Looking for information on the few baynoet charges of WWII.

Think you should read a lot about the Japanese Army then. It was their favourite weapon. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Also, the Aussies liked to use it in North Africa. Tobrouk is one good example. [img]smile.gif[/img]

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Dont forget the Brits and Russians. They were both partial to a bayonet charge or two! In the first world war the Germans ahd a reputation of not liking bayonet or hand to hand combat. Not sure this is true for WW2.

And dont forget the Ghurka's... Who needs a bayonet when you have a Kukri!

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"Watch that Fu*ker, he'll 'ave someones eye out!" King Harold at Hastings 1066.

There were several instances of bayonet charges at Arnhem to clear Germans from positions. The most notable being one by the 7th KOSB led by all of people the Drum Major...I'm sure someone who has easy access to 'Off at Last' can provide his name...I seem to recall that the CO was also involved.

Dont forget the Gurkhas!

Subedar Lal Bahadur Thapa (Magar)
2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles
Resse-es- Zouai, Tunisia,
N. Africa April 1943

'On the night of 5-6 April, during the silent attack on the Resse-es-Zouai, Subadar Lal Bahadur Thapa was Second-in-Command of D Company….

The garrison of the outer posts were all killed by Subadar Lal Bahadur Thapa and hi men by kukri or bayonet in the first rush and the enemy then opened very heavy fire straight down the narrow enclosed pathway and steep arena sides. Subadar Lalbahadur Thapa led his men on and fought his way up the narrow gully straight through the enemy’s fire, with little room to manoeuvre, in the face of intense and sustained machine-gun concentrations and the liberal us of grenades by the enemy.

Next the machine-gun posts were dealt with, Subadar Lal Bahadur Thapa personally killing two men with his kukri and two more with his revolver. This Gurkha Officer continued to fight his way up the narrow bullet-swept approaches to thecrest. He and two riflemen managed to reach the crest, where Subadar Lal Bahadur Thapa then secured the whole feature and covered his company’s advance up the defile' ………..

Extract from London Gazette
June 1943

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A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan executed tomorrow.
Patton

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.
David Friedman

Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.
Groucho Marx

'It was better to be killed going for the b*st*rds than lying in that bloody ditch....Our feet made no noise on the soft carpet of fallen leaves across which we ran.....The Boche were running away, men sprinting away, men disappearing through the trees. We had done it ! We had driven the enemy out at the point of the bayonet ! This was the ultimate in war !...'
( from 'Men At Arnhem' by 'Tom Angus', 1976 ).

Major Geoffrey Powell describing the immortal charge into 'Hackett's Hollow' at Arnhem by 156 Para, 20 September 1944.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson