KNIFE FIGHTING
By Major Rex Applegate
The proper grip permits freedom of movement
in making
any type of slash or thrust.
Curiously enough, little
has ever been written about the history or practical use of a knife for
close-in fighting. And in those nations or racial groups in which a bladed
weapon is often used, little has actually been done in teaching its use. The
knife has been considered merely a weapon characteristic of that particular
area and race — each individual used it as he saw fit.
Professional fencing
instructors have lately tried to lay down programs for the training of
individuals in knife
The knife is the ideal
weapon for close-quarter
Carry the knife in the
right hand and a handful of dirt in the left. Throw the dirt in the opponent's
eyes and stick him in the stomach. Such tactics are certainly not orthodox, but
anything to disturb your opponent's mental and physical balance, distract his
attention, or confuse his vision, is certainly the thing to do when he can see
the blade coming. Draw your knife when you intend to cut somebody. Don't use it
as a pencil sharpener or to open a can of tomatoes.
The proper
stance for an attack from
the crouch. Note the grip.
So far in this war the fighting knife has had two main
uses, one as a reserve weapon to be used when all else fails, and the other for
specific missions such as sentry killing, or in any situation where silence and
quick killing efficiency are desired. That it is an important weapon has lately been evidenced by the reports from the
Pacific theater where our enemies
have put it to good use. In the European theater, commando-type troops
also have used it with success, and in certain battle areas knives have played
an important part in hand-to-hand combat. Yugoslavs, Greeks, and other natives
of the Balkans, the Finns, and some Russian units are reported to have made
good use of fighting knives. Moreover, most of the armies — both Allied and Axis — have adopted and issued some sort of a
knife, although little real training seems to have been given in knife
fighting.
This grip is wrong. It can be used for
a downward thrust only.
Before taking up actual
knife-fighting technique, you can discard the idea of knife throwing as a
practical method of combat. There are a few — too few to count in a war — people
who can pick up a knife, throw it at a moving object at an unknown distance,
and hit a vital spot. Knife throwing is an art that belongs in vaudeville and
side-shows. In order to throw a knife properly, the exact distance from the
thrower to the target must be known because the knife turns end over end as it
travels through the air. The thrower therefore must know his distance to
control the number of turns the knife makes so that it will hit the target
point first. There are some methods of knife throwing at close ranges in which
the blade does not turn over in the air, but when one considers the agility of
a military target, heavy clothing, and the fact that if you miss you are
without a weapon, it is easy to see that knife throwing is impractical.
There are definite
psychological considerations in regard to knife fighting which apply to both
the user and the enemy. In the first place, unless the knife is considered a
personal weapon by the soldier, the untrained user will have a noticeable
aversion to thinking of the knife as a weapon to use in combat. This is
especially true of the ordinary American soldier who would much rather use his
fists in close contact fighting because the knife is so little used as a weapon
in civil life. This gives us a good reason why it is important to train our men
in how to use a knife.
This grip is wrong. It can be used
for an upward thrust only.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT OF KNIFE FIGHTING
This psychological
barrier must be overcome and the soldier must achieve skill in handling the
knife as a weapon, just as he does his bayonet. In the preliminary stages of
bayonet training the same aversion is present. But once the infantryman has run
the bayonet course and has used the bayonet on dummies, his knowledge of its
deadliness and of the fact that he can handle it bring him to the point where
he has confidence in it and is no longer averse to using it. The same result
will be obtained in knife training if the men are taught to use the knife
properly and dummies which can be slashed and cut are used in the course of
instruction.
An excellent example of
the psychological effect of the knife was seen during the early days of the
British Abyssinian campaign against the Italians. The native troops on the
Allied side were particularly skilled in the use of the knife. They were also
excellent stalkers. It was their practice in a certain sector to slip out into
the desert and crawl into the ranks of the sleeping Italians and use the knife
to slit the throat of one of the group. Upon awakening, the other soldiers
seeing a dead comrade with his throat slit would be extremely shaken and this
contributed to a general lowering of the Italian morale.
To the untrained man, the
appearance of a knife in the hands of an enemy may bring on panic, which can be
heightened by the use of a bright, flashing blade instead of a blade of blued
steel. There is a definite moral advantage to the attacker who uses a bright
blade instead of a darkened one. The blued blade is in reality not of much
advantage because the coloring wears off in a short
time, leaving it bright.
In instructing a soldier
in the use of a fighting knife, there are certain initial steps and
explanations to give him the general background of the use of knives in combat.
This should be followed by simple demonstrations.
At this point, it is well
to enter into a discussion on various types of knives the student has seen and
how they have been used. This discussion will show that in general knives with
spikes on the butt, brass knuckles for the hilt, and
any other additions are none too practical, for operationally they do not
justify their existence. However, this discussion will arouse interest and a
good many questions will come up which the instructor otherwise would not have
mentioned.
Here is the place to
stress again the instances in which the knife will be used and hammer home the
point that the knife is a reserve or last-ditch weapon to be used at extremely
close quarters after firearms can no longer be used. After the student has had
this preliminary indoctrination lecture, allow him to feel and handle various
types of knives and let him demonstrate to himself the three fundamentals in
the use of the knife — the thrust and the slash, and manoeuvrability.
In your next session
point out that the fighting knife is ordinarily used in darkness or
semidarkness but show also the proper method of attack in the open where an
opponent can see you by demonstrating the attack from a crouch with the left
hand forward and the knife held with the handle across the palm of the right,
close to the body. The left hand guards or parries to make the opening for the
slash or thrust. Point out that when the man is in the crouch with his left
hand forward to parry he is in a position of extreme mobility, and in perfect
balance. He is also protecting his vital midsection and throat area from
possible thrusts from an opponent who has a knife. He can also deal with an
opponent who is armed with a club, or any other object which can be used to
strike or throw.
At this point, give the
students dummy knives and let them practice thrusts and slashes on each other.
If dummy knives are not easily available, tent pegs will make a fair substitute.
After a preliminary round of this, take up the vulnerable spots of the body
which are particularly sensitive to knife attacks of both the thrust and slash
type.
WHEN TO ATTACK
A man attacked from the
front with a blade instinctively tries to protect two spots. These are the
throat and the stomach area. The psychological effect of the threat of a knife
wound in these areas — regardless of whether the threat is serious or not — is
so great that the victim is usually momentarily mentally out of gear. The
throat area is vulnerable to either the thrust or the slash, the thrust being
most effective when driven into the hollow at the base of the throat just below
the Adam's apple. A thrust there into the jugular vein or a slash on either
side of the neck, cut ting the arteries results in extreme loss of blood and
quick death. Thrusts in the abdominal area which can be combined with the slash
as the knife is withdrawn have a great shock effect and usually incapacitate
the victim to the stage where another blow can be given with the weapon before
he has a chance to recover. A deep wound in the abdominal area will usually
kill, but is much slower than a good thrust or slash in the throat area. The
heart is, of course, a vital spot for the thrust, but the protection of the
ribs makes it more difficult to hit. In some instances, knife thrusts aimed at
the heart have been stopped by the ribs which have also broken off the point of
the knife without causing a vital wound. But usually the blade will slide off
the rib and go into the vital area. The heart thrust is, of course, fatal at
once.
The noiseless attack from the rear.
The blade should pierce the area of the kidneys.
The left hand should cover the nose as well
as
the mouth to shut off all possible noise by the victim.
It is possible to get an
ineffective slash across the sides of the throat from the rear, but one of the
most effective knife blows in the rear of the victim is delivered in the kidney
or small of the back area. A deep thrust here will cause great shock, internal haemorrhage,
but not necessarily death. This back or kidney thrust is best used in attacking
a sentry. It will be explained later.
The vital areas are the
throat, heart, and abdominal sections, and all other knife thrusts and slashes
should only be preliminary to the vital killing stroke delivered into these
areas. The slash can be effectively used to sever the tendons on the inside of
the wrist and this is most effective against a person who is trying to protect
himself from the knife and has his arm outstretched to do so. This slash
renders the hand useless. A slash across the large muscle of the biceps has the
same effect. A slash on the inside of the thigh or arm will cut various veins
and arteries and if left unattended, will cause death from loss of blood.
Before going further, it
is best to show how the handle of the fighting knife contributes to manoeuvrability
when gripped properly. The length of the handle or hilt of a fighting knife of
ideal proportion is roughly five inches from the end of the butt to the cross
guard. The diameter at its largest point is almost one inch. This point is
approximately one and one-fourth inches from the cross guard. The handle tapers
in both directions gradually and its diameter at the cross guard is
five-eighths of an inch. Tapering in the other direction toward the butt at
about three-fourths of an inch from the end it reaches a diameter of one-half
inch. From this point the handle flares out to form a small knob on the end.
