Fix Bayonets!

Nonfiction, History, Military, Weapons, Revolutionary
Cover of the book Fix Bayonets! by John Norris, Pen and Sword
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Norris ISBN: 9781473883789
Publisher: Pen and Sword Publication: January 3, 2016
Imprint: Pen and Sword Military Language: English
Author: John Norris
ISBN: 9781473883789
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication: January 3, 2016
Imprint: Pen and Sword Military
Language: English

The bayonet is an essential item of a soldier's kit even on today's modern hi-tech battlefield. This work examines the origins of this humble weapon and the 'cult of the bayonet' as espoused by the Russian General Alexander Suvorov who asserted that “The bullet misses, the bayonet does not”. The first bayonets appeared in France in the early 17th century and soon they were being used by every army in Europe. The author examines the spread of this simple weapon and how it led to fundamental changes being made in battlefield tactics. Over 300 years later, in the age of hi-tech warfare and weapons of mass destruction, the bayonet is still in service with armies around the world. British and US forces in Afghanistan regularly have their bayonets fixed. Fix Bayonets illustrates how tactics changed and the design of the weapon, although fundamentally the same, has evolved over the centuries.

Much myth and legend surrounds the subject of bayonet charges and the weapon has become an icon of defiance and the determination to do whatever it takes to win. The author examines evidence for the reality of such actions. How did the ordinary soldier feel to be told 'fix bayonets'? John Norris draws on personal accounts of soldiers using bayonets in combat from the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, various Colonial campaigns, through the World Wars, Falklands War and into the 21st century in Afghanistan. In so doing he explains the seemingly anachronistic survival of this simple weapon on the modern battlefield.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The bayonet is an essential item of a soldier's kit even on today's modern hi-tech battlefield. This work examines the origins of this humble weapon and the 'cult of the bayonet' as espoused by the Russian General Alexander Suvorov who asserted that “The bullet misses, the bayonet does not”. The first bayonets appeared in France in the early 17th century and soon they were being used by every army in Europe. The author examines the spread of this simple weapon and how it led to fundamental changes being made in battlefield tactics. Over 300 years later, in the age of hi-tech warfare and weapons of mass destruction, the bayonet is still in service with armies around the world. British and US forces in Afghanistan regularly have their bayonets fixed. Fix Bayonets illustrates how tactics changed and the design of the weapon, although fundamentally the same, has evolved over the centuries.

Much myth and legend surrounds the subject of bayonet charges and the weapon has become an icon of defiance and the determination to do whatever it takes to win. The author examines evidence for the reality of such actions. How did the ordinary soldier feel to be told 'fix bayonets'? John Norris draws on personal accounts of soldiers using bayonets in combat from the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, various Colonial campaigns, through the World Wars, Falklands War and into the 21st century in Afghanistan. In so doing he explains the seemingly anachronistic survival of this simple weapon on the modern battlefield.

More books from Pen and Sword

Cover of the book The Brave Blue Line by John Norris
Cover of the book Combat Over the Trenches by John Norris
Cover of the book Tracing Your Northern Irish Ancestors by John Norris
Cover of the book A History of the British Cavalry 1816-1919 by John Norris
Cover of the book The South Notts Hussars The Western Desert, 1940-1942 by John Norris
Cover of the book Silent Skies by John Norris
Cover of the book Posted in Wartime by John Norris
Cover of the book French Cruisers by John Norris
Cover of the book Crime on the Canals by John Norris
Cover of the book Panzer I and II by John Norris
Cover of the book The Wargaming Compendium by John Norris
Cover of the book Overture to Overlord - The Preparations of D-Day by John Norris
Cover of the book Menus, Munitions and Keeping the Peace by John Norris
Cover of the book St Valéry and Its Aftermath by John Norris
Cover of the book Flying in Walking Out by John Norris
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy