The tetrahedral bayonet of the Russian army - history of origin. Russian needle tetrahedral bayonet

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Russian tsarist army demonstrated the power of the bayonet to the whole world. Currently, these edged weapons are still in service with the Russian Army, but these are completely different models designed to perform more universal tasks.

General information about bayonets

A rifle bayonet is a bladed weapon, the main purpose of which is to defeat the enemy with a powerful piercing blow in hand-to-hand combat. The weapon is attached to the muzzle of a rifle, shotgun, carbine or machine gun. Depending on the type, all bayonets can be divided into the following groups:

Faceted or needle bayonets. Unlike bladed models, these weapons were small in size and easily hit enemy bodies. While bayonet attacks played a huge role on the battlefield, this bayonet was out of competition, but with the advent of machine guns, it lost its position;
Bladed bayonets. A typical example of such a weapon would be a bayonet from a Kalashnikov assault rifle. It allowed not only to chop, but also to stab. In addition, with the help of a bayonet knife you can perform a lot of different chores.

All weapons of this type are divided into categories depending on the method of attachment:

To the tip of the fore-end and to the stock ring at the same time;
To the trunk;
Be removable or non-removable;
Folding.

Currently, folding bayonets are considered the most advanced modification, but they should soon disappear completely.

Rifle bayonet: history of development

The bayonet weapon is a direct descendant of the combat pike, which in turn is the last round of the evolution of the spear. Before the advent of the first firearms, edged weapons were the main weapon of infantry. When entire detachments armed with muskets appeared, edged weapons gradually began to lose their position. But since the musket needed a long reload, detachments of pikemen were given to help the musketeers. The life of a soldier with a pike was short, since he could only fight in close combat, so these units gradually disappeared.

Since after the shot the shooter was practically unarmed, he needed a specific weapon that would not interfere with his ability to wield a firearm. This is how the first samples of baguinettes appeared - long blades that were inserted directly into the barrel of a musket. This weapon interfered with reloading, but in the conditions of a fleeting battle it coped well with its duties.

In 1699, the first bayonets appeared, which did not interfere with the reloading process at all. Soon these weapons almost completely replaced pikes from the battlefield.

The first bayonets were faceted and had a tubular mount. The classic Russian bayonet, which was glorified by the great commander Suvorov, belongs to precisely this variety. In addition, these edged weapons come in the following varieties:

Bayonets with a tube with and without slots;
Tube bayonets with lock;
Tubular without clamps;
Bayonets that are attached with clamps;
Bayonets with clamps of a screw design;
Bayonets with latches.

In addition to faceted bayonets, a completely different group developed - cleaver bayonets. This weapon was more functional, although in battle the same Russian bayonet was significantly superior to them in speed and maneuverability.

German bayonets of two world wars of the 20th century

Before the outbreak of World War I, Germany was the leader in the production of rifle bayonets. German weapons of this type were distinguished by a huge variety of models, which can be seen in rare surviving photographs of those years. The most popular bayonet was the 98-05 model, which was represented by bayonet knives. This weapon was significantly different from the same Russian bayonets of the Tsarist and Soviet armies.

This weapon proved to be so successful that German soldiers used them not only in the First, but also in the Second. world war. Due to the fact that these bayonets were forged from high-quality metal, many models of those years have survived to this day.

The famous bayonet for the Mosin rifle

The first bayonets for the Mosin rifle appeared before the start of the First World War. If you look up the archival documents of those years, you can see that initially it was proposed to make the Mosin bayonet a knife type. However, supporters of classic needle weapons managed to insist on the old design. Mosin rifles continued to be produced in the USSR after the Civil War, with several bayonet upgrades.

It should be noted that in the USSR they mainly modernized the bayonet mount, leaving its shape unchanged. During the Great Patriotic War bayonets with knife or even dagger blades appeared, but these were homemade.

By the mid-1930s, the Soviet command decided that the future belonged to blade-type bayonets, and the new SVT-38 rifle received a knife bayonet, which was clearly made based on the German model 98-05. Looking at the German army, the government decided that the bayonet for the new rifle should be worn on the belt, put on the weapon only when necessary.

Indeed, weapons with automatic reloading did not need a blade constantly attached to it. Nevertheless, the bayonet turned out to be quite formidable and long. Tests have shown that such a length is not needed, so the modernized SVT-40 rifle received a shorter detachable bayonet. The Second World War also showed that it was too early to write off bayonets - sometimes soldiers still had to make a bayonet attack.

SKS bayonet and its features

After the end of the Second World War, the Simonov self-loading carbine was adopted by the USSR army. The results of the Second World War showed that the removable bayonet-knife has some disadvantages, so they decided to equip the new weapon with a folding, permanent bayonet that does not interfere with transportation. SKS bayonets were produced in two types: needle and knife. This mounting design has not yet been used in the history of Russian weapons, so there were many opponents of folding models.

However, it was impossible not to agree with the statements of the designers, who argued that detachable bayonets were practically useless in a sudden hand-to-hand attack. Also, the folding design was safe both for the shooter and for the people around him.

AKM bayonet and its modifications

The first Kalashnikov assault rifle, which entered service in 1949, was completely devoid of a bayonet. Only after modernization in 1953 did he finally acquire these archaic edged weapons. The bayonet was called 6X2 and almost completely copied the SVT-40 bayonet. The only difference was the locking mechanism.

The bayonet for the AKM was made on the basis of the Navy reconnaissance knife, which was designed by Lieutenant Colonel Todorov in 1956. For the AK-74, its own version of the bayonet, model 1978, was developed.

In 1989, another modernization of the AK bayonet took place, but the terrible quality of these bayonets made all the engineers’ efforts useless.

Currently the bayonets are outliving their usefulness last days. According to military experts, they will soon disappear completely.

Speaking about Russian blades of the 18th–19th centuries - in particular, about edged weapons, it is impossible not to dwell on bayonets. “The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a fine fellow,” - this legendary saying of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov forever went down in history as a laconic description of the tactics of an infantry attack of that time. But when did the bayonet itself appear?

The prototype of the bayonet was a baguinet (bayonet) - a dagger or a strong knife with a handle tapering towards the edge, which was inserted into the barrel of a gun, turning it into some kind of spear or spear. By the way, it was the shortened spear that became the first baguette, which was originally invented by hunters. After all, hunting for large and dangerous beast, in the distant past, hunters had to carry a spear with them in addition to a gun (to finish off an animal wounded by a shot or repel its attack on the hunter). And this is an extra and bulky load. It is much more convenient to have a removable blade or a powerful tip that fits onto the barrel of the gun.

Baginet is a prototype of a bayonet.

The first baguettes appeared in Great Britain in 1662 (this date marks the first mention of baguettes as part of the equipment of the English regiment). According to various sources, English baguettes had blades ranging from 10 inches to 1 foot in length.

The baguinet could have a flat or faceted shape, as a rule, it did not have a guard (just a thickening or a simple crosshair). The handle was made of bone, wood or metal.

In France, baguinettes appeared a little earlier, since the British initially purchased them from the French. The French themselves are credited with the invention of this device (some historians indicate 1641 as the date of creation of the mount in the vicinity of the city of Bayonne). The baguette was adopted by the French army in 1647.

The baginet-esponton was in service with Saxon officers in the 18th century.

Baguettes were also used in Russia, but very little is known about their use. There is evidence in archival documents that baguettes were adopted for service in 1694 and until 1708-1709. Russian infantry used baguettes with one-sided sharpening along with fuses. Russian baguettes had a guard in the form of an arch that did not reach the handle (so as not to interfere with sticking into the barrel of a gun). The length of Russian baguettes ranged from 35 to 55 cm.

The bayonet (from the Polish sztych) replaced the baguette. The French began to use improved baguettes in the form of blades with a tube instead of a handle, which were mounted on gun barrels from above and allowed shooting and loading with an attached bladed weapons. French troops were first equipped with bayonets in 1689. Following the French, the Prussians and Danes switched to bayonets. In Russia, bayonets began to be used in 1702, and the complete transition to bayonets and the abandonment of baguettes was completed in 1709.

Bayonets are divided into removable and non-removable; faceted, round, needle-shaped and flat. Flat, that is, bladed bayonets are divided into bayonets-knives, bayonets-swords, bayonets-daggers, bayonets-cleavers, scimitar bayonets. Such bladed weapons can be used separately from firearms and have devices for attaching to the barrels of small arms.

Faceted and round needle bayonet

A faceted bayonet looks like a sharp blade with several edges (usually three or four) with a tube instead of a handle that fits onto the barrel. Initially, the faceted bayonet had three sides. Somewhat later, tetrahedral bayonets appeared, as well as T-bayonets (in cross-section they looked like the letter “T”). Sometimes there were five- and six-sided ones, but soon an increase in the number of edges turned the faceted bayonet into a round one, and models with more than four edges did not take root.

Faceted bayonets with tubes from the Crimean War period from the exhibition of the Mikhailovskaya Battery museum complex, Sevastopol: top are British, bottom is a Russian bayonet.

At first, the bayonet tube was attached to the barrel simply by a tight fit (holding due to friction). In battle, such bayonets often fell from the barrels, could be pulled off by the enemy, and sometimes, due to dirt that got into the attachment point, it was very difficult to separate the small arms and the bayonet. Around 1740, a bayonet was created in France with an L-shaped groove on the mounting tube, which made it possible to securely fasten the bayonet to the barrel by putting it on so that the front sight would fit into the groove (in this case, the sighting front sight acted as a stopper). Subsequently, this design was slightly modified, but not fundamentally.

The edges of the bayonets could have fullers or not. Some models of bayonets had sharp ribs (the shape formed when adjacent fullers intersect). Such bayonets could inflict wounds not only with the tip, but also with the ribs. But their strength was lower; the edges of the bayonet faces were often discolored in collisions with enemy bayonets or other hard objects. Russian bayonets had fullers with blunt edges; only the tip of the bayonet was sharpened. Triangular bayonets were in service with many European armies. Square bayonets were used in the Russian and French armies.

Round bayonets were also used in the Russian army. This was at the end of the 18th century. From a report dated March 27, 1791 addressed to His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin: “On this March 25th, the Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment entrusted to Your Highness, entrusted with eighty-six sabers for chief officers, and for non-commissioned officers and grenadier four thousand, round bayonets three thousand five hundred seventy nine...” This regiment received round bayonets, not faceted ones. A bayonet of this shape is available in the VIMAIViVS collection, and it is also listed as an “experimental bayonet” in the reference book edited by A. N. Kulinsky. Also, a gun with a round bayonet is in the Artillery Museum. It is known that round bayonets were in service with the Ekaterinoslav Regiment until the end of the reign of Catherine the Great.

Needle-shaped bayonets were preferable to bladed ones during hand-to-hand (bayonet) combat. They practically did not get stuck in the enemy’s body, had less mass and were not bulky. Shooting from a rifle with a fixed needle-shaped bayonet is always more accurate. However, the needle bayonet is almost impossible to use for other purposes. Therefore, blade models of bayonets also had a certain distribution.

The sword bayonet is very similar to a regular faceted bayonet. Such bayonets were in service with the French army (1890). The blade length of the bayonet-sword reached 650 mm. The bayonet-sword had a handle and a small guard in the form of a cross. One edge of the crosspiece ended in a ring, which was put on the barrel, and the top of the handle was adjacent to a special socket with a latch located in the forend of the rifle. Sword bayonets were used by the French for quite a long time, until the First World War. There were several varieties of them: with a triangular and tetrahedral blade, with a T-shaped section, with a forged steel handle, etc. All sword bayonets were equipped with a sheath made of leather or metal.

Cleaver bayonets became widespread in the Prussian army in the middle of the 18th century. Such models of bayonets were intended for dual use: as bayonets in a fixed state, and as cutlasses - for use separately from guns. By the beginning of the 19th century, the popularity of such bayonets increased and they began to be used in various European countries, in particular in England, where arming infantry with cleaver bayonets became widespread. English cleaver bayonets had brass hilts and double-edged blades. A similar type of cleaver bayonet was used in 1850-1860. military of the North American States.

Sapper bayonet. It was used in a close position to repel enemy attacks and separately from small arms - for hand-to-hand combat, performing trench work, clearing passages, cutting down palisades.

In Russia, the cleaver bayonet was used in conjunction with a fitting of the 1780s model, with a fitting of the 1805 model and a Littikh fitting of the 1843 model. At a later time, the cleaver bayonet was replaced by a needle-shaped bayonet (with rare exceptions - a faceted bayonet).

In the armies of Europe, the cleaver bayonet quite successfully coexisted and competed with faceted bayonets. For example, in France, in artillery units, the faceted bayonet was replaced with a cleaver bayonet of the 1892 model. German and Austrian troops used the cleaver bayonet in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cleaver bayonets were also used in Asian countries. A rather curious example: the Type 96 light machine gun was adopted by the Japanese Kwantung Army (in the 1930s), and later the Type 99. These machine guns were equipped with cleaver bayonets. It is unknown whether there were cases of effective use of a fixed bayonet for its intended purpose, because Japanese soldiers of that time were not distinguished by physical strength, and the machine gun weighed about 10 kg and had decent dimensions. Most likely, the decision to equip the machine gun with a bayonet was made out of respect for the military traditions of Japan (the historically established cult of edged weapons).

Japanese machine gun with a fixed bayonet.

In the USSR, the cleaver bayonet experienced a “reincarnation”: it was equipped with automatic rifles by F.V. Tokarev, S.G. Simonov and V.G. Fedorov. Tokarev and Simonov rifles were in service until 1945 (as were cleaver bayonets for them).

Scimitar type bayonet - special case bayonet-cleaver. Such models were equipped with a blade that had an angular (very small angle) bend downward at a distance of ½ to ⅔ from the handle. Of course, it was not quite a scimitar, but the design was similar. Such bayonets were produced in France, Great Britain, Japan and other countries. They were equipped with a sheath made of leather or metal.

Towards the end of the 19th century, bayonets and knives began to be adopted into service with the armies of the world. A. N. Kulinsky in his book “Bayonets of the World” gave a definition of a bayonet-knife: “...this is a bayonet that, when separated from a rifle or carbine, can be used as a knife, including for inflicting damage on the enemy...”. That is, a bayonet-knife is a bayonet that has retained all the functional properties of a combat knife. The appearance of the bayonet-knife was due to the development of small arms: with an increase in range, rate of fire and power, the role of bayonets sharply decreased. The infantry required more functional and lightweight models.

The first bayonet model 71/84 for the Mauser rifle, Germany.

The first bayonet was created in Germany in 1884. It was developed for the Mauser system rifle (model 1871/84). The bayonet was used in a fixed position for a bayonet attack, and in the hand it was also a formidable weapon. In addition, the 71/84 bayonet was used to perform various tasks in the field. After some time, bayonet knives appeared in many armies of the world. The very first serial bayonet-knife became a prototype for the creation of similar models.

Bayonet knives are usually divided into the following types:

bayonet-knives with one-sided sharpening (single-edged models);
bayonets-knives with double-edged blades;
bayonets-knives with double-sided sharpening of a T-shaped blade;
stiletto bayonets with needle-shaped blades.

The classic device for fastening a bayonet-knife to a small weapon is the “groove-latch-ring” combination, in which the ring is put on the barrel, a special protrusion on the handle is inserted into the groove, and the handle itself is secured at the end to a latch on the forend of the weapon.

Germany has become the world's main developer and manufacturer of bayonet knives. In Germany, they created a huge number of bayonet knives both for the needs of their army and for third-party customers. There were about a hundred ersatz bayonets of German origin alone. At the beginning of the twentieth century (1905), the very popular model 98/05 was created, many units of which have survived to this day. In Russia, bayonet knives were not popular; Russian faceted bayonets with tubes were in use. The creation of bayonet knives was only taken care of during the USSR, but we will talk about this later.

Bayonet 98/05

Concluding the story about bayonets, let us note the existence of another interesting group, which included rare and almost exotic models of bayonets. These are the so-called tool bayonets. Over the years, shovel bayonets, saw bayonets, scissor bayonets, machete bayonets, bipod bayonets, and so on were created. Unfortunately, these products did not gain much popularity due to their low efficiency. This combination did not work good tool, not a decent bayonet.

At the beginning of the First World War, with the advent of the so-called “trench warfare,” it was discovered that in hand-to-hand combat, in trenches and dugouts, long-barreled firearms and bayonets created for them were not effective. Terrible Russian three-rulers and german rifles Mausers were uselessly pierced in the air at a distance of up to two meters, while a compact weapon was required, with a not very large blade adapted for a piercing blow. The armies of long-suffering Europe, shaken by military operations, began to hastily arm themselves with whatever they could. Germany, which adopted blade bayonets and full-fledged bayonet knives, found itself in a winning situation. And France, Italy, Great Britain, Russia and others had to adapt and remake various edged weapons. Stilettos were made from captured bayonets or shortened to the size of a universal hunting knife. The so-called “French nail” was very popular - a piece of steel rod, riveted and pointed on one side and bent into an elongated letter “O” on the other. The primitive handle also served as a kind of brass knuckles.

The French nail is one of the popular homemade items for hand-to-hand combat in the trenches. The bow of the handle served as a brass knuckle.

In Russia, due to archaic-minded officials, the adoption of a bladed bayonet-knife simply failed. A soldier's dagger of the 1907 model, known as a bebut, came to the rescue (see part II). The experience of the Caucasian campaign was not in vain. From 1907 to 1910, the bebut was adopted by the gendarmerie, the lower ranks of machine gun crews, the lower ranks of artillery crews, and the lower ranks of mounted reconnaissance. With the beginning of the First World War, a simplified version of the bebut, with a straight blade, was also made. Of course, there were not enough daggers to fully supply the army. Captured samples and alterations were used.

Russian infantry soldier dagger bebut.

Over time, “peaceful” knife models also changed and were updated. Shoemaker's knives, cutting tools for working with wood (carving) and other professional knives, as well as hunting knives, have changed little. But folding models appeared, primarily the so-called pocket knives. At first they were imported from Sweden, Germany, France, and Switzerland. And later, Russian craftsmen began to make very good folding knives. It is noteworthy that many craftsmen lived and created excellent knives in the outback, and not just in St. Petersburg, Moscow or Novgorod, locating their workshops closer to mines and handicrafts. For example, G. E. Varvarin from Vorsma made multifunctional knives that looked similar to the French “Layol”. Let us note folding knives from Vacha, the work of master Kondratov. Well, the name of master Zavyalov is world famous.

