![]() So, anyway, I had mentioned that a pre-Civil war foot artillery sword, which was basically a Roman legionnaire's sword, relatively short and relatively heavy, might make a good tactical sword if given a non-glare and non-rusting treatment and provided with a modern scabbard and a modern grip. Horse mounted soldiers still carry sabers in ceremonies, not knightly longswords, for instance. In fact, where they are still used in ceremonies, they are still in the same tactical niche that they were before. The only real difference is they aren't sharpened. Swords as used in the military around the world today have only a ceremonial function, although they are still mostly serious weapons (some are, some aren't). Some swords in everyday use in the second half of the 19th century were no longer serious weapons. Sixteenth century rapier manuals may have shown naked men fighting with swords but obviously they weren't used like that. They generally always have and moreover, were always used in conjunction with other weapons and equipment. I agree that the sword, or "the blade," has to fit into a defined tactical system. I was just reading over this thread, particularly what I had contributed myself. Having a fitting for a socket wrench there somewhere might come in handy, too, and the weight would always be appreciated. Naturally, you'd want to have it fitted with a Pachmayr grips, hard coated stainless steel metal parts and a flashlight on one end and a compass on the other. It is interesting that in WWI, when officers started the war carrying their swords into battle in 1914 (not "over the top," that came later), the war ended with soldiers arming themselves with clubs, maces and homemade knives for use in battle. But given the way we tend to hang more and more things on something that started out as a lightweight carbine that now weighs ten pounds as used, you wonder how it would end up. But seeing as how a lot of complaints listed in various places on this board about how some sword is too heavy or too long (or too light or too short), using more modern materials would be worth investigating. I don't see how a modern design could be any more efficient than any older design and as far as economy goes, given what it costs to operate an infantry battalion, even when they're just sitting in the barracks, the cost of a blade is negligible. So the question is, how long is a sword and how short is a knife? I expect the name and basic concept originated in the Philippines where the army had built up a lot of experiences. But the intended use of the bolo was as a tool rather than as a weapon. But it wasn't a sword and neither is a bolo, one version of which was issued in the U.S. A rather novel oversized knife called a smatchet was issued to some British commandos during WWII.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |