Surprise WW1 use of Swords & Bayonets in Period Historical Account!

[@rhetorical1488]

I found my great grandfathers cavalry saber under the pile of coal in the basement. When i enquired about it to my grandmother she nodded and told me he threw it there in disgust after the war and there it remained. there was very little left of it.

[@edi9892]

I'm Austrian, and my relatives hid books from Nazis under a pile of coal. It's not like they were vehemently opposed to the Nazis, but they merely hated being told what to do... I still have the books. They're black on the outside.

[@siddharthbirdi]

​@@edi9892 So fascism wasnt the concern, the government's bad taste in literature was.

[@edi9892]

@@siddharthbirdi LOL. No. They always had an anarchic streak and got screwed over by governments as far as our family history is still told... So many monetary reforms, and even losing our property to the state, etc. Now, my relatives hate the state with a passion...

[@michaelmcneil4168]

He was lucky not to get shot for advertising he wanted to die by the sword. I was sad the Wilkinson stopped amking them until about 15/20 minutes in.

[@siddharthbirdi]

@@edi9892 Makes sense

[@kdb678able]

As a Canadian, I have long been drawn to the Battle of Moreuil Wood in March of 1918 (!). Canadian cavalry mostly fought dismounted, but C Squadron, Lord Strathcona Horse charged with sabers at multiple German lines of machine guns and infantry and drove them off at a great cost. Lt Gordon Flowerdew earned the Victoria Cross and was killed leading that charge.

[@faeembrugh]

Harcus Strachan was another Canadian (born in Scotland however) cavalry VC.

[@PierredeCur]

My grandfather was an officer in the Belgian Lanciers and survived the war despite being gazed on occasions.

[@lothbroke]

I would love to hear about the use of bladed weapons in the 7 years war, particularly in North America. We tend to be under the impression that swords and polearms so virtually no use in American history, but don't think the sent over thousands of cutlasses from the tower of London for no reason.

[@mightyone3737]

AFAIK in those days swords were more standard, in part because guns were either quick to reload and less accurate/powerful, or really precise but took several minutes for even an expert to reload, but even the smoothbore guns (quick to reload) weren't THAT fast to reload, meaning if you charged the opponent after they'd mass fired it could be pretty effective. Heck, that was a successful British strategy during the American Revolution, the British had professional soldiers who weren't afraid to charge in and make a mess, the Americans weren't good at dealing with this until their troops got used to it (became veterans). Hope that helps a bit, but it'd be an interesting topic if the channel has time! Oh, and the armies of Native Americans often would have melee weapons afaik, not sure if you count a spear or hatchet as a bladed weapon?

[@jaydunno8266]

@@mightyone3737 Not all American units had bayonets early in the war, and those that did were not usually trained in their use. The were exceptions - the Maryland and Delaware Continentals of 1776 come to mind. But generally the US army became proficient with the bayonet after Von Steuben's training at Valley Forge. This was demonstrated at Monmouth and various battles during the southern campaign. The militia did not always have bayonets, and the training was spotty also demonstrated during the southern campaign. The battle of Camden is a good illustration of this, where the Continentals made repeated charges and the militia broke and ran.

[@tomas.8711]

Fascinating tale, well told, thank you, Matt. You are a great asset to KZbin, and all those interested in martial European history.

[@brettevill9055]

Two sovereigns in 1914 had a purchasing power equivalent to £242 today, and in terms of average wages it was equivalent to £862 today. Not a large amount, but not trivial by any means.

[@insanogeddon]

Could have been lost in the mud during various scuffles or just uncounted .. doubt everyone could count or if they could paused to count while grabbing and going.

[@konstantin.v]

And in terms of the wages of members of the higher classes -- £121 today 😊

[@philparkinson462]

Fascinating narrative Matt. Thanks for posting.

[@Surge_LaChance]

I wish I had my great-grandfather's WWI Prussian cavalry sword (or is it a sabre?). He was in the 2nd Life Hussar Regiment - they had the hats with the Totenkopf (Death's Head) on the front. He was awarded the Iron Cross after losing his leg to a Russian machine gun on the Eastern Front in Galicia on the 7th of October, 1915. He then became sekretaire for the Potsdam Polieze, eventually passing away in 1937 due to the lasting effects of his wartime amputation.