A pocket knife from Vorsma, made by Varvarin.

Ivan Zavyalov was a serf of Count Sheremetyev and thanks to his skill, perseverance and natural gift, he was able to found his own business and achieve the highest level of skill. In 1835, he made several knives for the imperial family. Nicholas I himself was shocked by the grace and quality of Zavyalov’s work, for which he granted him a caftan with gold braiding and a monetary reward of 5,000 rubles (a huge amount at that time).

Folding knife made by master Kondratov from Vacha.

Zavyalov made folding penknives, table knives and combined cutlery (knife and fork in one item), so-called hunting pairs (knife and fork for game) and other knives. The master forged the blades himself, and used silver, horn, bone, and wood for the handles. In 1837, he presented the emperor with a set of folding knives, for which he was awarded a gold ring with diamonds. His works stood at the level of products of the best masters of Germany and England. Since 1841, Zavyalov was given the privilege of putting the royal coat of arms on his works; later he received a medal at a manufacturing exhibition in Moscow, and in 1862 a medal at an exhibition in London. His work was admired by Duke Maximilian and Grand Duke Russian Empire. Using the example of one master, we illuminated the level of knife production in Russia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. But Zavyalov was not the only Russian knife maker with such skill. high level. The names of Khonin, Shchetin, Khabarov and others are well known to collectors and nayphomaniacs in Russia. Knife crafts worked and developed in Pavlovskaya Sloboda (now Pavlovo-on-Oka), Zlatoust, Vorsma. By the beginning of the 20th century, Russia had several powerful centers of blade production and a whole scattering of master craftsmen who created real masterpieces.

A characteristic feature of knives with fixed blades made by master Zavyalov is the Archimedes screw on the shank.

In the next chapter we will dwell in detail on blade products of the First World War, the Civil War and the Second World War, Russian and European knives of the period before 1945.

Discussions about the need for bayonets have long ceased to be relevant in our era of widespread automatic weapons. But back in the 19th century and even at the beginning of the 20th century, many copies were broken on this issue. Even the advent of repeating rifles did not immediately send the bayonet into discard. And the biggest controversy revolved around the type of bayonet. Should it be of the saber type, as, for example, among the Prussians, or should an exclusively piercing version, like the tetrahedral bayonet of the Mosin rifle, be more relevant?

History of creation

Russians have faceted bayonets rich history. The first needle bayonet was used on the Berdanka. At first it was triangular, and in 1870 a stronger tetrahedral needle bayonet was designed. A slightly modified version of this bayonet was also used on the legendary Mosin rifle, which became the main Russian weapon of both world wars. The bayonet was zeroed together with the rifle and did not need to be removed during shooting.

It should be noted that it was attached to the right of the barrel, since in this position it had the least impact on the firing trajectory. The tetrahedral bayonet was used in various options model 1891 - in infantry, Cossack, dragoon.

Design

The standard design was that the bayonet was secured with a clamp and an L-shaped tube that thickened at the rear end.

But more complex, and therefore expensive, versions with a spring latch were also produced, which pursued the goal of quickly removing and putting on the bayonet.

The tetrahedral blade had fullers on all sides. The total length is 500 mm, of which the blade length is 430 mm. The blade width is 17.7 mm, and the internal diameter of the tube is 15 mm.

Advantages

The tetrahedral bayonet knife was traditionally condemned by Europeans for being “inhumane.” The needle-shaped blade penetrated much deeper than the wide saber bayonets of European rifles. In addition, wounds inflicted by faceted weapons practically do not close, since they have a round, not wide, but also flat cross-section. Therefore, a person wounded by a Russian tetrahedral bayonet had a much greater chance of bleeding to death. However, in the era of the proliferation of mines and chemical weapons any claims to bladed weapons regarding inhumanity seem meaningless.

The Russian bayonet was technologically advanced in production, light and cheap compared to its European counterparts. Due to its light weight, it created less interference when shooting and made it possible to operate the rifle faster in actual bayonet combat. In the conditions of a classic bayonet attack from unit to unit, a faceted bayonet looked preferable to a saber bayonet.

Flaws

In a combat battle, the needle bayonet wins, but in the case of a one-on-one fight, when two fighters maneuver and try to fence, the saber bayonet, which allows for sweeping slashing blows, has an advantage.

