The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-08-30
CHANGE TACTICS
OF BAYONET TO
FIT MODERN WAR
Sergt. w. H. Abendroth,
u. S. A., in Boise to
Arouse Interest in the
Military Training at
University of Idaho.

university OF 1O0nO,
While the old style bayonet prac
tlce devoted some time in methods
of retreat, the present day teachiine
OF this subject is all punch ahead,
remarked Sergt, w. H. Abendroth
assistant instructor in military tao.
tics at the University of Idaho. He
has recently returned from a course
IN intensive training in tactics given
at San Francisco and being an officer
OF the old school-an expert marks
man-the new methods have greatly
interested him.
I'VE have to be taught pretty
waltz methods of jumping aside this
way and that to avoid thrusts," said
the sergeant. 1T looked pretty when
the bayonet glistened in the sun but
there's nothing in that line in this
war. It's go ahead never back up,
and even after you get your man
down, the instructions are to hit him
with the butt of the gun or punch
him with the bayonet.''
Shows French Outfit
Sergeant Abendorth is in the CITY
in the interest Of the military train
Ing department of the university.
| He has with him complete trench
outfit with the exception of the gas
mask; these are too much in demand
to even spare one, the department
wrote him.
This trench outfit is displayed in
the window of the Sampson Music
company, where it attracts much at
ton. Complete, it weighs seventy
two pounds. The sergeant says in
training man they start him out
first with simply the blanket and the
cloth scabbards for the several arti
Giles, and gradually each article is
added until the would-be soldier is
hnally carrying the full seventy-two
and half pounds without knowing
it.
Some Important Items
The heaviest articles are the
trench shovel, pick and Ratchet.
The two most interesting are the
periscope and the hand grenade.
The former is much smaller than
one would think from the movie"
pictures. 1t is about sixteen inches
high and about three inches square.
A simple little thing, the effect when
looking thru it is almost uncanny.
The working of the hand grenade
is explained technically by the serg-
cant. 1t explodes in four seconds
after the cap has been touched off,
and the thrower counts two before
he throws it.
How GrenadeS are Thrown
Il watched them practice with |
these grenades against cement wall |
at Frisco and l would have declared |
they waited five minutes before they
thew. l never heard such slow
counting, the suspense is so great,
Once they throw the grenade they
drop to the ground to escape the scat
tering of the pieces which might
strike them. They are not thrown
like baseball, but describe. a half
circle, the aim being to have them ex-
olode at just about the height of a
mans head, since all bursting shells
thrust downward"
Why English Guns
The gun used in the outfit is an
English Enfield rifle, bored to fit the
American cartridge. The use of the
english gun is explained by the SER
5eant in this way. When America
declared war the munitions factories
we're all engaged in making guns for
he English and it would have taken
10 much time to have changed all
he machinery that contracts were !,
made for limited number of Eng
ish guns. They are for 1920 cart
1dge and are three one-hundths
mailer than the American, so all d,
hat was necessary was to bore them
trifle larger.
Just Like Home" =
The cooking utensils of the soldier :
n the trenches are interesting. The y
Office can contains coffee in one end .
nd sugar, also place for salt and :
epper in the other. The coffee cup :,
lso serves as the holder to remove l.
he hot coffee cup from the fire. The y
heat container is also used as .
oiling kettle in which to cook DO
atoes or boil meat The aluminium =
anteen for water is carried in :.
added case, W hich when wet. keeps =
ne water cold on the theory of the y
Id Mexican water carriers. The =
luminum plate is also a frying pan. -
The steel helmet, which weight #
vo and half pounds, is camou- =
aged with brown paint and rough y
ned so that it closely resebmled a :,
nj \ s,rk