[@robertbean8116]

It is interesting that two sovereigns would be considered 'low value ' in 1914 . That's almost a half ounce of gold! You make some very good observations about the necessity of bayonets, I am sure that many times the threat of cold steel has resolved situations that would otherwise escalate to a shooting, especially in crowd control & POW encounters.

[@stephena1196]

I read that if a bayonet charge wasn't halted by shooting, then the defenders would usually break at contact. I can't say if this was true, but it is sometimes reflected in wargames rules.

[@trevdestroyer8209]

​@@stephena1196Yes, they would usually run because average conscripts most likely don't like being stabbed

[@LafayetteCCurtis]

@@stephena1196 That was very common in the 18th or 19th century, and the defeated side usually retreated well _before_ contact. If the defenders stood firm and the attackers were deterred, the latter would usually start hanging back in dribs and drabs at a distance, and by the time the attacking line got close to the enemy it'd be obviois that there were very few men still advancing. Similarly, if the defenders were the ones being intimidated, their men would usually start shedding from the rear even while the firefight was still going on, and the decline in their volume of fire would be the trigger that motivated the attacking side's officers the order the charge.

[@TheUncleRuckus]

Matt, could you do a video showing your process for "cleaning" antique arms & armor that doesn't devalue it and what is & isn't appropriate? 👍👍

[@larsgottlieb]

Fun fact: I have never cut my face worse than when I tried out a wilkinson razor. That blade was so uneven; it felt like it had serrations along the edge ..

[@PierredeCur]

My grandfather was an officer in the Belgian Lanciers and his weapons were a lance, a sabre and a revolver. With that, he busted so many pointed heads asses that he won a few medals. 😊

[@nilo70]

What a fascinating account. Thank You Matt, for recounting this man’s story! Cheers From California 😎

[@1799to1815]

Thank you. I prefer the storytime with first hand accounts quite a bit.

[@CyrilDash]

Wonderful stuff! It seems that there might be cause to believe that Lieutenant Moore had kept the old pattern of sword out of personal preference - given that his father was a senior officer, it is unlikely that he had struggled for money, besides there might have been social pressure on him to keep up to date with the equipment. Of course, there is also the chance that his father could have advised him against replacing what he knew to be a perfectly fine sword. We shall never know, but it is fun to speculate.

[@Tony-c6f2j]

I really love finding an item with a name on I can research. It amazing to uncover a forgotten piece of history, which has laid dormant for over 100 years, waiting for me to find it. Great video! 🙂

[@XanderBruinsHEMA]

For people interested in other weapons used in the Great War: The Imperial War Museum in London has an impressive collection of melee weapons used in WW1. It was quite the experience to realise how truly brutal that war was.

[@davidioanhedges]

As you said Officers had swords, but stopped using them as it made them easy targets But bayonets and daggers were in common use, and even in WWII semi improvised trench hand to hand tools were common - so it was not all long range warfare

[@Specter_1125]

Cavalry officers on the other hand kept theirs. When all the men have a sword, the officers don’t stand out for having one.

[@mattjack3983]

​@@Specter_1125Very true. Polish military used sabers all the way up to WW2

[@KageNoTora74]

When an infantryman runs out of ammo or for some reason can't reload at that moment, fixing his bayonet keeps him in the fight and keep his service rifle useful as a blunt instrument and an ad hoc spear.

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

A lot of the Civil War era swords & knives that I've come across also belonged to men that had fell in battle. Many were taken as war trophies by one side or the other.

[@dontaylor7315]

Fascinating historical anecdote! I wonder how many times antique dealers of one sort or another have run across intriguing bits of history. I remember a couple of stray facts about cavalry that need to be checked for accuracy (it's been a long time): The British cavalry at Balaclava were armed with swords but got only rudimentary training in their use. So at the Charge of the Light Brigade the hilt and guard were employed as knuckle-dusters more than the blade and point were used for fighting. The US cavalry during the Indian Wars on the Western Plains were, as Matt said of the WWI British cavalry, "mobile infantry" riding their horses as transportation not for fighting.

