Elizabeth,
I think you'll find that the (relative) absence of gunshot wounds, and the
presence of 'complete ammo units' amongst the battlefield dead of WWI may
have had a bit more to do with ARTILLERY, rather than bayonets.
Where to learn it?: You could start by reading a few books on the War.
As an interesting sidebar, in the American Civil War, less than one percent
- I've also read 'less that one tenth of one percent' - of all battlefield
wounds were inflicted by bladed weapons, including the bayonet. Once again,
artillery (including canister), enfilades and fusilades were popular as
methods of mass annihilation.
Damian
on 16/9/03 11:45 PM, Elizabeth Nolan at [log in to unmask] wrote:
> "Soldiers have to learn to kill" sounds cryptic but in fact most
> soldiers are civilians not too interested in military warfare, but
> other activities.
>
> WW1 had hand to hand combat with bayonets used. Soldiers who were
> found dead often had complete ammo units, they had never fired a shot.
> I don't think this is folklore but rather real info, followed by
> efforts to teach soldiers about killing and then later the deprograming
> Where I learned it? Don't recall.
>
> Older movies are fascinating because they are not polluted or diluted
> by everyone's distorted perceptions of reality by what they see in
> movies and on TV.
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