Cossack dagger bebut. Caucasian dagger bebut Caucasian dagger bebut

In the old days in the Caucasus, a newborn boy was given a dagger. Growing children were taught to handle weapons, use them for defense and attack. The man should not have parted with him; at any moment he should have been ready to defend his honor and the honor of his family. At all times, the Caucasian dagger has been a symbol of strength, courage and dignity.

Making a Caucasian dagger is a complex and labor-intensive process. In ancient times, blades were traditionally made from three types of steel:

• alkhana - the strongest steel of the blade, the backing was made from it;
• dugalala - the softest steel for the manufacture of the main part;
• Antushka – special durable steel, from which the blade of the blade was made.

All three metals were sandwiched and heated, after which long work on the anvil gave birth to a new blade. It was ground, sharpened, baked and hardened, after which all that remained was to make the handle and sheath.

Handles and scabbards for Caucasian daggers

The handle was made of walrus bone or horn. The mounted handle, made of solid horn or bone, was attached with several rivets to the tail of the blade. Overlay - made of two plates of horn or bone, which were placed on the tail on both sides and connected with washers and rivets. The handles were decorated with applied metal elements.

Metal handles were also common. They could also be composed of several elements - linings, washers, rivets and all-metal - from a metal base and several rivets to attach the handle to the blade strip.

To prevent the blade from dulling, the scabbard was cut out of wood, and the outside was covered with leather, which, like the handle, was decorated with metal plates. The scabbard, as a rule, was made taking into account the possibility of attaching to a belt, both on the right and on the left. Firstly, taking into account whether a person is right-handed or left-handed, and secondly, many rich people could afford to carry two blades to demonstrate their wealth, and swap them at will.

There are two main types of blades. These are Kama and Bebut - their difference is in the shape of the blade.

Kama

Kama is a straight combat dagger. Its blades are parallel to each other. Towards the edge they narrow sharply and become a point. In the middle there is a kind of stiffening rib, on the sides of it there are two grooves - valleys, designed to reduce the total weight of the product. However, this is only a standard shape; many specimens had other shapes, such as two stiffeners and three fullers, three stiffeners and four fullers, or one stiffener and one off-center fuller.

Both blades are equally sharpened. The main purpose of this type of bladed weapon is to stab, so its cutting properties are somewhat exaggerated by those who say that they are razor-sharp. And attempts by modern craftsmen to correct “mistakes” and sharpen the blade only lead to damage to the weapon.

The dimensions of the Caucasian dagger affect its cutting and chopping properties. While maintaining ideal piercing properties, the blades can be more or less adapted to other types of blows.

• Small 25-30 cm - not intended for slashing.
• The average 33-40 cm is the most versatile model, which can equally be used for both cutting and chopping blows.
• Large 45-60 cm - not intended for cutting blows.

In addition, each nation has its own characteristics of the blades of Caucasian daggers:

1. Azerbaijani - had a rich ornament, both on the weapon itself and on the handle and sheath. These are arches, curlicues of branches, stylized leaves.
2. Armenian ones are distinguished by an elongated head of the handle.
3. Georgian ones are usually wider and shorter. These are the most powerful of the Caucasian blades.
4. Dagestan ones are considered the best. They, like the Armenian ones, have an elongated handle head. They are elegant and well made.

Bebut

Bebut - a combat dagger with curved blade. Only the curved side was sharpened sharply.

It is worth noting that among ancient weapons It is quite rare, unlike Kama. And those rare samples that can be analyzed belonged to the wealthy class. They were not used every day, but only as an attribute - a sign of wealth.

They became widespread first world war. The Russian army equipped artillerymen and machine gunners with them. The fact is that this type of bladed weapon had excellent cutting properties. It became a good replacement for the army cleaver, playing the role of a piercing weapon and an entrenching tool. After all, all artillery moved with the help of horses, and people had a constant need for a universal improvised device.

Despite the fact that, as a rule, Caucasian daggers were not sharpened like a razor, there are some very expensive, exclusive specimens that were truly super-quality. These weapons were made from welded damask steel or Damascus, which had special manufacturing technologies and were very durable and sharp. They were made only on individual orders by several craftsmen and had a very high cost.

With blades Caucasian peoples many connected interesting traditions, customs and beliefs. They have firmly entered into the culture and become an integral image of the Caucasian man.

