- Blurb -
Although muskets delivered devastating projectiles at comparatively long ranges, their slow rate of fire left the soldier very vulnerable while reloading, and early muskets were useless for close-quarter fighting. Consequently, European infantry regiments of the 17th century were composed of both musketeers and pikemen, who protected the musketeers while loading but also formed the shock component for close-quarter combat. The development of the flintlock musket produced a much less cumbersome and faster-firing firearm. When a short knife was stuck into its muzzle, every soldier could be armed with a missile weapon as well as one that could be used for close combat. The only disadvantage was that the musket could not be loaded or fired while the plug bayonet was in place. The socket bayonet solved this problem and the musket/bayonet combination became the universal infantry weapon from c. 1700 to c. 1870. The advent of shorter rifled firearms saw the attachment of short swords to rifle barrels. Their longer blades still gave the infantryman the ' reach' that contemporaries believed he needed to fend off cavalry attacks. The perfection of the small-bore magazine rifle in the 1890s saw the bayonet lose its tactical importance, becoming smaller and more knife-like, a trend that continued in the world wars. When assault rifles predominated from the 1950s onwards, the bayonet became a weapon of last resort. Its potential usefulness continued to be recognized, but its blade was often combined with an item with some additional function, most notably a wire-cutter. Ultimately, for all its fearsome reputation as a visceral, close-quarter fighting weapon, the bayonet' s greatest impact was actually as a psychological weapon. Featuring full-colour artwork as well as archive and close-up photographs, this is the absorbing story of the complementary weapon to every soldier' s firearm from the army of Louis XIV to modern-day forces in all global theatres of conflict.
- Titles in the Series -
"Trapdoor" Springfield, The: From the Little Bighorn to San Juan Hill
Anti-Tank Rifle, The
Arisaka Rifle, The
Bayonet, The
British Sniping Rifles since 1970: L42A1, L96A1 and L115A3
Browning High-Power Pistol, The
Crossbow, The
Early Military Rifles: 1740-1850
FN MAG Machine Gun, The: M240, L7, and Other Variants
G3 Battle Rifle, The
Hotchkiss Machine Guns: From Verdun to Iwo Jima
Infantry Antiaircraft Missiles: Man-Portable Air Defense Systems
Luger, The
M4 Carbine, The
Medieval Longsword, The
PIAT, The: Britain's Anti-Tank Weapon of World War II
Sniping Rifles in World War I
Sniping Rifles on the Eastern Front 1939-45
Soviet Machine Guns of World War II
Soviet Pistols: Tokarev, Makarov, Stechkin and others
Spatha, The: The Roman Long Sword
Suomi Submachine Gun, The
Walther Pistols: PP, PPK and P 38
Weapon: Sterling Submachine Gun, The
Weapon: Weapons of the Samurai
Weapon: Weapons of the US Special Operations Command
Weapons of the Civil War Cavalryman
Weapons of the Viking Warrior
- Author Bio -
Bill Harriman is Director of Firearms at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, and appears regularly on British television as part of the team of experts on the BBC' s Antiques Roadshow program. A former Territorial Army officer with 18 years' service, he is also a forensic scientist dealing with cases involving firearms, ammunition and other weapons. Adam Hook studied graphic design, and began his work as an illustrator in 1983. He specializes in detailed historical reconstructions, and has illustrated Osprey titles on subjects as diverse as the Aztecs, the Ancient Greeks, Roman battle tactics, several 19th-century American subjects, the modern Chinese Army, and a number of books in the Fortress series. His work features in exhibitions and publications throughout the world. He lives in East Sussex, UK. Born in Malaya in 1949, Alan Gilliland spent 18 years as the graphics editor of the Daily Telegraph, winning 19 awards in that time. He now writes, illustrates and publishes fiction (www. ravensquill. com), as well as illustrating for a variety of publishers (alangillilandillustration. blogspot. com). He lives in Lincolnshire, UK.
- Full Details -
Status: | Active |
ISBN-13: | 9781472845368 |
Published: | 15 Apr 2021 |
Published In: | United Kingdom |
Imprint: | Osprey Publishing |
Publisher: | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
Format: | Paperback |
Height: | 248mm |
Width: | 184mm |
Pages: | 80 |
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