incapacitated him. You need to be ready to stab him and buttstroke him----one of the reasons I prefer the full-size M16 rifle over the M4 carbine is its ability to deliver buttstrokes in a close fight.

We need to raise rifle-bayonet fighting skills to a high level so we prevail in a close range fight by developing a tire house target range where the Soldier can charge a series of dummies and fire at them with live ammo, then stab/slash at them with the bayonet using the straight trigger finger to avoid an accidental discharge. This needs to be done at night with night vision goggles, too.

"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link"--its time that the U.S. Army's close range fighting abilities with the bayonet are second to no one in the world.

AIRBORNE!

P.S. A tip for those with the older-model M9 WCBs with the Bianchi metal clip that gouges into your side (see blue circle in picture above). Take a pair of bolt cutters and cut off the end metal loops (where green arrow is pointing to)that are gouging into your side as they are unnecessary. You can press the metal clip higher up (where yellow arrow points to) and undo it, all you need is enough metal to snap into the clip itself.

History of the M1 Garand bayonet

Army Civilian "bean counters" remove sharpening stone from future M9 WCBs

Original M9 WCB had flap to cover the scabbard sharpening stone which you can see in the photos on this web page, which was removed on later production runs. Someone complained about the now exposed stone rubbing against her BDUs and now they want to remove the sharpening stone to "cut costs"! Afterall, noone knows how to sharpen knives, right? And sharp knives are DANGEROUS! Makes perfect logical sense to a civilian who will never face an enemy on the ground...but who needs more enemies? Now you can buy your own personal sharpening stone!

Now let's sharpen a knife and, in the process, dispel some myths. First, take two or three dollars to the hardware store and buy a standard little sharpening stone, probably the smallest available -- about 3 inches long, 7/8 of an inch wide and 3/8 of an inch thick. [Editor: you have such a stone on the back of your M9 WCB's scabbard until the Army civilians take it away from you] If you have a choice, go for "medium grit" and don't worry about whether it's natural or artificial stone. Later, when you've got decently sharp knives and want to push the envelope, you can seek out a special "fine" stone (to be used after the medium-grit stone.)

Not only do you not need to spend $467 for a knife set, you don't need to spend $1 for a can of 3-in-1 oil. You won't be using oil, because -- think about it -- you really don't want to reduce the friction between the stone and the blade. You want lots of friction, because that's what removes the extra steel on each side of the blade, leaving it with a thin, sharp edge. Articles on knife sharpening usually say that the oil keeps the stone from quickly "loading up" (that is, prevents its pores from getting clogged with steel dust). But even if you do use oil, the stone will load up, only more slowly...because the sharpening is proceeding more slowly. You want it to be quick, so forget the oil. Whenever the stone seems to have loaded up, just go to the sink, squirt some dish detergent on it, and wash it under the tap. Then go right back to sharpening; it doesn't make any difference whether the stone is dry or not.

You can cut yourself using my sharpening method, but not if you concentrate on the task. After some experience, the method becomes second nature. If you're right-handed, take the knife in your left hand, the edge of the blade turned away from you and its tip pointing to your right. Hold the stone in your right hand with the thumb at one end of its 3-inch length and the index finger at the other, your second finger helping to steady it. Now stroke to the right along the length of the blade, away from yourself. Most instructions call for stroking the blade along the stone. With a sharpening stone this size, it's easier to move it and hold the knife steady.

The angle is important. Aim for 10 to 12 degrees from the side of the blade. (With this approach, zero degrees would have the stone parallel to the blade, and metal from the whole side of the blade would be removed. And 90 degrees would have the stone at right angles to the blade, which would dull it up fast.) If there isn't a pro-tractor around, fold a sheet of paper in half diagonally to produce a 45- degree angle.Fold it in half again for a 22-degree and once more for an 11-degree angle -- the one you're aiming for. (This angle should be adjusted somewhat depending on the knife's task. For instance, a cleaver should be sharpened to a blunter edge; a knife for filleting fish to a sharper one.) By the way, the 22-degree wedge shows what a sharp blade looks like in cross section; that is, each side is angled 11 degrees from the blade's edge.

After a few strokes to the right, switch the knife so that the tip is now pointing to the left -- edge still away from you -- and stroke to the left on the other side of the blade. Keep switching back and forth, checking your progress as you go along. I feel the blade with my thumb, but that's a skill you can wait to pick up later. For now, if the blade catches on your fingernail rather than sliding over it, that's a good sign.

On large knives, one part of the blade will be sharp first. Just concentrate on the other parts and finish up with a couple of full-length strokes.

Notice that you are stroking the stone past the blade, so that the knife's edge doesn't dig into the stone. Most knife-sharpening advice calls for exactly the opposite motion, though both approaches sharpen equally well. Follow that other advice if you hate the sharpening stone and want to gouge it up fast.

When you've finished with the stone, often there will be a "feather edge" left -- loose metal which is attached here and there and which will get in the way of the keen edge. This can be remedied with a couple of strokes of a sharpening steel. However, I just use some fireplace kindling or the thigh part of my jeans. For obvious legal reasons, I recommend that you start with kindling. Draw the knife across the wood a couple of times as though you were going to saw through it at a 90° angle. You won't split off any wood or whittle away any shavings, you'll just get rid of the feather edge.

That's all there is to it!

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FEEDBACK!

An Army veteran writes:

"I like the Bayonet page. It's very simple, but I feel it can really have an effect on attitude. Do you think there is a chance of someone actually using it. My wife said it seems dangerous. I don't think it is, but old taboos (don't play with knives) can make people afraid of even the sight of a bayonet. That's what I want to overcome. If we can just make them unafraid of the bayonet and increase their own aggression in their initial contact, we win.

When I was in the Army I had a friend who was in the 1st Infantry Division. He had been a squad leader (shake and bake) from his first day in Vietnam. I asked him once if he had ever seen a bayonet charge. He responded, "if they get that close we run!" I suspect it's that way for most of us. If you can use it, you can overcome it I think."

War Futurist Andy MacDougall writes:

"I've liked many of your ideas concerning bayonets, especially the one about attaching them horizontally for greater chance of rib cage penetration. One thing I'd like to add is that bayonets aught to attach from the bottom/cutting-edge end so in a scuffle a Soldier can PULL rather than push (arm is stronger in inward pull) the rifle in toward himself to cut the enemy, hopefully causing enough of a wound to make enemy recoil in pain and give Soldier enough space to reorient his weapon to stab the enemy proper with the bayonet. Since bi-handedness is so critical these days in combat (and me being left-handed I'm quite biased) the bayonet lugs should either be adjustable to face either side of the rifle or two sets of lugs should be used."

Legendary combat veteran, Ralph Zumbo writes:

"Ref bayonets. Having been trained back in the '50s by WWII vets, and having served under a man who got the CMH with a bayonet and an entrenching tool (Ola Mize) I can perhaps throw some light on the subject. They are only valid when attached to a Garand-M14 sized rifle, wielded by a competent trained man, and should NOT be the last resort. We were trained to start the bayonet work with a full clip in the rifle. I suspect that a good bayonet man could give a swordsman a rough day, due to the buttstroke factor. There ARE some crazies who actually LIKE bayonet work. There was a time on the Bong Son plain when our escorting infantry was Engineers with M-14s. The result when a 98lb VC with an AK tried blade work with a 180lb American with an M-14 was very interesting.

Oddball fact follows.

At the battle of Nomonhan, in China/Manchuria, 1939, the Japs managed to kill a few Russian tankers in BT-5s by ramming bayonets through the vision slits. They tried that on Guadalcanal with marine M-3s and couldn't get through the armorglass. Thanks for the history lesson...BTW, there's an unconfirmed rumor that the Turks used to cook food on bayonets, giving rise to Shiskebab??? any truth to that?

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