[@Leftyotism]

Thanks for continuing to be Matt Easton!

[@petergunn-w2v]

Thanks for what you do for swords! I have a small sword collection myself spanning 1740s-1940s. That's when being an officer really meant something. The prestige of being a German officer in 1914 was such that "society" fathers would actually bid competitively for their daughters to accompany a young officer at a social event. There were instances of university professors resigning to accept commissions as 2nd LTs, the most junior officer rank.

[@J_n..]

great example of the psychological impact of a charge, to drive the enemy from the field even without bayonets attached

[@wylde_hunter]

Great post. I love it when there is provenance to an antique plus an interesting tale to boot.

[@DC72NY]

Thank you for sharing this research with us; it makes the difference between an artifact and history. Keep up the good work.

[@daveirwin6903]

Great story about a sword’s owner. Thank you Matt! I just recently obtained a parade version of a Japanese army officer’s type 19 kyu gunto. It has never been sharpened. From what I can tell, it was made between c.1900 and 1934, and from the mon, that it belonged to a member of the Ii clan. Beyond that, it’s a mystery. I wish it could talk, and tell me its story.

[@lefunnyN1]

a video about trench clubs perhaps?

[@iDEATH]

Damn, reminds me I've not looked at my (maternal) grandfather's WWII diary in an age. No combat related stories, though, he was a RCAF surgeon, but still fascinating stuff. Thanks for that, Matt, this sort of narrowly focused history is always interesting to me.

[@charlottesimonin2551]

excellent!! History is your greatest value of collection!

[@SSHitMan]

Nice that you know some of the history of that sword. I have a Mosin-Nagant rifle made in 1933. It likely saw action in WWII, carried by some unknown Soviet soldier. The stock is post-war, so maybe the original was damaged in some battle. But I'll never know the story of that rifle or the man or men who carried it or what battles it saw.

[@JS-nk8gf]

Bayonets have been sharpened and used much more recently than the Great War. "Major Kiszely, who was to become a senior general after the war, was the first man into the 4th Platoon position, personally shooting two Argentinian conscripts and bayoneting a third, his bayonet breaking in two." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mount_Tumbledown) Similarly, most infantrymen sharpened their bayonets in 2003 for the invasion of Iraq.

[@not-a-theist8251]

storytime with matt is my favourite content on your chanel!

[@johnfisher7757]

Cracking video Matt 👍

[@Leftyotism]

Very interesting, love listening to these and imagine it. 👀 Very pretty sword too! Loved looking at the blades as well!

[@joshmapes4311]

Happy piece of serendipity, that wonderful serial number! Thank you for sharing this with the world!

[@sullt766]

Thanks for this video, the story telling is excellent, especially for someone whos a new viewer.

[@hangfeatphil905]

About 2 years ago I was a guest in Matt's house and had the opportunity to try his Brian's porridge. Thanks for the cooking lesson!

[@BladeFitAcademy]

Excellent research, Matt! And as a side note, I can't imagine a contemporary situation of learning about my family's war dead from the newspaper of all places! Wow, things have changed. I'm not sure how other countries do it today, but the US military makes a giant effort of sending service people to tell the families in person. Not sure if that started during Korea or Vietnam, but it's much better than a newspaper listing. Could you imagine a Twitter feed to tell such dreadful news?

[@wiskadjak]

Got hit in the ankle by a hockey puck from a slapshot. Unforgettable pain. Can't imagine how a bullet would feel. Time for morphine.

[@whyukraine]

Sometimes you don't feel it right away. Depends where, of course, but in general the real pain comes from a) the damn tourniquet b)having to walk on it x kilometers.

[@lav25og83]

Lucky it didn't turn you into a Gimp.

[@TheWabbitSeason]

This sounds like a good collaboration topic with Jonathan Ferguson.

[@Csarci]

Great idea

[@user-oo6ty1yq2l]

Great stuff, as usual 👍

[@hrodvitnir6725]

Great video Matt. I love these WW1 sword videos.

[@brittakriep2938]

Mr . Easton , german cavallry men had at start of wwl usually no bayonet , only carbine , cavallry sword of 1889, and lance.

[@nigelh2958]

This is great, more of this please, fascinating.

[@whatident]

when you started with "bad news" I felt true dread as you got to "killed in action" ... good on you for immediately correcting!

[@phillip0537]

Wow, what a great story from history. Thank you for sharing.

[@Dragonfly0987]

Excellent episode Matt

[@DavidRichards-z2k]

In approx 1916-18 the commanding officer of the 9th Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers, commissioned a short trench fighting sword to be issued to members of the Bn, it was fashioned along the lines of a Celtic fighting sword, there is one displayed in The RWF Museum in Caernarfon Castle & also at the Royal Armouries Museum Leeds. A No do come up for auction, but not sure how genuine they are.

[@manodfergus]

We have an original RWF trench sword at home. These were based on a historical pattern and commissioned for trench fighting in WW1. Very few survive.

[@BPOOHEAD189]

Love these kinds of stories! Still want more backsword talks but this is great

[@stuartduke999]

Fascinating Matt, thank you! 👍

[@НиколайЛамберт]

Russian civil war and its aftermath which happened in WW1 times and after seen plenty of sword fighting. With no frontlines and plenty of mobile warfare sabers often were even more effective than rifles, because it was hard to hit a target on a horseback.... while also riding a horse... Ambrushes, raids. All around of former Russian empire, from Don steppes to Central Asia deserts and even Chinese borders. Plenty of small armies and gangs, each pursuing local interest, often with long tradition of fencing and horseback riding. It was not Reds vs Whites it was wild east everyone vs everyone. Plenty of records of melee combat from the period.

[@AdamOwenBrowning]

She's cleaning up fantastically. I really love research. Working on Major Crawford's sword presently.

[@johnpavy6130]

Great video. Good to be reminded of a time and place when there were agreed rules to the conduct of warfare. Rules which were often enforced. War is, of course, always terrible. However, having some standards as to what is and what is not acceptable conduct, is at least something positive.

[@akumagouki8668]

5:16 they're still used by special forces for specific goals but they're more like big fighting knives than swords. Or maybe the first swords were just big knives? Lol

[@martins.4240]

That's exactly what the first swords were. Essentially: "What if knife, but bigger?"

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

Ahhh. Story time. Nice change from show and tell. But just as interesting. Cheers! BTW, that is one stunningly beautiful bayonet.

[@mattmiraglia3199]

This reminds me of a time a few years ago when you liked and replied to a pic I posted on a hema thread of a German lancer in a gasmask. You added that the first British CK on WW1 was with a saber. And it while that was an interesting fact, it was overshadowed that I got a like from Captain Context himself!

[@Knight_Who_Says_Nee]

I only just recently found & watched your "swords & guns for SHTF Apocalypse" video from a few years ago, And I must say that was right up my exact alley; I'm former U.S. Army & now a veteran, and I've been a Doomsday prepper ever since. AND yes, I'm actively training in in mid-13th to early-15th century German medieval war HEMA. In particular, I train in the following (And it does indeed occupy much if my then well-spent time): 1) Walpurgis MS i.33 sword & buckler of the 13th century 2) mid-late 14th century longsword of German sword master Johannes Liechtenauer, whose prescribed skills from 'The Zettel' were later interpreted And expanded upon by his successor Sigmund Ring eck 3) German Medieval Dagger combat from the same era 4) German Medieval Poleaxe doctrine, using a piece equipped with a spear-spike And booked back spike 5) The German Medieval wrestling system from Codex Walerstein, combined with the Greek Pankration style and one tought by Him Arvanitis (yes, I realize that is Greek not German, AND that it is from thousands if years prior - but it does massively add to my overall war-grade unarmed fighting ability during the future SHTF city chaos to come). 6) I also draw from my poleaxe training combined with spikes tomahawk training to not only employ a spikes tomahawk, but the same techniques workk with the back-spiked war hammer. And yes I have one in my SHTF arsenal. 7) Combative knife throwing; Here, I have rugged up a whole system if moving humanoid targets to practiced on, with the figures all properly marked up with the locations of all the key arteries, nerve lines, etc. 8) finally, my friends & I frequently spend time studying castle siege versus anti-siege warfare - this is for the SHTF age when whoever's left will start taking up shelter in any number And type of abandoned buildings, from warehouses to clusters of concrete grain silos far in the open agricultural areas. We've even built & successfully tested a number of home built trebuchets & other siege weaponry, which we built out of scavenged heavy lumber from discard piles at local construction sites. WHY are we doing this, and what doe sit have to do with SHTF (in your view): Because for the sake reason you said you would for a sword over a gun in SHTF, so will we. The chaos unfolding was it is now, will be enough to perma-wipe modernity from the earth at this rate. And with it, all modern functioning industries with it (including firearms industries). That means eventually, no modern ammo being produced for modern guns any longer - whoever's left will be forced back to ever older ways of life, And older forms of warfare to defend our then self-governing apocalypse towns and makeshift warehouse castles against the eventual armies of looters And worse that attack is for what we have, of not with the goal if establishing themselves as the new SHTF imperiums over the rest of us. So, this is ME and my pals getting WAY ahead of the game on being ready for the coming no-ammo era, when those who live that far into SHTF will witness the return of the knights, vikings, Spartans And who knows what else that will all be roaming of not claiming dominion over this neighborhood of that one here and there. And so I say, you and I are of the same mind on the state of the world to come in what I'm now convinced will be the near future. Keep up the good work. And of you ever find yourself in post-apocalyptic America, my future SHTF castle will proudly welcome you. Thank you.

[@River.E.M]

Very interesting, what does SHTF mean?

[@konstantin.v]

18:32 Is a *swagger stick* so less conspicuous than a sword 😊

[@stevemarshall4822]

Back in the 70's, we had an old morningstar (flail/ ball and chain mace-whatever you want to call it) in our 6th form common room - likely a WW1 'Trench mace'.

[@rustycastle5397]

Lewis Millet lead multiple bayonet charges during the Korean war. So many, his command tried to order him to stop doing it. He refused.

[@thinusconradie4297]

I had never even considered that: using swords to control your own men. It makes sense. I had just not thought of it. Thanks Matt!

[@connorburnes7697]

I have a 1916 German model 1878 horse artillery saber. It has Bakelite/early polymer grips. It’s pretty sweet.

[@deadhorse1391]

A fascinating video! Thanks I saw one of these German swords at auction last week, now I wish I had bought it

[@iangarrett741]

In someone’s memoirs they said that the fathers of dead officers would advertise for information about their grave and frequently offer a reward for the return of their sword. The writer comments that these had been sent to the rear long ago and were highly unlikely to be found. I wonder how many surviving swords were brought back as “souvenirs “ by people not their owners.

[@guyplachy9688]

Regarding the killing of PoW's, Matt, you missed the most important element ... Heightened Emotional State ... Someone who has just been shot at, seen his friends killed & wounded, & been scared near-to-death, is NOT going to be all sweetness-&-light when it comes to enemy soldiers, whether PoW's or not.

[@Zoco101]

So effectively, swords and bayonets have often been used to enforce compliance. My dad joined the Australian Lighthorse in WW1. The dragoon concept is very true, but every now and then such troops got used in conventional cavalry charges too. This happened when my dad and several hundred others charged at Beersheba and captured it. They only had their bayonets - no swords. I think the Lighthorsemen still compete at shows using bayonets, while the mounted policemen use swords at these shows. Watching these shows as a boy I always thought the soldiers should have had swords too, but now I understand the significance - a badge of honour!

[@formisfunction1861]

Fascinating! Love it!

[@garethfergusson9538]

Couple interesting thoughts came out of Lt Moores report... 1. The reforcement of the thought that at the beginning of WW1 some sort of chivalry/honor was still more comon place than compared to later on, 2. If that was a American (yes I know it couldn't have been but if it was) we would most certainly have known what revolver he used, compared to the British they were more specific in nameing the gun they had

[@zebradun7407]

Bolt action full power rifles made bayonets more likely to be used I'd say most Handguns were revolvers with 5 to 6 rounds which meant either the Officer or crew served weapons man used a bayonet on a rifle or a sword. Stands to reason.

