Before the 20th century, cutting tools under 30 centimeters were not considered a “weapon”. Military knives refer to long-edged swords or long-handled knives. But now, when people mention “saber”, the first thing people think of is a short dagger. This change happened during World War I.
Before the middle of the 18th century, the infantry still used front-loading smoothbore guns. There were no such fixed-loaded bullets with cartridge cases and plug-and-play. Instead, the bullets and ammunition were carried separately, and loaded from the muzzle before firing. The root push rod is compacted before it can be fired. Its firing device has evolved for several generations from musket guns, matchlock guns, flintlock guns, and percussion guns, but after all, it has a short range, slow rate of fire, and poor accuracy. Under such conditions, it is inappropriate to shoot at a distance from the enemy. It is likely to waste ammunition in vain, and reloading wastes time, not to mention, and puts oneself in a situation where anyone can attack. Therefore, European infantry in the 18th century often adopted such a tactic: lined up in a neat horizontal line, marched towards the enemy with muskets loaded with ammunition, let the enemy shoot at me, and did not dodge until they were close enough. The commander ordered them to raise their guns together and shoot a volley to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. Then use cold weapons to resolve the remaining battles. This tactic requires soldiers to have iron-like discipline and the fearless spirit of facing death as home. The Prussian army trained by Kaiser Frederick II was exemplary in this regard. Frederick II is also considered one of the most outstanding military strategists in European history. Chinese military fans call this tactic “queuing up and shooting”.
Line infantry in Europe in the 18th century
During the transition period of the Napoleonic Wars in the 18th and 19th centuries, the technology of muskets has improved, and the tactics have also been improved. Skirmishers appeared in the infantry, and they no longer lined up in formation, but tried to use the terrain to hide themselves and destroy the enemy. By the time of World War I, machine guns capable of bursting fire had appeared, and cannons had also been widely used. Advances in technology have also changed the logic of war. It used to be “the brave wins when two strong forces meet”, but now it is “whoever does not believe in evil will seek death.” If the previous tactics of “queuing up and shooting” are still used, there is no doubt that they will all become cannon fodder. Therefore, in World War I, trench warfare became the main form. Soldiers in the trenches could avoid bullets as much as possible, but if they happened to be hit by shells, they could only consider themselves unlucky.
The bayonets at that time were relatively long, and the most representative one was the bayonet of the French 1886 Lebel rifle. The bayonet has a total length of 64 cm. The blade is square and has a strong lethality. It is very effective as a bayonet. Soldiers called it “Rosalie,” after an eerie military song. Detached from the gun, it can also be used as a small sword. In the trenches, it is inevitable that it cannot be used.
Despite the cover of trenches, in several major battles of World War I, such as the Marne, Verdun, and the Somme, casualties on both sides were in the hundreds of thousands, far exceeding the previous wars in Europe.
With the trenches, close combat in the trenches has become more and more common. Due to the narrow space in the trenches, not only the firearms could not be used, but the traditional sabers were too long to be used, but the dagger became the most effective weapon. The problem is that the countries participating in the war did not expect to need daggers before the war, and they were all stretched out for a while.
The French army initially ordered the Lagouole folding knife, which originated in Spain. It is called the Nava folding knife and is the ancestor of the modern folding knife. After Napoleon conquered Spain, the Spaniards often used this jackknife to resist, and the French army banned it, but it didn’t work. Later, the French brought the Nava folding knife back to the country and produced it by themselves in a place called Lagouole, gradually forming a characteristic industry here. The French also gradually believed that the Lagouole folding knife was a traditional knife of their country, denying that it came from Spain. By the time of World War I, the Lagouole folding knife had a locking device and could be used as a dagger. The French army ordered more than 150,000 knives from the manufacturer of Lagouole, but they still could not meet the demand, so they had to collect the slaughter knives used by the butchers to make up for it.
At this time, someone suddenly remembered that France once had a 1833-style naval boarding knife, which was used for naval boarding battles. The so-called boarding battle is to combine the ship and the enemy ship together, rush to the opponent’s deck, and capture the enemy ship in the way of infantry fighting. By this time this naval tactic had long been obsolete, but this one was given a new lease on life as a trench knife. At that time, there were still 10,500 in stock, all of which were sent to the front line.
French 1833 naval boarding knife
In 1916, France developed a standard trench knife – M1916, which was commissioned by a private knife company to produce it. Some of them are engraved with the inscription “Revenge 1870”, which means revenge for the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. In addition to infantry, it was also used in the first batch of tank soldiers towards the end of World War I.
French M1916 Trench Knife
A short triangular thorn used by the French army
The British have always felt conservative, and that’s true at least when it comes to trench knives. The British army has an inexplicable aversion to daggers. One is that it is not a weapon that soldiers should use, and the other is that it lacks the British style. From 1915, the British military press organized a public discussion of the lack of a trench knife at the front. There was a Colonel John MacDonald who wrote a series of articles calling for the use of trench knives, but he was ignored. During the First World War, Britain did not produce a standard combat dagger. Only some manufacturers have produced some for individuals to purchase by themselves.
One of the more representative ones is the 1915 Finger Tiger Knife, which is a combination of a Knuckle Tiger and a short knife. It existed before the war. Since this weapon is not considered a dagger, it can also meet the needs of trench knives, so the British can accept it.
British 1915 Knuckle Tiger Knife
It was not until World War II that Britain developed the BC41 trench knife based on this knife, but it was later replaced by the FS combat knife.
British BC41 trench knife
There is also a “Welsh knife” that was also used by the British army during World War I. This knife was ordered by a Baron named Howard de Walden, who served in the 10th Hussars in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Still a fencer, participated in the fourth London Olympic Games in 1908. During the First World War, he served as the deputy commander of an infantry battalion and also encountered the problem of lack of trench knives. It just so happened that De Walden knew a man named Felix Joubert, who was an armor restorer and worked in Windsor Castle and the Wallace Collection. De Walden asked him to customize a set of 14th-century armor. harness. This Joubert also likes to forge some ancient weapons for money and has some experience in making knives. So Joubert was asked to design a trench knife for his battalion.
British Welsh Knife
It seems that this knife is not very suitable for fighting now. The blade is wide in the front and narrow in the back. The assassination function is questionable, and it is too heavy, with a total weight of 1.03 kg. Today’s pure fighting knives are generally double-edged swords, and the tip of the knife must be sharp enough to facilitate assassination. A short knife is far less effective for hacking and cutting than for stabbing.
Joubert claimed in the patent that the design of this knife is “based on the long and famous Welsh knife”. In fact, there is no such knife in Welsh history, and its shape is somewhat like the ancient European bronze sword. It seems that this person deserves to be a counterfeiter of knives, even if he applied for a patent, he would lie.
The Pritchard bayonet is another peculiar British weapon. Generally speaking, the bayonet is mounted on the rifle, but this bayonet is mounted on the Webley revolver. The idea came from Captain Arthur Pritchard. In 1916 he joined Wilkinson & Co., the largest manufacturer of swords in the UK. Pritchard’s idea was to cut off the tip of the 1897 infantry officer’s knife in Wilkinson’s inventory to produce his bayonet, but this would be too wasteful, and Wilkinson did not agree. So Pritchard turned to another company called Gessner. The original business of this company was to repair old weapons. It happened to have a batch of spare 1874Gras bayonets that were used to refit Pritchard. product.
This kind of bayonet is divided into two types: copper handle and steel handle, and steel handle is relatively rare. Although copper is more expensive, it can be easily worked by casting.
Pritchard bayonet on Webley revolver
The bayonet never became a standard weapon and was primarily purchased by officers or commandos for personal use in close combat and self-defense. There is no information to prove its actual combat effect, but this appearance should still have a certain deterrent effect and may scare the enemy.
There is also a short trench spear in the UK, which is more than 1 meter long. It seems a bit long to use in the trenches, but it is still more flexible than a rifle bayonet. It is more effective for stabbing enemies that are close to the edge of the trench.
British trench spear
The British FS combat knife during World War II, after having this knife, it is recognized as a truly ideal fighting dagger. If it was available in World War I, there would not be so many entanglements. During World War II, trench warfare was no longer the mainstream. This knife was only used by special forces, and the output was very small.
Unlike the British, the Germans had no negative feelings towards daggers. The Solingen region of Germany is the center of sword manufacturing in Europe. Based on this advantage, Germany does not have to worry about the production of cold weapons. The German army started with a lockable jackknife, and each soldier was given one, which could be used both for fighting and as a tool.
Belgian trench knife, relatively rare
The top is the Italian M39 trench knife, and the bottom is the Austrian 1917 trench knife
Germany was also the first country to install a trench knife, which is the German 1915 trench knife. This knife is jointly produced by several manufacturers in Solingen. The blade and handle are all standard, but the guards are various. If issued by the War Department, it bears a government stamp of acceptance.
German 1915 trench knife
In 1915, Germany also developed a trench bayonet, which was purchased by the War Department and issued to the assault troops, and other troops could also purchase it personally. Machine gunners often choose it as an auxiliary weapon, used in conjunction with the Luger P08 pistol. Later issued to ordinary infantry more widely. As trench fighting became more common, so did the production of this knife. Each infantry company had six of these knives in 1915, which was doubled in February 1916 and doubled again in June to 24.
Germany 1915 trench bayonet
The knife had a leather loop and was designed to be worn at the waist, but soldiers preferred to stick it in the shaft of their boot, hence the name “boot knife”.
This trench knife was used by the German Army until World War II.