The soldier's dagger "Bebut" (a curved soldier's dagger of the 1907 model) was adopted by the Russian Imperial Army in 1907 by order No. 287 of the Military Department. The production of daggers was established at the Zlatoust arms factory.
The main purpose of the Bebut dagger was to replace the saber in cases where its use was limited due to cramped conditions. Its length made it possible to confidently use the dagger when chopping. The slight curvature did not interfere with piercing actions. The double-edged nature of the blade and the symmetry of the handle made it possible to perform cutting and secting actions with different grips.

The Bebut soldier's dagger has a slightly curved steel blade with two fullers on each side. The shaped handle is made of wood, narrowed in the middle part. The handle consists of cheeks secured with two rivets. The top rivet also holds the metal sleeve in place. The wooden scabbard is painted black or covered with leather and has a metal device consisting of a mouth, a bracket with a ring and a tip. Using the ring, the sheath is suspended from the waist belt. The number of the military unit was stamped on the sleeve of the handle and scabbard.
On foot, the Bebut dagger was worn on the belt on the left near the belt buckle, and on horseback it was moved to the left side.

The adoption of the Bebut dagger into service by the lower ranks of artillery was caused by the arrival of new rapid-fire guns into the army in 1902. The work intensity of the personnel operating the gun increased significantly, and the authorized artillery piece did not allow for quick actions. The commission of the Main Artillery Directorate, considering the issue of rearmament of artillerymen, issued a unanimous conclusion that the artillery bomb was unsatisfactory. 25 out of 30 people supported the introduction of the dagger. The main arguments against the dagger were: the lack of a tradition of owning daggers in the Russian army (except in the Caucasus), limited combat capabilities dagger, lack of functions of an entrenching tool.
As an alternative to the Bebut dagger, a shortened cleaver with a saw on the butt or an ax were offered.

The command considered the arguments against the dagger serious and rearmament was postponed.
In 1907, the Bebut dagger replaced checkers for all gendarmes except sergeants.
Since 1908, Bebut has been in service with junior ranks of machine gun teams.
In 1909, by order of the Military Department No. 187 of May 17, the Bebut dagger replaced checkers for all lower ranks of artillery troops, except horse and horse-mountain artillery, sergeants and fireworks in field foot, mountain and park artillery and trumpeters in foot artillery departments .
In 1910, the Bebut dagger was adopted by the lower ranks of mounted reconnaissance infantry regiments.
Since 1910, bebuts were again replaced by checkers among the lower ranks of the gendarmes.

The soldier's dagger "Bebut" was in service with the Russian Imperial Army until the 1917 revolution. By decision of the congress of heads of external security departments of the KVD KSSO, from August 13, 1918, “Bebut” was in service with foot police officers (revolutionary guards), mounted officers were armed with a saber, and also had limited use in the infantry units of the Red Army.

Characteristics of the soldier's dagger (bebut) model 1907:
Total length, mm: up to 600;
Blade length, mm: about 440;
Blade width, mm: 35;
Weight, g: up to 750

Descended from the Caucasian peaks unique weapon bebut. This dagger came here from Iran. A is a blade curved and sharp on both sides, which could reach 50 cm.

This weapon was so good that already in 1907 they began to arm the Russian army with it. This acceptance was made official, according to the War Department. Of course, there were opponents of such an innovation. However, the old saber could no longer cope with its tasks. It was not possible to conduct an active and very fast battle with its help.

Only a part of the representatives of the Artillery Department spoke out against the bebut daggers. The arguments varied. Among them is the lack of skills and abilities to use a dagger in battle, and some limitation of the capabilities of this weapon. However, other alternative weapons were completely rejected.

Already in 1910, almost all army troops were armed with new bebuts. The main goal This dagger was a replacement for the usual saber. It could be used in those limited conditions where the checker was useless.

Bebut's dagger was not long. This made it easy to use for slashing attacks. Due to the fact that the dagger is not too curved, it could also be used for piercing actions. Since the blade is symmetrical and perfectly sharpened with different sides, it could be used in any case, in a wide variety of fights.

By official documents, the army was armed with this blade until 1917. Although many police and security representatives still used it for a long time. It is interesting that since 1918, mounted law enforcement officers again armed themselves with sabers.

The bebuk itself was made exclusively from strong steel. It is slightly curved and has narrow valleys on each side. The comfortable handle has a curly shape, and it is very narrow in the middle.

The handle of the dagger is applied, and the craftsmen made it from wood painted black. It consisted of two halves, which folded and were fixed with special rivets.

The scabbard for the bebut was also made of wood. However, they were covered with high-quality genuine leather. On the scabbard, as well as on the hilt of the dagger, they put the number of the unit where this or that soldier served.

Bebuts were produced in Russia and weighed 750 grams. Moreover, its total length with the handle was about 600 mm. But the blade extended to 440 mm.

Bebut, as a weapon, was very often mentioned in both literature and cinema. L.A. Kassil did not ignore him in his works. His young sailors fought the Germans. It is mentioned as a sea blade. Of course, there are suggestions that the author meant by bebut a completely different version of the weapon.

Even the writer Shtokman I.G. mentioned childhood memories in his story “The Yards”. Again here he said that the sailors were armed with the bebut. They used this special sea knife.

Even Alexei Tolstoy handed bebutas to his heroes - the sailors. They used them to fight the horsemen. Here the writer already says that the dagger has a unique curved shape. And the battles here took place exactly in 1918, which fits the time when these weapons were used.

Even in the film about the war of 1812, “Squadron of Flying Hussars,” there is a mention of the Russian bebut, which soldiers wore in their boots.

When the battles took place during the Great Patriotic War, bebuts were also actively used. However, at that time they already had a completely different name, HP-40. They were worn and used only by Marines.

And in “Two Lives,” where the action takes place in 1917, the entire machine-gun regiment was equipped with these bebuts. Of course, at that time this dagger was of great importance to warriors.

Bebut 1912. 136 Taganrog Infantry Regiment.

Let’s not argue: the Ka-bar is an excellent knife, which has been proving for decades that it occupies a leading place among the world’s elite of survival knives.
He's not the only one.

But there was one knife in the history of Russia that was more widespread than all large knives combined. Unfairly forgotten and stopped in development. The first knife officially adopted into service Russian units special purpose.

Caucasian dagger bebut

Bebut is a type of Persian double-edged dagger with a curved blade about 50 centimeters long without a guard. Unlike a straight dagger, the “kama” was moved to the hip when mounted on a horse. There is an opinion that it was from the method of wearing that it got its name (“bek” in Turkic: leg, thigh). Bebut and Kama came to Russia through the Caucasus, where they became widespread and became national weapons.

Naturally, Caucasian daggers also appeared in Russian troops, first as trophies, then as a completely convenient universal blade.

Crooked daggers have come to Russia before, bypassing the Caucasus along Central Asian trade routes. But they were viewed more as objects of art. Richly decorated with carvings, gold, precious stones, daggers could not fall into the hands of the military and become completely everyday edged weapons.

Cossack with bebut

No one claims that Bebut directly won the minds of the absolute majority of the Russian military. But it was he who received the widest distribution in all types of troops Russian Empire. It was used by Cossacks, hussars, infantrymen and even sailors. Yes, even sailors.

Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy in the work “Gloomy Morning” (June 22, 1941) (3rd book of “Walking in Torment”) gives bebuts into the hands of sailors: “...Latugin, naked to the waist, screamed hoarsely, was the first to rush with a crooked dagger - bebutom and thrust him under a dial-up belt into a black Cossack beshmet... Zaduyviter fell under the horse, with annoyance tore open his belly and, before the rider had time to slide to the ground, hit him too bebutom..."

In 1907, by order No. 287 of the Military Department, the bebut (a curved soldier's dagger of the 1907 model) was adopted by the Russian army.

The adoption of the bebut into service by the lower ranks of the artillery was caused by the arrival of new rapid-fire guns into the army in 1902. The work intensity of the personnel operating the gun increased significantly, and the authorized artillery piece did not allow for quick actions.

The need for its adoption was due to the fact that
- with an increase in the rate of fire of the guns, the checker increasingly interfered with the artillery ranks in rapid movements near the guns.
- the saber often caused accidents in the horse artillery, falling into the wheels of the guns, since the ranks of the horse artillery were forced to constantly dismount and sit on horseback.
- it was impossible to leave numbers without weapons at all - the soldier must have psychological confidence that he is armed.

The commission of the Main Artillery Directorate, considering the issue of rearmament of artillerymen, issued a unanimous conclusion that the artillery bomb was unsatisfactory. 25 out of 30 people supported the introduction of the dagger. The main arguments against the dagger were:
- lack of tradition of owning daggers in the Russian army (except in the Caucasus),
- limited combat capabilities of the dagger,
— lack of entrenching tool functions.

As an alternative to the bebut, a shortened cleaver with a saw on the butt or an ax were offered. As a result, the bebut was chosen - both as a short enough weapon so as not to lead to accidental losses from getting hit by wheels, and as a weapon that can be quite confidently used in chopping, i.e. possessing real fighting qualities.

In 1907, checkers were replaced with bebut for all gendarmes except sergeants. Since 1908, the bebut has been in service with junior ranks of machine gun teams. In 1909, by order of the Military Department No. 187 of May 17 (4 old style), bebut replaced checkers for all lower ranks of artillery troops, except for horse and horse-mountain artillery, sergeants and fireworks in field foot, mountain and park artillery and trumpeters in departments of foot artillery, cavalry regimental reconnaissance of the imperial army. In 1910, it was adopted by the lower ranks of mounted reconnaissance infantry regiments.

Since 1910, bebuts were again replaced by checkers among the lower ranks of the gendarmes.

But the Cossacks did not officially receive a uniform bebut. But the Cossacks are a different story altogether.

The officer bebut also did not appear, although it was among cavalry officers that the bebut became especially popular during the Kakvkazian War. Officers bought daggers with their own money, mostly of Persian origin. Richly decorated daggers, of course, were not used when cutting down trees, but they often found a place as an additional blade during battle.

On foot, the bebut was worn on the belt on the left near the belt buckle, and on horseback, it was moved to the left side.

The main purpose of the bebut is to serve as a replacement for the checker, where its use is limited by cramped conditions. Its length made it possible to confidently use the dagger when chopping. The slight curvature did not interfere with piercing actions. The double-edged nature of the blade and the symmetry of the handle made it possible to perform cutting and secting actions with different grips. The Bebut was officially in service until the 1917 revolution, but was actually used much longer. So, for example, the bebut was in service with foot police officers (revolutionary guards) from August 13, 1918, by decision of the congress of heads of external security departments of the KVD KSSO (mounted officers were armed with a saber).

Lev Abramovich Kassil in his work "My Dear Boys" (1944) writes that these same boys slaughtered the Nazis " sea ​​knives- bebuts." There is an opinion that the author meant a cadet broadsword, which had nothing to do with the bebut. In the Navy, the wearing of broadswords by cadets of higher naval schools was introduced on January 1, 1940, i.e. just before the war. But it is simply impossible to confuse a one-meter straight broadsword and a half-meter bebut.

3rd year naval school cadet with broadsword

Igor Georgievich Shtokman in his work “Yards” describes a picture he saw in childhood: “...But our sailor was already hanging over him, this officer, raising his hand with a “bebut” cleaver, Marines. The cap's ribbons, their ends are in the teeth, the vest is visible through the black uniform open on the wide chest, and the sailor's cleaver is about to plunge into the throat of the enemy. Before the fascist has time to reach his “parabellum”, the khan will be his!..” Again, Bebut is associated with sailors.

The left photo shows a motorist. They were also armed with bebuts.

Characteristics of the Bebut model 1907

The blade is steel, slightly curved, with two narrow fullers on each side. The handle is figured, narrow in the middle part. Installation of the handle: wooden cheeks, painted black, riveted with two brass rivets. The top rivet also holds the brass bushing in place. The scabbard is wooden, covered with leather, with a metal device. The device consists of a mouth, a bracket with a ring for a cord, on which the dagger is suspended from the waist belt, and a tip (toe) ending in a ball. The number of the military unit was stamped on the scabbard and hilt.

Crooked soldier dagger (bebut) model 1907
Country of origin: Russia
Total length, mm up to 600
Blade length, mm about 440
Blade width, mm 35
Weight, g up to 750

They were produced at various factories and weapons factories. Artinsky, Izhevsky and Zlatoust editions of bebuts are found in collections to this day. The rarest are the Artinsky bebuts.

Artinsky plant stamp

There were no decorations for the soldier's bebut. In 1912, the design was changed - clips appeared on the hilt, and military markings were already placed on them.

Early, before 1912, soldier's bebuts

and later.

You will laugh, but the famous Latvian riflemen also armed themselves with soldiers’ bebuts.

Today it is quite possible to purchase a soldier's bebut produced by the leading knife factories of modern Russia.

Plastun knife and bebut of the Don Arms Factory

They produce bebut Kizlyar no worse.

And now about the sad thing.
In pursuit of pseudo-historicity, knife factories stopped developing the bebut as a universal blade used for both cutting and chopping. The same wooden plates on the handle do not make the grip comfortable. Over the past 20 years of Russian development, it would be possible to come up with a comfortable handle and test it in the forest. A good modern survival knife could work.
The Plastunsky knife, created according to historical motives, is especially loved modern Cossacks, really convenient, cuts great, but too small for cutting branches.