Russian needle tetrahedral bayonet. Bayonets of the Russian army Bayonet in the Russian army

Discussions about the need for bayonets have long ceased to be relevant in our era of widespread automatic weapons. But back in the 19th century and even at the beginning of the 20th century, many copies were broken on this issue. Even the advent of repeating rifles did not immediately send the bayonet into discard. And the biggest controversy revolved around the type of bayonet. Should it be of the saber type, as, for example, among the Prussians, or should an exclusively piercing version, like the tetrahedral bayonet of the Mosin rifle, be more relevant?

History of creation

Russians have faceted bayonets rich story. The first needle bayonet was used on the Berdanka. At first it was triangular, and in 1870 a stronger tetrahedral needle bayonet was designed. A slightly modified version of this bayonet was also used on the legendary Mosin rifle, which became the main Russian weapon of both world wars. The bayonet was zeroed together with the rifle and did not need to be removed during shooting.

It should be noted that it was attached to the right of the barrel, since in this position it had the least impact on the firing trajectory. The tetrahedral bayonet was used in various versions of the 1891 model - infantry, Cossack, and dragoon.

Design

The standard design was that the bayonet was secured with a clamp and an L-shaped tube that thickened at the rear end.

But more complex, and therefore expensive, versions with a spring latch were also produced, which pursued the goal of quickly removing and putting on the bayonet.

The tetrahedral blade had fullers on all sides. The total length is 500 mm, of which the blade length is 430 mm. The blade width is 17.7 mm, and the internal diameter of the tube is 15 mm.

Advantages

The tetrahedral bayonet knife was traditionally condemned by Europeans for being “inhumane.” The needle-shaped blade penetrated much deeper than the wide saber bayonets of European rifles. In addition, wounds inflicted by faceted weapons practically do not close, since they have a round, not wide, but also flat cross-section. Therefore, a person wounded by a Russian tetrahedral bayonet had a much greater chance of bleeding to death. However, in the era of the proliferation of mines and chemical weapons, any claims to edged weapons regarding inhumaneness seem meaningless.

The Russian bayonet was technologically advanced in production, light and cheap compared to its European counterparts. Due to its light weight, it created less interference when shooting and made it possible to operate the rifle faster in actual bayonet combat. In the conditions of a classic bayonet attack from unit to unit, a faceted bayonet looked preferable to a saber bayonet.

Flaws

In a combat battle, the needle bayonet wins, but in the case of a one-on-one duel, when two fighters maneuver and try to fence, the saber bayonet, which allows for sweeping slashing blows, has an advantage.

The main disadvantage of the Russian bayonet is the lack of ability to fold it without separating it from the weapon, or at least the ability to quickly remove and put it on. This became especially obvious during the trench confrontations of the First World War. There is not enough space in the trench, and the bayonet constantly clings to something. There were frequent cases when it broke down.

The second disadvantage is the low applicability of the tetrahedral bayonet outside of hand-to-hand combat. And knife-shaped and saber-shaped bayonets always retain their applied function.

Development

By the beginning of the twentieth century, bayonets began to be used quite rarely. Therefore, advanced European armies increasingly began to pay attention to the convenience of bayonets, relying on shooting and preferring to produce light and short quick-detachable models that minimally interfere with the shooter. And the countries of the Triple Alliance were the first to produce cheap “ersatz bayonets” made of low-quality steel, which, however, were fully justified in the conditions of the predominance of small arms rather than hand-to-hand combat.

The Russian command stubbornly clung to the high piercing qualities of the faceted bayonet in hand-to-hand combat, although shooting suffered from this. Only in 1916 was a new bayonet created, which made it possible to make slashing blows that were more effective in trench warfare. This model was also simpler and cheaper to manufacture.

IN THE USSR

However, after the revolution, the leadership of the Red Army left in service the old tetrahedral bayonet of the 1891 model, despite a number of attempts to switch to bladed bayonets.

In 1930, a modified version of the weapon was created, intended for the modernized Mosin rifle of the 1930 model. The most interesting modification of the old Russian bayonet was the folding bayonet for the Mosin carbine, adopted for service in 1943. This bayonet was shorter than the standard one and had a protrusion on the base that tightly fixed the weapon in the firing position. Later, a second protrusion was added, which fixed the bayonet in the stowed position. It was fixed with a spring latch-sleeve, which in the combat position was put on the barrel, and in the stowed position it moved forward, allowing the bayonet to be folded back to the fore-end.

The Russian needle bayonet left a very noticeable mark on the history of warfare, ending the era of the famous bayonet attacks of the Russian infantry, for which it was famous since the time of Suvorov. Let it go legendary weapon left the stage a little later than it should have, it still left a significant mark on the history of military affairs. In its direct purpose - combat hand-to-hand combat, there were no equals to the Russian tetrahedral bayonet.

The basics of a bayonet attack were taught to Russian soldiers back in the days of Alexander Suvorov. Many people today are well aware of his phrase, which has become a proverb: “a bullet is a fool, a bayonet is a good man.” This phrase was first published in a manual for combat training of troops prepared by the famous Russian commander and published under the title “The Science of Victory” in 1806. For many years to come, the bayonet charge became a formidable weapon for the Russian soldier, with whom there were not many people willing to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

In his work “The Science of Victory,” Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov called on soldiers and officers to effectively use the available ammunition. Not surprising, given that muzzle-loading weapons took a long time to reload, which was a problem in itself. That is why the famous commander urged the infantry to shoot accurately, and at the moment of attack to use the bayonet as effectively as possible. Smoothbore guns of that time were a priori never considered rapid-fire, so the bayonet attack in battle was given great importance - a Russian grenadier during a bayonet attack could kill up to four opponents, while hundreds of bullets fired by ordinary infantrymen flew “into the milk.” The bullets and guns themselves were not as effective as modern small arms, and their effective range was seriously limited.

Long time Russian gunsmiths simply did not create mass-produced small arms without the possibility of using a bayonet with them. There was a bayonet true weapon infantryman in many wars, the Napoleonic wars were no exception. In battles with French troops, the bayonet more than once helped Russian soldiers gain the upper hand on the battlefield. Pre-revolutionary historian A.I. Koblenz-Cruz described the story of the grenadier Leonty Korenny, who in 1813, in the battle of Leipzig (Battle of the Nations), entered into a battle with the French as part of a small unit. When his comrades died in battle, Leonty continued to fight alone. In the battle he broke his bayonet, but continued to fight off the enemy with the butt. As a result, he received 18 wounds and fell among the French he killed. Despite his wounds, Korennoy survived and was captured. Amazed by the warrior’s courage, Napoleon later ordered the brave grenadier to be released from captivity.

Russian tetrahedral needle bayonet for the Mosin rifle

Recalling their European campaigns, Wehrmacht soldiers, in conversations with each other or in letters sent to Germany, voiced the idea that those who did not fight the Russians in hand-to-hand combat had not seen real war. Artillery shelling, bombing, skirmishes, tank attacks, marches through impassable mud, cold and hunger could not be compared with fierce and short hand-to-hand battles, in which it was extremely difficult to survive. They especially remembered the fierce hand-to-hand combat and close combat in the ruins of Stalingrad, where the fight was literally for individual houses and floors in these houses, and the path traveled during the day could be measured not only in meters, but also in the corpses of dead soldiers.

During the Great Patriotic War Soldiers and officers of the Red Army deservedly became known as a formidable force in hand-to-hand combat. But the experience of the war itself demonstrated a significant reduction in the role of the bayonet during hand-to-hand combat. Practice has shown that Soviet soldiers used knives and sapper blades more efficiently and successfully. The increasing spread of automatic weapons in the infantry also played an important role. For example, submachine guns, which were massively used by Soviet soldiers during the war, never received bayonets (although they were supposed to); practice showed that short bursts at point-blank range were much more effective.

Speaking about Russian blades of the 18th–19th centuries - in particular, about edged weapons, it is impossible not to dwell on bayonets. “A bullet is a fool, a bayonet is a good fellow,” - this legendary saying of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov forever went down in history as a laconic description of the tactics of an infantry attack of that time. But when did the bayonet itself appear?

The prototype of the bayonet was a baguinet (bayonet) - a dagger or a strong knife with a handle tapering towards the edge, which was inserted into the barrel of a gun, turning it into some kind of spear or spear. By the way, it was the shortened spear that became the first baguette, which was originally invented by hunters. After all, when hunting a large and dangerous animal, in the distant past, hunters had to carry a spear with them in addition to a gun (to finish off an animal wounded by a shot or repel its attack on the hunter). And this is an extra and bulky load. It is much more convenient to have a removable blade or a powerful tip that fits onto the barrel of the gun.

Baginet is a prototype of a bayonet.

The first baguinets appeared in Great Britain in 1662 (this date marks the first mention of baguettes as part of the equipment of the English regiment). According to various sources, English baguettes had blades ranging from 10 inches to 1 foot in length.

The baguinet could have a flat or faceted shape, as a rule, it did not have a guard (just a thickening or a simple crosshair). The handle was made of bone, wood or metal.

In France, baguinettes appeared a little earlier, since the British initially purchased them from the French. The French themselves are credited with the invention of this device (some historians indicate 1641 as the date of creation of the mount in the vicinity of the city of Bayonne). The baguette was adopted by the French army in 1647.

The baginet-esponton was in service with Saxon officers in the 18th century.

Baguettes were also used in Russia, but very little is known about their use. There is evidence in archival documents that baguettes were adopted for service in 1694 and until 1708-1709. Russian infantry used baguettes with one-sided sharpening along with fuses. Russian baguettes had a guard in the form of an arch that did not reach the handle (so as not to interfere with sticking into the barrel of a gun). The length of Russian baguettes ranged from 35 to 55 cm.

The bayonet (from the Polish sztych) replaced the baguette. The French began to use improved baguettes in the form of blades with a tube instead of a handle, which were mounted on top of gun barrels and allowed shooting and loading with an attached bladed weapon. French troops were first equipped with bayonets in 1689. Following the French, the Prussians and Danes switched to bayonets. In Russia, bayonets began to be used in 1702, and the complete transition to bayonets and the abandonment of baguettes was completed in 1709.

Bayonets are divided into removable and non-removable; faceted, round, needle-shaped and flat. Flat, that is, bladed bayonets are divided into bayonets-knives, bayonets-swords, bayonets-daggers, bayonets-cleavers, scimitar bayonets. Such bladed weapons can be used separately from firearms and have devices for attaching to the barrels of small arms.

Faceted and round needle bayonet

A faceted bayonet looks like a sharp blade with several edges (usually three or four) with a tube instead of a handle that fits onto the barrel. Initially, the faceted bayonet had three sides. Somewhat later, tetrahedral bayonets appeared, as well as T-bayonets (in cross-section they looked like the letter “T”). Sometimes there were five- and six-sided ones, but soon an increase in the number of edges turned the faceted bayonet into a round one, and models with more than four edges did not take root.

Faceted bayonets with tubes from the Crimean War period from the exhibition museum complex“Mikhailovskaya Battery”, Sevastopol: top are British, bottom is a Russian bayonet.

At first, the bayonet tube was attached to the barrel simply by a tight fit (holding due to friction). In battle, such bayonets often fell from the barrels, could be pulled off by the enemy, and sometimes, due to dirt that got into the attachment point, it was very difficult to separate the small arms and the bayonet. Around 1740, a bayonet was created in France with an L-shaped groove on the mounting tube, which made it possible to securely fasten the bayonet to the barrel by putting it on so that the front sight would fit into the groove (in this case, the sighting front sight acted as a stopper). Subsequently, this design was slightly modified, but not fundamentally.

The edges of the bayonets could have fullers or not. Some models of bayonets had sharp ribs (the shape formed when adjacent fullers intersect). Such bayonets could inflict wounds not only with the tip, but also with the ribs. But their strength was lower; the edges of the bayonet faces were often discolored in collisions with enemy bayonets or other hard objects. Russian bayonets had fullers with blunt edges; only the tip of the bayonet was sharpened. Triangular bayonets were in service with many European armies. Square bayonets were used in the Russian and French armies.

Round bayonets were also used in the Russian army. This was at the end of the 18th century. From a report dated March 27, 1791 addressed to His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin: “On this March 25th, the Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment was entrusted with eighty-six sabers for chief officers, and for non-commissioned officers and grenadier four thousand, round bayonets three thousand five hundred seventy nine...” This regiment received round bayonets, not faceted ones. A bayonet of this shape is available in the VIMAIViVS collection, and it is also listed as an “experimental bayonet” in the reference book edited by A. N. Kulinsky. Also, a gun with a round bayonet is in the Artillery Museum. It is known that round bayonets were in service with the Ekaterinoslav Regiment until the end of the reign of Catherine the Great.

Needle-shaped bayonets were preferable to bladed ones during hand-to-hand (bayonet) combat. They practically did not get stuck in the enemy’s body, had less mass and were not bulky. Shooting from a rifle with a fixed needle-shaped bayonet is always more accurate. However, the needle bayonet is almost impossible to use for other purposes. Therefore, blade models of bayonets also had a certain distribution.

The sword bayonet is very similar to a regular faceted bayonet. Such bayonets were in service with the French army (1890). The blade length of the bayonet-sword reached 650 mm. The bayonet-sword had a handle and a small guard in the form of a cross. One edge of the crosspiece ended in a ring, which was put on the barrel, and the top of the handle was adjacent to a special socket with a latch located in the forend of the rifle. Sword bayonets were used by the French for quite a long time, until the First World War. There were several varieties of them: with a triangular and tetrahedral blade, with a T-shaped section, with a forged steel handle, etc. All sword bayonets were equipped with a sheath made of leather or metal.

Cleaver bayonets became widespread in the Prussian army in the middle of the 18th century. Such models of bayonets were intended for dual use: as bayonets in a fixed state, and as cutlasses - for use separately from guns. By the beginning of the 19th century, the popularity of such bayonets increased and they began to be used in various European countries, in particular, in England, where arming infantry with cleaver bayonets became widespread. English cleaver bayonets had brass hilts and double-edged blades. A similar type of cleaver bayonet was used in 1850-1860. military of the North American States.

Sapper bayonet. It was used in a close position to repel enemy attacks and separately from small arms - for hand-to-hand combat, performing trench work, clearing passages, cutting down palisades.

In Russia, the cleaver bayonet was used in conjunction with a fitting of the 1780s model, with a fitting of the 1805 model and a Littikh fitting of the 1843 model. At a later time, the cleaver bayonet was replaced by a needle-shaped bayonet (with rare exceptions - a faceted bayonet).

In the armies of Europe, the cleaver bayonet quite successfully coexisted and competed with faceted bayonets. For example, in France, in artillery units, the faceted bayonet was replaced with a cleaver bayonet of the 1892 model. German and Austrian troops used the cleaver bayonet in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cleaver bayonets were also used in Asian countries. A rather curious example: it was adopted by the Japanese Kwantung Army (in the 30s of the twentieth century) light machine gun Type 96, and later Type 99. These machine guns were equipped with cleaver bayonets. It is not known whether there were cases of effective use of a fixed bayonet for its intended purpose, because Japanese soldiers of that time were not distinguished by physical strength, and the machine gun weighed about 10 kg and had decent dimensions. Most likely, the decision to equip the machine gun with a bayonet was made out of respect for the military traditions of Japan (the historically established cult of edged weapons).

Japanese machine gun with a fixed bayonet.

In the USSR, the cleaver bayonet experienced a “reincarnation”: it was equipped with automatic rifles by F.V. Tokarev, S.G. Simonov and V.G. Fedorov. Tokarev and Simonov rifles were in service until 1945 (as were cleaver bayonets for them).

The scimitar-type bayonet is a special case of the cleaver bayonet. Such models were equipped with a blade that had an angular (very small angle) bend downward at a distance of ½ to ⅔ from the handle. Of course, it was not quite a scimitar, but the design was similar. Such bayonets were produced in France, Great Britain, Japan and other countries. They were equipped with a sheath made of leather or metal.

Towards the end of the 19th century, bayonets and knives began to be adopted into service with the armies of the world. A. N. Kulinsky in his book “Bayonets of the World” gave a definition of a bayonet-knife: “...this is a bayonet that, when separated from a rifle or carbine, can be used as a knife, including for inflicting damage on the enemy...”. That is, a bayonet-knife is a bayonet that has retained all the functional properties of a combat knife. The appearance of the bayonet-knife was due to the development of small arms: with an increase in range, rate of fire and power, the role of bayonets sharply decreased. The infantry required more functional and lightweight models.

The first bayonet model 71/84 for the Mauser rifle, Germany.

The first bayonet was created in Germany in 1884. It was developed for the Mauser system rifle (model 1871/84). The bayonet was used in a fixed position for a bayonet attack, and in the hand it was also a formidable weapon. In addition, the 71/84 bayonet was used to perform various tasks in the field. After some time, bayonet knives appeared in many armies of the world. The very first serial bayonet-knife became a prototype for the creation of similar models.

Bayonet knives are usually divided into the following types:

• bayonet-knives with one-sided sharpening (single-edged models);
• bayonets-knives with double-edged blades;
• bayonets-knives with double-sided sharpening of a T-shaped blade;
• stiletto bayonets with needle-shaped blades.

The classic device for fastening a bayonet-knife to a small weapon is the “groove-latch-ring” combination, in which the ring is put on the barrel, a special protrusion on the handle is inserted into the groove, and the handle itself is secured at the end to a latch on the forend of the weapon.

Germany has become the world's main developer and manufacturer of bayonet knives. In Germany, they created a huge number of bayonet knives both for the needs of their army and for third-party customers. There were about a hundred ersatz bayonets of German origin alone. At the beginning of the twentieth century (1905), the very popular model 98/05 was created, many units of which have survived to this day. In Russia, bayonet knives were not popular; Russian faceted bayonets with tubes were in use. The creation of bayonet knives was only taken care of during the USSR, but we will talk about this later.

Bayonet 98/05

Concluding the story about bayonets, let us note the existence of another interesting group, which included rare and almost exotic models of bayonets. These are the so-called tool bayonets. Over the years, shovel bayonets, saw bayonets, scissor bayonets, machete bayonets, bipod bayonets, and so on were created. Unfortunately, these products did not gain much popularity due to their low efficiency. This combination did not work good tool, not a decent bayonet.

At the beginning of the First World War, with the onset of the so-called “trench warfare,” it was discovered that in hand-to-hand combat, in trenches and dugouts, long-barreled firearms and the bayonets created for it are not effective. The formidable Russian three-line rifles and German Mauser rifles uselessly pierced the air at a distance of up to two meters, while a compact weapon was required, with a not very large blade, adapted for a piercing blow. The armies of long-suffering Europe, shaken by military operations, began to hastily arm themselves with whatever they could. Germany, which adopted blade bayonets and full-fledged bayonet knives, found itself in a winning situation. And France, Italy, Great Britain, Russia and others had to adapt and remake various edged weapons. Stilettos were made from captured bayonets or shortened to the size of a universal hunting knife. The so-called “French nail” was very popular - a piece of steel rod, riveted and pointed on one side and bent into an elongated letter “O” on the other. The primitive handle also served as a kind of brass knuckles.

The French nail is one of the popular homemade items for hand-to-hand combat in the trenches. The bow of the handle served as a brass knuckle.

In Russia, due to archaic-minded officials, the adoption of a bladed bayonet-knife simply failed. A soldier's dagger of the 1907 model, known as a bebut, came to the rescue (see part II). The experience of the Caucasian campaign was not in vain. From 1907 to 1910, the bebut was adopted by the gendarmerie, the lower ranks of machine gun crews, the lower ranks of artillery crews, and the lower ranks of mounted reconnaissance. With the beginning of the First World War, a simplified version of the bebut, with a straight blade, was also made. Of course, there were not enough daggers to fully supply the army. Captured samples and alterations were used.

Russian infantry soldier dagger bebut.

Over time, “peaceful” knife models also changed and were updated. Shoemaker's knives, cutting tools for working with wood (carving) and other professional knives, like hunting knives, have changed little. But folding models appeared, primarily the so-called pocket knives. At first they were imported from Sweden, Germany, France, and Switzerland. And later, Russian craftsmen began to make very good folding knives. It is noteworthy that many craftsmen lived and created excellent knives in the outback, and not just in St. Petersburg, Moscow or Novgorod, locating their workshops closer to mines and handicrafts. For example, G.E. Varvarin from Vorsma made multifunctional knives that looked similar to the French “Layol”. Let us note folding knives from Vacha, the work of master Kondratov. Well, the name of master Zavyalov is world famous.

A pocket knife from Vorsma, made by Varvarin.

Ivan Zavyalov was a serf of Count Sheremetyev and thanks to his skill, perseverance and natural gift, he was able to found his own business and achieve the highest level of skill. In 1835, he made several knives for the imperial family. Nicholas I himself was shocked by the grace and quality of Zavyalov’s work, for which he granted him a caftan with gold braiding and a monetary reward of 5,000 rubles (a huge amount at that time).

Folding knife made by master Kondratov from Vacha.

Zavyalov made folding penknives, table knives and combined cutlery (knife and fork in one item), so-called hunting pairs (knife and fork for game) and other knives. The master forged the blades himself, and used silver, horn, bone, and wood for the handles. In 1837, he presented the emperor with a set of folding knives, for which he was awarded a gold ring with diamonds. His works stood at the level of products of the best masters of Germany and England. From 1841, Zavyalov was given the privilege of putting the royal coat of arms on his works; later he received a medal at a manufacturing exhibition in Moscow, and in 1862, a medal at an exhibition in London. His work was admired by Duke Maximilian and Grand Duke Russian Empire. Using the example of one master, we illuminated the level of knife production in Russia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. But Zavyalov was not the only Russian knife maker with such skill. high level. The names of Khonin, Shchetin, Khabarov and others are well known to collectors and nayphomaniacs in Russia. Knife crafts worked and developed in Pavlovskaya Sloboda (now Pavlovo-on-Oka), Zlatoust, Vorsma. By the beginning of the 20th century, Russia had several powerful centers of blade production and a whole scattering of master craftsmen who created real masterpieces.

A characteristic feature of knives with fixed blades made by master Zavyalov is the Archimedes screw on the shank.

In the next chapter we will dwell in detail on blade products of the First World War, the Civil War and the Second World War, Russian and European knives of the period before 1945.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Russian tsarist army demonstrated the power of the bayonet to the whole world. Currently, these edged weapons are still in service with the Russian Army, but these are completely different models designed to perform more universal tasks.

General information about bayonets

A rifle bayonet is a bladed weapon, the main purpose of which is to defeat the enemy with a powerful piercing blow in hand-to-hand combat. The weapon is attached to the muzzle of a rifle, shotgun, carbine or machine gun. Depending on the type, all bayonets can be divided into the following groups:

• Faceted or needle bayonets. Unlike bladed models, these weapons were small in size and easily hit enemy bodies. While bayonet attacks played a huge role on the battlefield, this bayonet was out of competition, but with the advent of machine guns, it lost its position;
• Bladed bayonets. A typical example of such a weapon would be a bayonet from a Kalashnikov assault rifle. It allowed not only to chop, but also to stab. In addition, with the help of a bayonet knife you can perform a lot of different chores.

All weapons of this type are divided into categories depending on the method of attachment:

• To the tip of the fore-end and to the stock ring at the same time;
• To the trunk;
• Be removable or non-removable;
• Folding.

Currently, folding bayonets are considered the most advanced modification, but they should soon disappear completely.

Rifle bayonet: history of development

The bayonet weapon is a direct descendant of the combat pike, which in turn is the last round of the evolution of the spear. Before the advent of the first firearms, edged weapons were the main weapon of infantry. When entire detachments armed with muskets appeared, edged weapons gradually began to lose their position. But since the musket needed a long reload, detachments of pikemen were given to help the musketeers. The life of a soldier with a pike was short, since he could only fight in close combat, so these units gradually disappeared.

Since after the shot the shooter found himself practically unarmed, he needed a specific weapon that would not interfere with his ability to wield a firearm. This is how the first samples of baguinettes appeared - long blades that were inserted directly into the barrel of a musket. This weapon interfered with reloading, but in the conditions of a fleeting battle it coped well with its duties.

In 1699, the first bayonets appeared, which did not interfere with the reloading process at all. Soon these weapons almost completely replaced pikes from the battlefield.

The first bayonets were faceted and had a tubular mount. The classic Russian bayonet, which was glorified by the great commander Suvorov, belongs to precisely this variety. In addition, these edged weapons come in the following varieties:

• Bayonets with a tube with and without slots;
• Tube bayonets with lock;
• Tubular without clamps;
• Bayonets that are attached with clamps;
• Bayonets with clamps of a screw design;
• Bayonets with latches.

In addition to faceted bayonets, a completely different group developed - cleaver bayonets. This weapon was more functional, although in battle the same Russian bayonet was significantly superior to them in speed and maneuverability.

German bayonets of two world wars of the 20th century

Before the outbreak of World War I, Germany was the leader in the production of rifle bayonets. German weapons of this type were distinguished by a huge variety of models, which can be seen in the rare surviving photographs of those years. The most popular bayonet was the 98-05 model, which was represented by bayonet knives. This weapon was significantly different from the same Russian bayonets of the Tsarist and even the Soviet army.

This weapon proved to be so successful that German soldiers used them not only in the First World War, but also in the Second World War. Due to the fact that these bayonets were forged from high-quality metal, many models of those years have survived to this day.

The famous bayonet for the Mosin rifle

The first bayonets for the Mosin rifle appeared before the start of the First World War. If you look up the archival documents of those years, you can see that initially it was proposed to make the Mosin bayonet a knife type. However, supporters of the classical needle weapons managed to insist on the old design. Mosin rifles after civil war continued to be produced in the USSR, having carried out several modernizations of the bayonet.

It should be noted that in the USSR they mainly modernized the bayonet mount, leaving its shape unchanged. During the Great Patriotic War, bayonets with knife or even dagger blades appeared, but these were homemade.

By the mid-1930s, the Soviet command decided that the future belonged to blade-type bayonets, and the new SVT-38 rifle received a knife bayonet, which was clearly made based on the German model 98-05. Looking at the German army, the government decided that the bayonet for the new rifle should be worn on the belt, put on the weapon only when necessary.

Indeed, weapons with automatic reloading did not need a blade constantly attached to it. Nevertheless, the bayonet turned out to be quite formidable and long. Tests have shown that such a length is not needed, so the modernized SVT-40 rifle received a shorter detachable bayonet. Second World War It also showed that it was too early to write off bayonets - sometimes the soldiers still had to make a bayonet attack.

SKS bayonet and its features

After the end of the Second World War, the Simonov self-loading carbine was adopted by the USSR army. The results of the Second World War showed that the removable bayonet-knife has some disadvantages, so they decided to equip the new weapon with a folding, permanent bayonet that does not interfere with transportation. SKS bayonets were produced in two types: needle and knife. This mounting design has not yet been used in the history of Russian weapons, so there were many opponents of folding models.

However, it was impossible not to agree with the statements of the designers, who argued that detachable bayonets were practically useless in a sudden hand-to-hand attack. Also, the folding design was safe both for the shooter and for the people around him.

AKM bayonet and its modifications

The first Kalashnikov assault rifle, which entered service in 1949, was completely devoid of a bayonet. Only after modernization in 1953 did he finally acquire these archaic edged weapons. The bayonet was called 6X2 and almost completely copied the SVT-40 bayonet. The only difference was the locking mechanism.

The bayonet for the AKM was made on the basis of the Navy reconnaissance knife, which was designed by Lieutenant Colonel Todorov in 1956. For the AK-74, its own version of the bayonet, model 1978, was developed.

In 1989, another modernization of the AK bayonet took place, but the terrible quality of these bayonets made all the engineers’ efforts useless.

Currently the bayonets are outliving their usefulness last days. According to military experts, they will soon disappear completely.

GFO 04/15/2003 - 02:40

The needle bayonet with a tube in service with the Russian army lasted longer than in all European countries. During this time, he became a symbol of the inflexibility and perseverance of the Russian soldier. Few armies in the world could compete on equal terms with the Russian army in bayonet combat. But when, by the end of the 19th century, bladed bayonets and knives began to be adopted everywhere, in Russia, it seemed that time had stopped. Nothing could shake the hegemony of the needle bayonet. However, we also made repeated attempts to arm the army with a bladed bayonet.
Since the end of the 17th century, military-style guns were equipped mainly with triangular bayonets with a tube, which replaced baguettes inserted into the barrel. There were bayonets with a tube and flat knife-like blades; some of them are kept in the collection of VIMAIViVS (St. Petersburg). But they could not be used separately from the gun, like a cleaver or a dagger. Cleaver bayonets were accepted only for Jaeger cutlery fittings, and at first Jaeger cutlass daggers were worn separately, and only later they were able to be attached to a fitting.
Battles of the 17th and early 19th centuries. often ended in bayonet fights, so in battle a bayonet constantly attached to the rifle was necessary. However, since the mid-19th century, the improvement of small arms led to a significant decrease in the number of hand-to-hand combats. Therefore, in most European armies, needle bayonets were replaced by blade-type bayonets, which could be worn on the belt and used not only in battle, but also as a household knife at a rest stop, in a camp, etc.
Russia was among the few countries that left needle bayonets with a tube in service with the army. However, the Russian bayonet became not triangular, as before, but tetrahedral.
For the first time in the Russian army, a tetrahedral bayonet was adopted for the Berdan? 2 infantry rifle mod. 1870. This bayonet was used with Mosin repeating rifles without any significant changes until their final removal from service at the end of the 40s of the 20th century.
At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. in the Russian army there were many supporters of retaining the needle bayonet (constantly attached to the rifle in battle), who sought to prove its superiority over the knife bayonet.
An interesting and rather curious “dignity” of a tetrahedral bayonet is cited by the famous weapons designer and researcher V. G. Fedorov. The fact is that the blade bayonet could be used in household as a knife. Therefore, during the First World War in the Russian army, when collecting captured weapons, bladed bayonets for foreign rifles often went into the hands of “amateurs.” Strict orders from the command did not help either. “Our faceted bayonet enjoys less love from an everyday point of view - that is its advantage,” notes V. G. Fedorov, who stood for the rearmament of the Russian army with blade bayonets, with irony.
Nevertheless, in Russia they understood the advantages of a blade-type bayonet.
In 1877, a 4.2-line Cossack rifle mod. 1873 "with a dagger adapted to it instead of a bayonet." It was planned to equip the troops of the Turkestan district with rifles with such a bladed bayonet.
Detailed description this “bayonet-dagger” was not given in the message, but we can conclude that it had a tube with a slot that was put on the barrel: “...The method of attaching the dagger to the barrel is the same as that now accepted in our 4.2- line infantry rifle with a French bayonet."
The sample was tested by firing live cartridges with a charge of gunpowder of 1 spool (4.26 g). Here is how the results are described: “After 10 ... shots fired, the thin edge of the slot with which the dagger was put on the barrel bent and crumpled due to the fact that when fired, the dagger with the tube, lagging behind the barrel by inertia, hit the said edge of the tube against the base of the front sight. With further firing of up to 20 shots, the rear edge of the base of the front sight also broke, and the edge of the front sight slot bent upward so much that it interfered with further aiming of the rifle, and the connection of the dagger with the barrel was broken.”
Based on the test results, the presented sample was modified in the shooting range workshop.
To strengthen the barrel wall, a “special prism” was soldered into its muzzle. The handle of the dagger was lengthened, making it more comfortable, and the connection with the barrel more rigid. As follows from a further report, the new version of the bayonet apparently did not have the tube that the previous model had.
Tests have shown that when shooting at a distance of 200 steps (142 m), a fixed bayonet does not affect “neither the deflection of bullets nor the accuracy of shooting.” However, it was noted that the possibility of bending the “relatively thin-walled barrel adopted for 4.2-line Cossack rifles” has not been completely eliminated, and the alteration of rifles must be done at factories. At the same time, it will be possible to avoid significant defects only on newly manufactured weapons.
The issue of adopting a bladed bayonet was submitted to the Main Committee for the Organization and Education of Troops. However, the bayonet was never adopted for service.
This issue was returned to again in 1909, when the Artillery Committee unanimously recognized the need to arm the Cossacks with a bayonet-dagger, which could be worn on the belt and attached to a rifle before hand-to-hand combat. Cossack rifle mod. 1891 did not have a bayonet. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Transbaikal Cossacks sought to acquire Japanese bayonets-knives by any means.
The weapons department invited the state-owned arms factories, the Rifle Range, and the Zlatoust Arms Factory to develop a sample bayonet-knife, taking into account the designs of bladed bayonets adopted for service in Western European armies. It was recommended to pay special attention to the bayonet for the German rifle mod. 1898
The following requirements for the bayonet were developed:
- the weight of the bayonet should not exceed 1 pound (409 g);
- if possible, the length of a Cossack rifle with an attached bayonet should be no less than the length of a dragoon rifle with a tetrahedral bayonet;
- quick and convenient connection of the bayonet to the barrel;
- the fastening must ensure a strong and reliable connection of the bayonet with the barrel and prevent it from becoming loose during operation;
- the ability to wear a bayonet on a belt.
On December 21, 1909, the Imperial Tula Arms Plant received a request from the GAU to speed up the production and delivery of “bayonet-dagger” samples. A report dated April 8, 1910 reported on the development and production of two different samples of a bladed bayonet for a Cossack rifle. One was proposed by the head of the plant, Lieutenant General Alexander Vladimirovich Kun, the other by the civilian gunsmith of the Control Workshop Kavarinov.
The document states the following: short description“bayonet-cleaver” designed by N. Kavarinov: “...The bayonet-cleaver consists of 6 parts: a bayonet-cleaver made from a single piece of steel, a bolt, a bolt spring, a spring pin, a latch and a screw for holding the latch. put on a cleaver bayonet, you need to put it on the barrel with a tube and direct it with a groove into the protrusion made on the ring, push it all the way, you can put it on both with the latch open and with it closed. thumb turn the latch downwards, the latch will fit into its socket, and the cleaver bayonet will move freely."
Explanatory drawings and drawings were not attached to the document. The description suggests that this sample was a bayonet with a tube, but not with a needle tetrahedral, but with a knife blade. The design, apparently, resembled a bladed bayonet, which was produced during the Great Patriotic War for rifles mod. 1891/30 In this case, it could not be used conveniently as a dagger, thereby not fulfilling one of the basic requirements. Even less detailed information is available about Kuhn's sample. It is clear that it could be used as a dagger, since it had a handle, and “to be worn on a waist belt” it also required “a sheath, which should be made of wood and covered with leather.”
As production manager A.V. Kun, “in addition to the specified conditions, he also had in mind the easy adaptation of this bayonet to an existing rifle by the regimental workshops.” To convert the rifle for a new bayonet, it was enough to drill a new hole in the stock for the bolt passing through the ears of the bayonet ring; unroll the hole for the muzzle screw and then, due to the fact that the diameters of the muzzle of the barrels of Cossack rifles have large comparative tolerances, a hole in the crosshair of the bayonet "We'll have to send in an unfinished one and disassemble it among the troops when fitting bayonets to rifles."
“...New muzzles will have to be issued to military units... due to the fact that the outer dimensions of the muzzle are made with significant tolerances,” therefore, “when fitting bayonet rings, the outer surface of the existing muzzles would have to be adjusted to the new bayonet rings, and this work will not be "at the expense of military workshops, or at least it will take a lot of time. We will have to send to the units a reamer for the crosshair hole."
“To put the designed bayonet on a rifle, it is enough to insert the rod at the end of the handle into the hole in the bayonet ring, and put the hole in the crosshairs on the barrel and push the bayonet down until it stops, while the springs in the rod jump over the edge of the bayonet ring. To remove the bayonet you need , pressing the fingers of your right or left hand on the protruding ends of the springs, press the bayonet up and, when the heads of the springs go slightly inside, lift the bayonet up."
From the above passages we can conclude that in order to attach a bayonet of Kuhn’s design, it was necessary to equip the rifle with an additional bayonet ring, which was attached to the “muzzle.” By “muzzle”, apparently, in this case we should understand the tip of the forend.
Two samples of new bayonets-daggers for the Cossack rifle were presented to the State Agrarian University, and on June 30, 1910 they were received by the Rifle Range at the Officer Rifle School in Oranienbaum.
The available documents do not allow us to trace future fate samples. One thing is certain: a bladed bayonet for a rifle mod. 1891 was never put into service. Main role Economic reasons played a role in this. So, when upgrading the rifle mod. 1891 in 1930, the proposal to accept a blade bayonet along with it was rejected, as it required significant financial costs.
There is some information about attempts during the First World War to use blade-type bayonets in the Russian army. In the summer of 1916, a special team was formed, armed with automatic rifles, V. G. Fedorov machine guns and Mauser pistols. The unit was equipped with many technical innovations of that time: optical sights and binoculars, devices for shooting from cover, portable shooting shields. Among the weapons, “special bayonets-daggers modeled on the Caucasian Cossack army” are mentioned.
It’s curious what to adapt to the rifle mod. 1891 the blade bayonet was achieved...by the Germans. During the First World War, captured Russian rifles in the German army were equipped with a special element for attaching a German bladed bayonet from a Mauser rifle. Such samples are stored in Tula state museum weapons.
Models based on the rifle mod. also had mounts for a bladed bayonet. 1891, adopted for service in a number of countries: Poland - model 91/98/25, Finland - rifles M27, M28, M28-30 (Schutzkor), M30 and M39.
As for Russia, blade bayonets for rifles mod. 1891, arr. 1891/10 and arr. 1891/30 were used only in small quantities, for example, blade bayonets issued during the Great Patriotic War.
The needle bayonet with a tetrahedral blade took root in Russia for a long time. One of the variants of the bayonet for the experimental self-loading rifle of 1930 by V. A. Degtyarev, although it had a wooden handle, however, the bayonet blade was tetrahedral needle-shaped. The Simonov self-loading carbine, adopted for service at the end of the war, was equipped with an integral folding tetrahedral needle bayonet.
The decision to replace needle bayonets with bladed ones for repeating rifles for the Red Army was never made due to cost savings. However, after the modernization of 1930, V. E. Markevich proposed the BEM for his rifle, an improved version of the 1891/30 model. - a bayonet with a “cleaver blade”. Only self-loading and automatic rifles ABC-36, SVT-38, SVT-40 were equipped with blade bayonets, and then the bayonet was adopted for Kalashnikov assault rifles.
In the modern period, the needle tetrahedral integral bayonet has been preserved only on the Chinese-made Kalashnikov assault rifle “type 56”.
Igor Pink (c)

1-blade bayonet from the Littikhsky fitting of the 1843 model, 2-Triangular bayonet from the 6-line gun, 3-Tetrahedral bayonet from the Berdan 2 rifle, 4-Tetrahedral bayonet with a collar from the Mosin rifle of the 1891 model, 5-Tetrahedral bayonet with spring stopper from a Mosin system rifle of 1891/1930, 6-tetrahedral bayonet of the Colonel Gulkevich system to a Mosin system rifle

7-tetrahedral bayonet from the Lebel system rifle, 8-Japanese bayonet model "30" for the Arisaka rifle, 9-blade bayonet to German rifle Mauser system of 1871, 10-blade bayonet for ABC-36, 11-blade bayonet for SVT-38, 12-blade bayonet for SVT-40, 13-blade bayonet for AK-47

Attaching a tetrahedral bayonet to a Lebel system rifle. The presence of a handle made it possible to use this bayonet in hand-to-hand combat separately from the gun as a piercing weapon

Soviet bladed bayonet for the Simonov automatic rifle (ABC-36). The bayonet was connected to the rifle using movable handle pads. After engaging the hook located at the rear of the bayonet on the rifle, it is necessary to move the bayonet handle up and attach the bayonet to the weapon

1-Needle bayonet on a Mosin system rifle of the 1891 model, 2-Needle bayonet on a Berdan system rifle? 2, 3-blade bayonet on the SVT-38 rifle, 4-blade bayonet on the ABC-36 rifle, 5-blade bayonet on the SVT-40 rifle

Bladed bayonets on ABC-36 (top) and SVT-40 rifles:
the differences in the design of fastening the bayonet to the rifle are clearly visible

Feldwebel 04/15/2003 - 03:46

GFO
Battles of the 17th and early 19th centuries. often ended in bayonet fights, so in battle a bayonet constantly attached to the rifle was necessary.

Sorry, of course, but terminology? What RIFLES were used in the battles of the 17th and early 19th centuries???
Smoothbore guns.

flint 04/15/2003 - 09:16

Vitiaz 04/16/2003 - 03:04

In fact, the advantages of a knife bayonet in bayonet combat are extremely doubtful. Anyway, good knife The bayonet will tend to follow a needle-shaped design.
Carrying around with a long sabre, like Lebel’s bayonets, is also a dubious pleasure.

The main reason for switching to knife bayonets is to facilitate the work of doctors when triaging the wounded. Very often (almost always) a wound with a needle bayonet does not cause any severe external bleeding. If a wounded person arrives covered in mud, such a wound may not be noticed. In this case, damage internal organs can be quite significant. As a result, the wounded man quietly arrives in a corner without any help - no blood is visible.
On the contrary, a knife bayonet causes profuse external bleeding. Such a wounded person will immediately be noticed and begin to fuss. Purely subconsciously, at the stage of triaging the wounded, the severity of the injury is determined precisely by the amount of blood.

By the way, it is precisely because of their “unconventionality” that needle bayonets are removed from Chinese-made SKS carbines when they are sold in the USA. This does not happen with Soviet-made SKS bayonets (knife bayonets).

Besides, a good bayonet was never a good knife, and a good knife was never a good bayonet. For example, the AK/AKM/AK-74 bayonet - degradation from mediocre to outright crap. Although in the style of the evolution of knife bayonets.

By the way, the knife bayonet gets stuck in the enemy...

GFO 04/16/2003 - 10:44

2 Flint
There is a decoder lying around somewhere on the forum. And about rifles of the “rifling-not-rifling” type, can you be more specific? Please! If you take photos, then you’ll end up with a complete asshole! Thank you in advance.
4 Vityaz
I don’t think that needle bayonets left the arena precisely for this reason. To deliver a damaging blow with a needle bayonet, you need sufficient accuracy. And the likelihood of being hit by a bladed bayonet is much greater. Plus bleeding. This is already about medicine. A guy is more likely to die from loss of blood from an extensive bayonet wound than to “succumb” to an infection. With the exception of some penetrating wounds (such as a wound to the liver). Plus the improvement of firearms (transferring the battle to long distances). Changing war strategy (WW1 trenches). All this entailed the transformation of the bayonet into a bayonet - a knife. Those. loading the bayonet with household functions. And used as a hand-to-hand weapon. Unfortunately, nothing is universal. A bayonet in skillful hands is a bayonet. A knife in skillful hands is a knife. AK bayonet knife for Soviet soldier. Everything is logical.

Feldwebel 04/16/2003 - 02:02

flint
To Feltfebel:

S terminologiey kak raz vse v poryadke. Zdes" (ya zhivu v Calgary) na severo-amerikanskom kontinente esche v XVIII century gospodstvuet nareznoe oruzhie, hotya zamki esche kremnevye. Y menya 2 ruzhya 50 calibra (octagon snaruzhi, 4 nareza vnutri. Eto dovol"no blizkie replici ruzhe y togo time) . Ya ne dumayu Rossiya otstavala. Naskol"ko mne izvestno Mushket M-1854 byl nareznym, oba Berdana, Krynka, Baranovskaya vintovka byli nareznymi. Pover"te, Mosinka voznikla ne na empty place.

We are not talking about the guns of huntsmen or trappers (Kentucky rifles, etc.). Hunting rifle known since the 16th century.
We are talking about weapons that are actually and massively used with a bayonet in battle. This means that we are referring to SMOOTHBORES guns of the line infantry, which in general, due to the tactical conditions of its use on the battlefield, did not use rifled weapons until the widespread use of breech-loading models. That is, until the 40s. 19th century. My objections related to an earlier period (see previous posts), but the models you listed are more recent.

Feldwebel 04/16/2003 - 02:06

GFO
I don’t think that needle bayonets left the arena precisely for this reason.

It was precisely because of inhumanity... The needle bayonet was banned by the Hague Convention, I don’t remember... in some twenty-something year.
The USSR did not participate in the signing of this document :-)))))

Vitiaz 04/16/2003 - 10:55

It is from the loss of blood that the wounded man will bleed quietly in a corner, moaning modestly and asking for a drink... He will bleed inside his loved one, WITHOUT SPILLING A DROP ON THE FLOOR.
When wounded with a needle bayonet, approximately the same effect occurs as when wounded with an awl. The tissues are not so much cut as they are moved apart. On the surface, vessels and tissues have bad habit close the wound and exclude superficial capillary bleeding, or make it insignificant. Inside, the picture may be completely different, with damage to the cavitary organs, intestines, great vessels, etc.

Internal bleeding is diagnosed either at autopsy, or during a CAREFUL examination based on indirect signs IF SUSPECTED. During the mass triage of the wounded, arriving in huge numbers from the battlefield, they will most likely primarily deal with bloodied, screaming people, rather than a quietly fading person in dirty uniform WITHOUT VISIBLE TRACES OF BLOOD AND OTHER DAMAGE.

When wounded with a knife bayonet, the intestines will dangle along the floor, the wounded person will scream and in other ways attract attention to himself. The wound will be of the shrapnel type - easy and understandable, any paramedic can handle it.

flint 04/17/2003 - 01:40

S udovol "stviem mogu sdelat" otdel "nuyu temku na predmet "sovremennye repliki chernoporohovyh ruzhey" ili chto-to v takom duhe. No tol"ko obyasnite mne ubogomu (a esche programmist!) how vy kartinki na server uploadite? Ili ya dolzhen vystavit" svoi linki?

Esli takaya ideya podoydet, dayte znat."

GFO 04/17/2003 - 11:55

4 Vityaz
Logically, I didn’t think about internal bleeding. Although the question of the humanity of a needle and blade bayonet is still the same. Like, is a rosette or a sharpening more dangerous? I remember there was such a top. In the right hands, both are dangerous. And the question of humanity is one of the aspects of the evolution of the bayonet. So the problem needs to be looked at holistically. I think so! (c) Thank you anyway - I enlightened you.
2 Flint
Extinguish! With great pleasure! If nothing is wrong, it means nothing is wrong! If you don’t fucking need the top, I’ll kill you first and keep it for yourself. Pictures are inserted simply. You are writing a message. You upload it to the server. Then you press Edit. You will see everything further! After all, a programmer must be a master!!! 😀 And pls use the transliteration. And then my eyes get cancer after your messages. 😛ipec:

Reaper 04/19/2003 - 01:22

That is why best weapon for a sniper - an infantry three-line rifle with an attached bayonet. The enemy hardly expects that when trying to capture a sniper, he will decide to use bayonets... 😛

And about internal bleeding - that's true. The main thing is that it’s not even too painful, i.e. the wounded man does not complain very actively and yells. But that doesn't make it any less deadly. Bayonet tactics included quick shot into an organ with many vessels (lungs, stomach, liver) and a quick rebound, since the enemy did not die immediately - according to A.V. Suvorov, “dead at the bayonet, scratching his neck with a saber.” 😀

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