This medieval chain hammer was also used by the Germans in trench raids and is said to be very effective
The Canadian Army used a Ross bayonet, which was used as a trench knife. The bayonets at that time were generally longer, and the length of the Ross bayonet was more suitable for close combat. But the disadvantage is that the blade is thicker, more than strong, but not sharp enough. Some soldiers sharpen it themselves, while others remove the ring to save weight.
Canadian Ross Bayonet
Although the knives used were average, the Canadian soldiers in World War I were recognized as masters of trench attack. They were very good at killing the enemy with trench knives and were known as “silent killers”.
The United States entered the war late in the war, so it had more time to understand the mode of war and the demand for weapons. It first developed a 1917-style trench knife, designed by Henry Diston and his sons in Philadelphia. This company was not specialized in making knives, but after obtaining this large military order, it turned to produce military products. Knife-based.
American 1917 trench knife
1917 trench knife changed to a double-row striking head
The characteristic of this knife is that the blade is in the shape of a triangular prism, which is a 100% assassination weapon without the function of a cutting tool. Furthermore, it has side guards, and there is a row of striking heads outside the side guards to play It has a similar effect to the British Knuckles, but its strike function is not as good as the Knuckles. Generally, the dagger of the side guard fist is held backwards, but this knife is designed to be held forehand. Due to the lack of strength of the striking head, it was later changed to a double-row striking head, but the effect did not change much. Although its triangular blade is theoretically powerful for stabbing, this knife is brittle and easy to break. Its patent leather grip is also poorly done and slips easily.
In 1918, the United States imitated Britain and made a knuckle knife, which was the 1918 Mark I trench knife. This can be regarded as a relatively classic weapon in the US military, and it was used until January 1945. Now this style is rare in the army, only the Argentine paratroopers still have this design.
American 1918 Mark Ⅰ Trench Knife
The name Mark Ⅰ may remind some friends of Gobo’s Mark Ⅱ, but in fact, there is no relationship between the two. Gobo’s Mark II was designed by a retired Army captain of Bud Holzman, and Gobo’s company produced it from 1966 to 2000, and is famous for its extensive use in the Vietnam War. Gobo also has a corresponding Mark Ⅰ, which is shorter than the Mark Ⅱ and not produced much, so many people don’t know it.
Gerber’s Mark II Combat Knife
Gerber’s Mark I Combat Knife
The last and most heavily equipped U.S. military weapon is the M3 trench knife from World War II. Trenches are no longer common in World War II. M3 is provided for paratroopers, rangers and other personnel who have close combat needs and are not equipped with bayonets. It began to be equipped in March 1943, and later the production was expanded, and it was also used for Army aviation personnel. These men generally use M1 carbines or submachine guns.
The design requirement of M3 is that it is easy to mass-produce and does not occupy strategic materials and machinery. Therefore, cheap carbon steel is used, and the surface is blued or phosphating to achieve anti-rust effect. At that time, the Kabbah straight knife had been adopted by the Marine Corps, and it also became a competitor of the M3 in the army order. As a result, the M3 won with a lower cost.
M3 trench knife produced by the American Case Company during World War II
As a combat knife, the M3 has not received much recognition in fighting, but it is said that many soldiers like to use it as a throwing knife due to its balanced center of gravity.
In 1944, the M4 bayonet for the M1 carbine was installed. In fact, it basically added a barrel connection device based on the M3. The M4 can be used as both a bayonet and a dagger, so it naturally has more advantages than the M3. The U.S. military announced that the M3 has become a “restricted military supply item” and will not continue to be produced. It will be installed until the inventory is cleared.
The American M4 bayonet, used for the M1 carbine, was designed based on the M3 trench knife. The subsequent M5, M6, and M7 bayonets were still slightly modified on this basis until the appearance of the M9 multi-purpose bayonet.
A total of 259,000 M3s were produced in one year. It can be regarded as one of the weapons with the shortest deployment period of the US military.
Ek is also a well-known fighting knife in the United States. It was designed by John Ek and produced by many companies. Although it is not a listed weapon, it has experienced the tests of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War. The design of the Ek combat knife is extremely simple. It adopts a full keel structure. The wooden handle patch is fixed with three rivets. Its handle is processed with several curved surfaces, which play an anti-skid role and make it more comfortable to hold. This has also become the most notable feature of the Ek combat knife.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Patton, and movie star Clark Gable were all Ek users.
Ek13 Combat Knife
Trench warfare appeared mainly during World War I, and at the end of World War I, tanks began to appear on the battlefield, and the role of trenches began to weaken day by day. However, the main form of the dagger as a military knife has been maintained in the future, because even if it is not in the trenches, due to the increasing power of hot weapons, there is less and less room for cold weapons to fight. There is no need for soldiers to carry long-bladed swords. After the start of World War II, Kabbah’s half-combat and half-utility knives with scissor-shaped backs were more widely used in the army.
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