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

As for the lack of a bayonet on the rifle and therefore the need to hit the enemy with the buttstock... A contemporary training soldier told me that during an assault they were ordered (if they did not have bayonets) to hit their opponents in the face with the hot tip of the barrel. However, we are talking about automatic weapons that previously fired long bursts. That tip of the barrel must be incredibly hot. On the other hand, a metal wire or plastic folding stock may be inappropriate for hitting someone.

[@anaussie213]

As an Aussie I would love an Australian army 1908 pattern cavalry troopers sword, the sword that retook Jerusalem, and took part in the last great cavalry charge at Beersheba!

[@corvanphoenix]

I had the pleasure of handling 2 1907 pattern, 1907 manufactured bayonets last week. One from 🇬🇧, the other from 🇦🇺. The 🇦🇺 one was also used in WWII, as it's stamped with a name & the date '42.

[@normtrooper4392]

Thanks for sharing the story.

[@robhogg68]

I think most people, then and now, would think that sovereigns are rather high value (14:40 ish). A sovereign has a face value of £1, but back then that would be the equivalent of £50+ today. And these days, the going rate for a sovereign is several hundred pounds, just for the bullion value.

[@ZS-rw4qq]

19:45 I'd actually love to hear more about that!

[@christ4032]

My presumption is that the Germans seeing the cavalry retiring were rapidly pursuing them to get a closer shot at them before they could escape and you needed to be quick to catch a horse. No time to fix bayonets, and with the lieutenant being just a straggler due to his wound they hadn't been intending to or expecting a melee fight they had just happened upon him.

[@davidallcock6316]

Great story ..thank you...i own 2 1907 pattern bayonets....one is a wilkinson manufactured in 1917 roual armoury...the other is melbourne 1942...both are stamped on the handle and scanbard with SAP...south african police....these were probably used in crowd control in our troubled history..

[@Hambokuu]

Absolutely amazing story!

[@petergunn-w2v]

And lances too, especially on the Eastern front. Buy a copy of "Mammoth Book of Eyewitness WWI" (I know - dumb title) and there are a few accounts of lance use including one remarkable one of a Cossack pinning not one but two Germans to a tree with his lance and watching them squirm to their bloody deaths skewered on that one lance. Every German cavalryman was issued a lance as of 1897 (I think that was the year).

[@silvanusasher446]

I'm looking into the ww1 battle/equipment and tactics for a tabletop game I'm designing. I realize that's not the focus of your channel, but some more insight into the ww1 bladed weapons, and their use would be appreciated as they're often overlooked. Thank you for this video

[@daetslovactmandcarry6999]

Sir, Thank you for this. You’ve demonstrated how bayonets are still viable weapons (an argument perhaps the US Army should take note of but they won’t) and given me the context of Britian’s gun ban (very insightful, thank you).

[@River.E.M]

It's all artillery to yanks

[@tanfosbery1153]

I believe the statistics for bayonet use was based on the number of men wounded. However in a bayonet fight the usual outcome was one or both of the men were killed, hence the relatively low numbers recorded for its use

[@roentgen571]

Bayonets remain significant even to the present time. In the first Gulf War (1991), prisoners in large numbers were handled by small numbers of Coalition soldiers with fixed bayonets. In the recent Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the UK army actually used bayonet charges on a couple of occasions to route insurgent ambushes.

[@wesleystjohn]

In 2010 I was on a convoy outside Marjah and once again one of our trailers blew out multiple tires. The very second your convoy stops is the same second a wave of small children come rushing out from the nearest village. Now I don't mean this in any way other than the facts but those kids will very politely greet you in English while they strip your gear off your vest, your truck, the trailer etc. Naturally as a Marine I pointed my rifle and verbally stated for them to get back as is standard operation. This does not work, either they know we wont shoot or they don't care, it does not work. I carried a long knife on my flack so my hand could go from my M4 to the handle most expeditiously and at some point I decided to do just that and the mob instantly gave us a polite 20' clearance. Cold sharp blades command their own presence, quite possibly from the stone age until even today...

[@johncook3817]

Great video. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I alao collect medals and enjoy looking in to their stories as well!!

[@darrinrebagliati5365]

Most people don't look back to what they've done, let alone back over 100yrs. A lot of people think the bow, sword and spear went out of service when the gun came out. The spear is still used by Marines today, as a bayonet. And the bow got kllls in World War II.

[@thinusconradie4297]

On a more serious note, I wonder how Captain Moore would feel knowing that his story, or at least part of his story, is still talked about so many years later. Perhaps, he does not care, given where he is now (not that anyone knows for certain what follows death), but maybe he feels pretty good about it. Thanks Matt!

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

You should do a video on the use of swords in WW2 in the Philippines. Not only were Japanese officers provided with katakanas, but also Filipino guerrillas, members of the 1st Filipino Infantry Division, as well as Filipino Americans in the 1st and 2nd US Army Regiments were issued and trained with bolo swords. According to the autobiography of Sergeant Leo Giron, the bolo was the preferred weapon in heavy jungle areas where friendly fire due to limited visibility was an issue. There is at least 1 period newsreel showing the 2nd Filipino Regiment training with their bolos in California before deploying overseas. It's on KZbin. Also, the last official charge of the US Calvary was against the Japanese Imperial Army early in the war in the Philippines.

[@joemurphy1189]

The first thing I notice is the absolutely terrific writing style of the personal account. Communicating in the written word like that with such eloquence is something we’re in danger of losing. Secondly, the 12th lancers were an Irish regiment, weren’t they? There’s definitely a video to be made about the ambiguous relationship between Irishmen and the British military, particularly during the Napoleonic wars with regiments like the Connaught Rangers being so well-regarded by the establishment. I wonder what those Irish lads in British service thought when the 1916 Rising happened? It must have been a very peculiar situation.

[@scholagladiatoria]

The Irish and the Scots were massively over-represented in the British Empire's army, navy and colonial service. Per capita, they were extremely prominent in all aspects of the Empire's expansion and rule.

[@Leftyotism]

I have had read somewhere that guards or other personell on patrol are less likely to be charged when they have a bayonet planted. Forgot in which context that was. Sounds logical though, deterrence.

[@MickeyCuervo36]

One WW1 sword/dagger I've been trying to find more information about is the one issued to the 9th Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers (yes, spelled like that). I've never spoken to anyone who had an original, only reproductions from places like Windlass. I'm genuinely curious to know whether or not soldiers liked or disliked them. Historicity aside (the maker claimed to have been inspired by earlier Celtic leaf-bladed swords) I want to know how viable it was as a weapon compared to sabers, bayonets, and things like the Fairbairn Sykes dagger and Smatchet.

Where would officers get their swords service sharpened?

[@9Curtana]

I heard a report, supposedly from. German cavalryman, reporting an action between British and German cavalry in WW1. I have been unable to find any more information on the subject. Can anyone help.

[@upstatebushcraft7517]

More like this so cool and important to remember this man and others on all sides. I wonder if there is a prussian/russian counterpart list of ownera for thier swords ?

[@stevea21sc82]

Hi Matt. I love your videos, finding them interesting and informative. I noticed a star on the blade of this sword near the hand guard. Is there any significance to this?

[@anthonyjbargeman5280]

I REALLY like that German sword you just showed. I want one...🤔

[@caesarmendez6782]

Well Mr. Easton it's still 'Spooky Season' do you have stories about "Haunted" weapons? Would love 😍 to hear them if you do.

[@adamkrolewski2854]

This summer we were shooting an 8mm Mauser at 800meters with iron sights. It took almost 20rds but we were able to get a hit on steel at 800meters and iron sights. So im assuming another 200meters is within the realm of possibility.

[@DaveAinsworth-y8h]

The British Armed Forces never used bayonets since service rifles after the end of Muskets. On rifles is a sword when the 5th 60th Foot and The 95th Rifles had swords with Baker Rifles. The 60th Foot was later The Kings Royal Rifle Corp (60th Rifles) the 95th Rifles then The Rifle Birgade.

[@elderlyinfant3917]

Could you also talk about Sword use in WWII? It really blows my mind that people only really stopped using sword after WWII. The Chinese army still carried Daos into combat. In the 1937 there was a battle between Chinese forces and Imperial Japanese at the Great Wall where the Chinese soldiers weren't adequately armed so they reverted to fighting the Japanese with swords.