Evening star., 1942-01-02

method for Withdrawing the steel
from an incumbent adversary.
Put both hands up high on the
gun, brace your feet and give
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 opponents
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. guess I'm the only guy who
ever lost fight to dummy.
He Gets Conked.
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. I recovered
knocked the swinging stick aside and
delivered my thrust. 1t wasn't hard
enough to 60 into the burlap-covered
body of the dummy and before I
could recover, the dummy's stick
swung back around and conked me
from behind.
The corporal looked a little dis
gusted.
First time that ever happened"
he admitted
Maybe I better stay here and let
the dummy run the course l sug-
gested.
The corporal wouldn't hear Of IT.,
He said there were some dummies
down the line that he was sure 1
could lick. So I backed up and
started over.
This time I parried the dummy's
weapon to the left and delivered a
high thrust. was fighting mad and
my bayonet came out on the other
side No dummy can get the best of
me twice in succession.
But Gets His Man.
NY initial success must have in
Inundated the next one. I galloped
up to it, parried to the left and
smacked it on the head with the
butt of my rife. There was gurg-
ling sound, but it was just the cor
poral expressing surprise at my up
set victory.
Il knew you could do it," he
shouted.
1 charged on uphill to point
where two fierce and determined
dummies awaited me- There is a
definite order in the way you run
the course. with a certain stroke to
be delivered on each dummy.
The first one, I parried left and
then delivered a high thrust at his
throat. I missed and for the second
time had to admit that dummy
had the best of me. But few feet
away, and to my right, there was
another opponent.
1 got this one good, with a low
thrust right through the middle. In
fact. the thrust was so good that l
couldn't get my bayonet out.
Ready to Call Truce.
If the dummies had been willing
I would have called a truce at this
point. I was out of breath and, in
addition to losing two out Of four
bouts, had nearly cut one ear of
myself. But the dummies, figuring
they had a good chance of victory,
refused to lay down their arms.
There was no alternative for an
honorable soldier. So charged on,
wheeling ferociously.
parried to the left on the next
one, swung the rifle around so as to
deliver the scheduled horizontal butt
stroke and saw the dummy crumple
under q vicious blow. I'm a terror
when aroused.
Up ahead, I could see the final
barrier. Three more dummies and
then I could resign from bayoneting,
permanently. I hoped
There was no holding me as I
charged at the first one in the
cluster of three. I brushed aside his
weapon, delivered q high thrust
which must have pierced half m
inch. I turned to meet the second
one and delivered q low thrust which
hurt.
As I was Withdrawing my weapon,
saw the third one-snarling angrily
and awaiting my thrust. pulled
the bayonet out. stepped over to the
di,rnno& and delivered an lnnprcllt.