The point of balance in the overall length of a knife (six-inch blade) with a
handle of this type is roughly one inch from the guard, toward the butt. The
handle is checkered or knurled to give a good grip, and the small knob on the
end makes it easy to pull from the sheath.
THE PROPER GRIP
When properly gripped the
knife lies across the outstretched palm of the hand diagonally. The small part
of the handle next to the cross guard is .grasped by the thumb and forefinger.
The middle finger also lies over the handle at the point of largest diameter.
With the knife held in this fashion, it is very easy to manoeuvre it in all
directions by controlling the direction of the blade by a combination movement
of the fore and middle fingers plus a turning of the wrist. When the palm is up
it is possible (holding knife in the right hand) to slash to the right. When
the palm is turned down, it is possible to slash to the left. The thrust can be
executed from either the palm up or down position. At the time of contact in
the thrust or the slash, the knife is grasped tightly by all fingers, the
initial controlling grip of the fore and middle fingers has not changed and the
blade has actually become a continuation of your arm. Knife manipulation is
easy, and skill can be acquired after a few hours' practice.
Showing how the proper grip is used in a slash to
the left side of the neck.
After the student has
been shown the vulnerable spots, let him take a real knife and practice on a
dummy. A dummy is easily made from an old pair of coveralls filled with straw.
Make him practice slowly at first executing thrusts and slashes, always from
the crouch. Speed up the tempo as the practice goes along and point out spots
to hit as he practices. About six hours of such practice will give the student
a good deal of confidence in his weapon and a skill which will place him well
above the average knife wielder.
Where is the best place
to carry a knife? The simplest answer is a place where the bearer can withdraw
it with the least possible effort and with the most speed. This place may vary
greatly owing to racial and local custom and the type of garment worn.
Knives have been carried
successfully in a sheath at the side, down the back of the neck, up the sleeve,
in the top of a boot or legging, under the coat lapel, in the crown of a hat,
between the belt and the trousers, strapped to the inside of the thigh beneath
the trouser leg, in a sheath sewn diagonally across the chest on a vest. Any
place that combines concealment and the element of surprise in using it is
satisfactory. There is really no one best place. Everyone has his own ideas,
but once a place has been decided upon, he should always carry it there and
practice the draw from that place. Then he will be able to use it with the
greatest speed and the least effort.
SENTRY KILLING
In sentry killing, the
approach is from the rear and is naturally noiseless. At the time of rising a
few feet in the rear of the victim, the knife should either be taken from the
sheath where it has been during the approach crawl, or taken from the teeth
where it may have been carried. The attack is launched from a distance of not
less than five feet and is initiated as soon as the attacker has arrived at
that spot. This swift and sudden attack is important because of the animal
instinct which usually warns the victim that someone is approaching or watching
him. The upward thrust of the knife into the middle of the back or the right or
left kidney section is executed at the end of the leap. At the same time the
free hand is clasped over the mouth and nose of the victim, pulling him
backward off balance. The thrust into the kidney area has initially a great
shocking effect and there will be no outcry if the free hand goes over the
mouth and nose at the time of the thrust. Press the victim back upon the blade
continually and after a few seconds pull the blade from the back and while
maintaining the same grip on nose and throat, lift the head up and slash the
jugular vein.
One method of using the
knife in assassination is as old as history and is practiced throughout the
occupied countries today. The chief victims have been members of the Gestapo
and local Quislings. The assassin marks his victim in a crowd and approaches
him from the front. His knife is held in his hand with the hilt down and the
blade lying flat along the inside of the forearm or concealed up the sleeve.
The handle is, of course, concealed by the fingers. The assassin with the knife
in this position passes the victim walking toward him, and as he reaches a point
directly opposite, a simple movement of his wrist frees the blade and a short
arm movement plunges it into the kidney area of the victim. The knife is either
left sticking in the wound or is pulled out and the assassin walks on through
the crowd, his movement undetected.
Recent reports from our
forces in the Pacific theatre have shown the knife to be an important weapon,
because jungle warfare is close-quarter
Showing how the proper grip is used in a slash to
the right side of the neck.
Source:
Infantry Journal, December 1943.