The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-06-26
sy EDWARD D. cLARk.


order was issued, or an intimation was
given that II was to be issued, that the
recruits Of the new American army
would be taught the British bayonet
drill instead of that which has been
In use In the American armies for
good many years. The reason Is quite
plain.
The lessons Of the present war, In
which there has been IN immense
amount of hand-to-hsnd fighting, have
taught the British that new feints and
cuts and thrusts with the bayOnet-
tipped rifle are an essential to success.
The war has brought good many
changes in fighting methods. and the
change In the use Of. the bayonet has
not been the least OF them.
Field guns and the bayOnet will
win the war for America and for Its
allies"
This Is the word frequently spoken
by army men In Washington. OF
course, 1t takes no thought of the pos
sibility Of success Of the German sub
marine campaign, nor Of the possible
ity Of great German naval victory,
for these two results, vital from the
German point of view, are considered
SO remote of accomplishment that they
do not enter into the military mans
calculations.
sayonet by No Means Obsolete.
1t was only a few years ago that the
military authorities of the world came
to think that the bayonet as weapon
Of offense was becoming obsolete.
There has been complete reversal of
opinion. The British. and the French
have won many II trench and many n
hand-to-hand conflict in the open by
the use of the bayOnet. BayOnets are
gruesome weapons, but they quickly
put an end to an opponents ambition
to fight II he finds that he Is out
pointed by HIS adversary In the use OF
this particular implement Of warfare.
When the present war began an
American who had seen service In the
regular army, and who during the time
had been instructor of recruits, said
that soon reports would begin to come
in that the German troops did not
like the bayonet." The German army
drove Its way into France and there
was comparatively little opportunity
for a few weeks to judge Of the COM
parative merits Of the men Of the OPP
posing armies as bayonet fighters. AZ
ter the battle of the Marne hand-to-
hand fighting became more common,
and us the British and the French ad-
vanced the bayOnet came more and
more into use. The prediction Of the
American soldier was borne out. FIRE.
Quent cable messages said: "The Ger
mans do not like the bayOnet."
1t is only due to an enemy to shy
that the German Is just rs brave as
any other fighting man. The reason
for his dislike Of the bayOnet is that
he has been trained to fight, not as an
individual, but rs part of machine.
He is taught the bayonet exercise. but
the machine-like movement Is evident
in his use of parry, thrust, lunge and
butt to the front.
why Nermane OiSItke "
The man who In the American
army had instructed recruits In the
bayonet exercise gave his reasons
for saying that the German would be
found to be "shy" when bayonet met
bayonet. He said that In the day that
he taught recruits In the American
army there were no restrictions on en-
listments except physical restrictions,
and that among men entering the serv-
ice were many recently landed Ger
mans who had served their time In the
army Of the empire.
1t was found that II was difficult
to teach the German recruits the use
Of the bayonet SO that they could
handle the WEAPON with the lightning
like speed that the man Of virtually
every other nation GOULD handle II.
The German was always a fraction of
second late. He came to "a guard
without any of the litheness of the
men of other nationalities, and while
he tented and thrust and lunged per-
fectly so far as movement was con-
''ih'h' 'hNAN was an SLOW
ness about the thing which would be
deadly in conflict.
OF course, the Germans in the Amer
lean army soon overcame the results
of their machne-like training abroad,
but II took time to make them as ex-
pert as their comrades OF other nations
were, When a man realizes that his op-
ponent in Il hand-to-hand conflict with
the bayonet is his superior In quick
ness, he loses heart and, losing heart,
loses the fight.
The American troops are to be
taught the use of the bayonet and they
will be taught it in large sense indi-
vidualH. Individual instruction Is one
OF the marked methods of the Ameri-
can service. II gives man initiative.
self-rellance, aggressiveness. and a
spirit which no other kind Of instruc-
tion can give him. The American sol.
diers, with the form OF instruction
which they receive, supplemented nv