Evening star., 1942-01-02
Scribe WieIds q Mean Boyonet
But Dummies EIude His labs
He's Ready to Call Truce After Toste
Of Trench Combat at Fort Belvoir

method for Withdrawing the steel
from an incumbent adversary.
Put both hands up high on the
gun, brace your feet and give a
quick pull. Be careful not to twist
the blade as you are pulling it out,
because If you hit some bones or
something you are liable to break
the bayonet. Then where would
you be?"
yeah. Where would I be?" I
agreed.
They have several bayonet courses
at Fort Belvoir. which the selectees
run. These consist of rows OF dunn
mics. The dummies have long sticks,
on hinges. standing out in front Of
them, representing the opponent's s
bayonet.
In order to get your blow in at the
dummy. you have to knock the pro-
tecting stick aside and then deliver
your thrust.
Well. l guess I'm the only guy who
ever lost a fight to dummy.
ne OetS SOnkcOs
I am charging up at the first one,
but my foot work wasn't so good
The first thing I knew, the dummy
had bayoneted me. l recovered
knocked the swinging stick aside and
delivered my thrust. 1t wasn't hard
enough to go into the burlap-covered
body of the dummy and before ]
could recover, the dummy's stick
swung back around and conked me
from behind.
The corpral looked a little dis
gusted.
First time that ever happened,
he admitted.
Maybe 1 better stay here and let
the dummy run the course" I sug-
gested.
The corporal wouldn't hear of 1t
He said there were some dummie:
down the line that he was sure
could lick. So I backed up ane
started over.
This time I parried the dummy!
weapon to the left and delivered
high thrust. I was fighting mad ane
my bayonet came out on the othel
side. No dummy can get the best o
me twice in succession.
But Gets His Man.
NV initial success must have In
Inundated the next one gallopet
up to it, parried to the left ant
smacked 1t on the head with tn
butt Of my rifle. There was q gurg
ling sound, but 1t was rust the cor
poral expressing surprise at my up
set victory.
Il knew you could do it," h
shouted.
charged on uphill to a poin
where two fierce and determined
dummies awaited me. There Is
definite order in the way you rul
the course, with q certain stroke t
be delivered on each dummy.
The first one, I parried left an
then delivered a high thrust at hi
throat. I missed and for the secon'
time had to admit that q DUNN
had the best of me. But a few fee
away, and to my right, there wa
another opponent.
I got this one good, with a loy
thrust right through the middle. Il
fact. the thrust was so good that
. couldn't get my bayonet out.
!, Ready to Call Truce.
If the dummies had been willint
I would have called a truce at thi
point. I was out of breath and, il
: addition to losing two out Of fou
bouts, I had nearly cut one ear o1
, myself. But the dummies, flgurin
l they had a good chance of victor,
. refused to lay down their arms.
) There was no alternative for .
. honorable soldier. So I charged OF
, wheeling ferociously.
5 1 parried to the left on the mex
one, swung the rifle around so as
deliver the scheduled horizontal but
, stroke and saw the dummy crumpl
. under a vicious blow. I'm terro
|, when aroused.
Up ahead, I could see the fini
barrier. Three more dummies an
then could resign from bayonetinl
permanently. I hoped.
There WAS no holding me Is
charged at the first one in tt
cluster Of three. I brushed aside h
| weapon, delivered . high thru
which must have pierced half .
inch. I turned to meet the secon
one and delivered q Low thrust whic
hurt.
As was Withdrawing NY weapol
saw the third one-snarling angri
and awaiting my thrust. I pulle
the bayonet out. stepped over to Il
dummy and delivered IN uppereaat.
This was The stoutest blow of Z