Ok ladies and gents, simple choice, what kind of bayoner design do you prefer, bladed bayonets or spike? Now most people go for blade because of the amount of damage it could do, however the cruciform type bayonet can do huge amounts of damage whilst not having to deal with suction issues (they are easier to twist and so less likely to get stuck in an enemy). Then again, blades are far more use as tools, but to the best of my knowledge standing orders were not to use bayonets as such (doesn't mean they weren't but it was a standing order).

So, thats the debate, lets see your two cents.

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

Hmmmm - this is a tough one.

The spike is very good for opening tins of condensed milk, the blade less so ; but have you ever tried chopping wood with a spike...?

Maybe Sapper can help with this one ?

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

Ahh, but chopping wood with a blade is against regulations, and we all know no soldier would break regulations!

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

Well, the British Army went back to blade-type after WWII, so that decided it for me....

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

Ahh, but that was because they can be used as fighting knives, which is what decides it for me.

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

mmm...Connie onnie butties....OK, I'll go for the one thats best to open the condennsed milk...but which one is best for breaking the old eggs with for the egg banjo butty..?

__________________
Prepare to repel borders.
William L. McGonagle, MOH, U. S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USS LIBERTY 1967.

Please, just shoot me !! Getting stuck by a bayonet seems almost as bad as getting it by flamethrower or napalm. Suction issues makes my gizzard craw.

__________________
Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

Volunteers to shoot TA152, please form a line of twos on the right-hand side of the Forum....

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

Actually you are far more likely to be killed by a bullet than a bayonet (obviously depending on where you are hit) because they penetrate best in softer parts of the body, i.e. places where damage can be repaired (a damaged intestine is less likely to be lethal than a bullet through the lungs for example).

And as for the queue, generals and wing commanders first I think!

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

Blade...

Just like my perfect 1938 K98 bayonet that sits on the mantelpiece...

Mainly cos they very scary...

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

Little off topic, but it would seem the days of the old bayonet charge are not yet a thing of the past, reading Soldier magazine lately..has an awards section for present operations, and without getting into freefire zone stuff on whys and rights and wrongs....There is a good explanation of a 3 platoon attack by Brit forces in Iraq, 2 of the platoons clearing the way with a good old fashioned hand to hand bayonet charge.
Amazing read.

__________________
Prepare to repel borders.
William L. McGonagle, MOH, U. S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USS LIBERTY 1967.

I will have to get hold of the latest issue of Soldier, damn good comic that. Did anyone else hear about the bayonet scrap of the argyles a couple of weeks back?

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

Stefan I think the Soldier article was a description of that action.

__________________
Prepare to repel borders.
William L. McGonagle, MOH, U. S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USS LIBERTY 1967.

Ahh, excellent, which issue is it? I will have to buy it when I am next in Smiths. I can sometimes get free copies (courtesy of the army) but unfortunatly wasn't able to this month.

EDIT: For those of you who are interested, I believe this is the article to which Urqh refers:

http://www.soldiermagazine.co.uk/mag/update3.htm

[ 17. June 2004, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Stefan ]

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

Stefan, bad news from the Guardian today and the MODORACLE web site, the action is now being looked on as an atrocity, due to the wounds found on the dead bodies. And allegedly the pieces of anatomy that have been cut off....Alledgedly. RMP are investigating. From the description of the alleged atrocity wounds they sound like bayonet wounds, and maybe the media of today are not up the fact that bayonets cause horrific wounds, but there are a few bodies supposedly with bits removed and placed in pockets....I hope not.

__________________
Prepare to repel borders.
William L. McGonagle, MOH, U. S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USS LIBERTY 1967.

Yeah, I just read that. Though I am hugely dubious since the senior doctor at the hospital has disputed the claims. Moreover, the wounds do indeed sound like bayonet injuries (slashes, stabbs and gouges) and so on, plus numerous bullet wounds. The other thing is, the bodies were removed from the field dead, how the hell do you torture a corpse???

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.