The main disadvantage of the Russian bayonet is the lack of ability to fold it without separating it from the weapon, or at least the ability to quickly remove and put it on. This became especially noticeable during the trench confrontations of the First World War. There is not enough space in the trench, and the bayonet constantly clings to something. There were frequent cases when it broke down.

The second disadvantage is the low applicability of the tetrahedral bayonet outside of hand-to-hand combat. And knife-shaped and saber-shaped bayonets always retain their applied function.

Development

By the beginning of the twentieth century, bayonets began to be used quite rarely. Therefore, advanced European armies increasingly began to pay attention to the convenience of bayonets, relying on shooting and preferring to produce light and short quick-detachable models that minimally interfere with the shooter. And the countries of the Triple Alliance were the first to produce cheap “ersatz bayonets” made of low-quality steel, which, however, were fully justified in the conditions of the predominance of small arms rather than hand-to-hand combat.

The Russian command stubbornly clung to the high piercing qualities of the faceted bayonet in hand-to-hand combat, although shooting suffered from this. Only in 1916 was a new bayonet created, which made it possible to make slashing blows that were more effective in trench warfare. This model was also simpler and cheaper to manufacture.

In the USSR

However, after the revolution, the leadership of the Red Army left in service the old tetrahedral bayonet of the 1891 model, despite a number of attempts to switch to bladed bayonets.

In 1930, a modified version of the weapon was created, intended for the modernized Mosin rifle of the 1930 model. The most interesting modification of the old Russian bayonet was the folding bayonet for the Mosin carbine, adopted for service in 1943. This bayonet was shorter than the standard one and had a protrusion on the base that tightly fixed the weapon in the firing position. Later, a second protrusion was added, which fixed the bayonet in the stowed position. It was fixed with a spring latch-sleeve, which in the combat position was put on the barrel, and in the stowed position it moved forward, allowing the bayonet to be folded back to the fore-end.

The Russian needle bayonet left a very noticeable mark on the history of warfare, ending the era of the famous bayonet attacks of the Russian infantry, for which it was famous since the time of Suvorov. And even though the legendary weapon left the stage a little later than it should have, it still left significant trace in the history of military affairs. In its direct purpose - combat hand-to-hand combat, there were no equals to the Russian tetrahedral bayonet.

The basics of a bayonet attack were taught to Russian soldiers back in the days of Alexander Suvorov. Many people today are well aware of his phrase, which has become a proverb: “a bullet is a fool, a bayonet is a good man.” This phrase was first published in a manual for combat training of troops prepared by the famous Russian commander and published under the title “The Science of Victory” in 1806. For many years to come, the bayonet charge became a formidable weapon for the Russian soldier, with whom there were not many people willing to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

In his work “The Science of Victory,” Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov called on soldiers and officers to effectively use the available ammunition. Not surprising, given that muzzle-loading weapons took a long time to reload, which was a problem in itself. That is why the famous commander urged the infantry to shoot accurately, and at the moment of attack to use the bayonet as effectively as possible. Smoothbore guns of that time were a priori never considered rapid-fire, so the bayonet attack in battle was given great importance - a Russian grenadier during a bayonet attack could kill up to four opponents, while hundreds of bullets fired by ordinary infantrymen flew “into the milk.” The bullets and guns themselves were not as effective as modern small arms, and their effective range was seriously limited.

Long time Russian gunsmiths simply did not create mass-produced small arms without the possibility of using a bayonet with them. The bayonet was the faithful weapon of the infantryman in many wars, the Napoleonic wars were no exception. In battles with French troops, the bayonet more than once helped Russian soldiers gain the upper hand on the battlefield. Pre-revolutionary historian A.I. Koblenz-Cruz described the story of the grenadier Leonty Korenny, who in 1813, in the battle of Leipzig (Battle of the Nations), entered into a battle with the French as part of a small unit. When his comrades died in battle, Leonty continued to fight alone. In the battle he broke his bayonet, but continued to fight off the enemy with the butt. As a result, he received 18 wounds and fell among the French he killed. Despite his wounds, Korennoy survived and was captured. Amazed by the warrior’s courage, Napoleon later ordered the brave grenadier to be released from captivity.

Russian tetrahedral needle bayonet for the Mosin rifle

Recalling their European campaigns, Wehrmacht soldiers, in conversations with each other or in letters sent to Germany, voiced the idea that those who did not fight the Russians in hand-to-hand combat had not seen real war. Artillery shelling, bombing, skirmishes, tank attacks, marches through impassable mud, cold and hunger could not be compared with fierce and short hand-to-hand battles, in which it was extremely difficult to survive. They especially remembered the fierce hand-to-hand combat and close combat in the ruins of Stalingrad, where the fight was literally for individual houses and floors in these houses, and the path traveled during the day could be measured not only in meters, but also in the corpses of dead soldiers.

During the Great Patriotic War, soldiers and officers of the Red Army deservedly became known as a formidable force in hand-to-hand combat. But the experience of the war itself demonstrated a significant reduction in the role of the bayonet during hand-to-hand combat. Practice has shown that knives and sapper blades Soviet fighters used more efficiently and successfully. The increasing spread of automatic weapons in the infantry also played an important role. For example, submachine guns, which were widely used Soviet soldiers during the war, they never received bayonets (although they were supposed to), practice showed that short bursts at point-blank range were much more effective.

The Russian bayonet is overgrown with a lot of legends, sometimes completely untrue. Many of them have long been accepted as truth.

Perhaps one of the most interesting references to the use of a bayonet, which various domestic and Western “historians” now love to quote, is the words greatest commander A.V. Suvorova: “The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a good fellow.” Now with these words they are trying to show the backwardness of the Russian army, in fact saying that in the hands of a Russian soldier the gun was like a spear. And the function of the shot was absolutely secondary. Alexander Vasilyevich, if he knew about such an interpretation of his words in the future, would be very surprised.

In the original, words by A.V. Suvorov in “The Science of Victory” sound like this: “Save the bullet for three days, and sometimes for the whole campaign, as there is nowhere to take it. Shoot rarely, but accurately; stab him firmly with a bayonet. The bullet is foolish, but the bayonet is not foolish: the bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a good fellow.” This fragment as a whole completely changes the understanding of that phrase, which is usually illiterately snatched from the works of a commander. The commander just calls on you to take care of your ammunition and shoot accurately and emphasizes the importance of the ability to use a bayonet. The era of muzzle loading forced one to try to shoot accurately; the importance of accurate shooting could not be underestimated. But smooth-bore guns with bag loading could not provide the high rate of fire required for accuracy, and good bayonet control in battle was very important. This is emphasized by other Suvorov words: “With a bayonet one person can stab three, sometimes four, but a hundred bullets fly into the air.”

The Russian bayonet is traditionally needle-shaped with a three or four-sided blade, a neck and a tube with a slot for putting on the barrel. It is now customary to criticize military officials who kept our soldiers with a needle bayonet for so long, when many armies around the world had already introduced the “cleaver bayonet,” a bayonet with a knife-like blade and handle. They can't come up with any explanations for this. Perhaps the most absurd thing is that military officials believed that “bayonet knives” were of great economic value to the soldier, and they would carry them home from service. And no one needs a needle bayonet. Such nonsense can only be cultivated by people who are far from military history and who have absolutely no idea about the rules for handling government property. It is strange that the presence of standard cutlasses and other bladed soldier weapons is not commented on in any way by the authors of this “wild explanation.”

1812, Borodino, bayonet attacks

Let's return to bayonets, so - a bayonet for a muzzle-loading gun. It is clear that the bayonet must be permanently attached, but at the same time make it possible to load the gun safely for the shooter. These requirements are only suitable for a triangular bayonet, which has a long neck that moves the wedge of the bayonet away from the muzzle to a distance that is safe for the hand when loading. In this case, the edge facing the muzzle should not be sharp. These requirements are perfectly met by a triangular bayonet with a flat edge facing the muzzle.

A huntsman, a huntsman sitting with a fitting has a cleaver bayonet in a sheath on his side

Did the Russian army have cleaver bayonets? Of course there were. Back in the 18th century. Such bayonets were adopted for Jaeger rifles; in those days they were called dirks. The famous Russian Littikh bayonet, for example, had a cleaver bayonet mod. 1843. Again, a strange picture is drawn of why Russian huntsmen and skirmishers did not cut their hands when loading a nozzle with a cleaver blade. The answer to it is simple, the rangers and skirmishers decided with their rifled weapons specific tasks, speaking modern language, they were snipers. An example is the episode associated with the defense of Smolensk in 1812. Against the actions of just one ranger on the right bank of the Dnieper, the French were forced to concentrate rifle fire and use artillery, only by night the ranger’s fire died down. On the morning of the next day, a non-commissioned officer of the Jaeger regiment, killed by a cannonball, was discovered at that place. What need does a sniper have for a bayonet? Only as a last resort does he attach the bayonet to his fitting.

A very important issue was the length of the bayonet; it was determined not just like that, but based on the most important requirement. The total length of the gun with the bayonet must be such that an infantryman can repel a saber strike from a cavalryman at a safe distance. Accordingly, the length of the bayonet was determined in this way. The rifled fittings were shorter than infantry rifles and the cleaver bayonet for them was correspondingly longer. When fired, it caused inconvenience, weighed the muzzle of the barrel down, and deviated the direction of the bullet.

A gun with a needle bayonet in the hands of a skilled soldier worked wonders. As an example, we can recall the feat of Corporal Leonty Korenny, in 1813, in the battle of Leipzig in the village of Gossu, his unit was squeezed by superior enemy forces. Having evacuated the wounded, Korenny with a small amount comrades entered into a bayonet battle with the French, soon he was left alone, parrying bayonet blows, he inflicted them himself, after the bayonet broke, he fought back with the butt. When Korennoy, wounded by French bayonets, fell, there were many French bodies around him. The hero received 18 bayonet wounds, but survived; in recognition of his highest military valor, on the personal order of Napoleon, he was released from captivity.

Time passed, weapons changed, after Civil War in the USA, when all the advantages of breech-loading systems for unitary cartridges, characterized by a high rate of fire, were revealed, conversations began in the military environment about the pointlessness of the bayonet. Since with such a rate of fire it will not come to bayonet attacks.

The first Russian breech-loading rifles had triangular bayonets, identical to the old guns. This was due to the fact that 6-line rifles at the beginning of their production were conversions from old muzzle-loading ones, and there was no point in changing the old bayonet for them.

The last cleaver bayonet in the Russian Empire for the fitting of rifle battalions mod. 1843 (“Littich fitting”) and the first mass-produced bayonet in the Soviet Union for the ABC-36 rifle

Bayonet for the “Littich fitting”, scabbard - modern reconstruction according to the English model

The first Russian rifle, which was originally designed as a breech-loading rifle, was a 4.2-linear marksman rifle arr. 1868 Gorlov-Gunius system (“Berdan system No. 1”). This rifle was designed by our officers in the USA and was sighted without a bayonet. Gorlov, at his own discretion, chose a triangular bayonet for the rifle, which was mounted under the barrel. After firing with a bayonet, it turned out that the bullet was moving away from the aiming point. After this, a new, more durable four-sided bayonet was designed (remember that three edges were needed exclusively for muzzle-loading systems). This bayonet, as on previous rifles, was placed to the right of the barrel to compensate for derivation.

The feat of Leonty Korenny. Leonty received 18 bayonet wounds, and after the death of his comrades, he single-handedly confronted the French unit in hand-to-hand combat. The wounded man was captured as having demonstrated the highest military valor; after recovery, he was released from captivity on Napoleon’s personal order.

This bayonet was also adopted for the 4.2-line infantry rifle mod. 1870 (“Berdan No. 2 system”) and, slightly modified, to the dragoon version of this rifle. And then very interesting attempts began to replace the needle bayonet with a cleaver bayonet. Only through the efforts of the best Russian Minister of War in the entire history of our state, Dmitry Alekseevich Milyutin, was it possible to defend the excellent Russian bayonet. Here is an excerpt from D.A.’s diary. Milyutin for March 14, 1874: “... the question of replacing bayonets with cutlasses... following the example of the Prussians has been raised again. This issue has already been discussed three times by competent persons: everyone unanimously gave preference to our bayonets and refuted the sovereign’s assumptions that bayonets should be attached to guns only at the time when there was a need to use melee weapons. And despite all the previous reports in this sense, the issue is being raised again for the fourth time. With a high probability, here we can assume the insistence of Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who cannot allow us to have anything better than in the Prussian army.”

Bayonet for a smooth-bore muzzle-loading Russian 7-line infantry rifle mod. 1828 As the length of the gun or rifle decreased, the length of the bayonet increased. The requirements for protection against a cavalryman's saber strike determined the overall length of an infantry rifle (rifle) with an attached bayonet

Bayonet for a 6-line rapid-fire rifle mod. 1869 (“Krnka system”, this bayonet is the bayonet originally adopted for the muzzle-loading 6-line rifle model 1856)

Bayonet for 4.2-line infantry rifle mod. 1870 (“Berdan No. 2 system”)

This issue was finally resolved only in 1876. This is what D.A. Milyutin writes about this on April 14, 1876: “At my report, the sovereign announced to me his decision on bayonets. The Emperor had long been inclined to the opinion of Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz that in our infantry, following the Prussian example, a German cleaver - bayonet - should be adopted instead of our beautiful triangular bayonet... and that shooting would be carried out without an attached bayonet. .. All the minutes of the meeting, with the attachment of separate notes, were presented by me to the sovereign, who, after considering them, made a decision, ordering the introduction of new bayonets - cutlasses and shooting without fixed bayonets only in rifle battalions and in the guard; in the entire army, leave it as before. Thus, a new complication appears, a new diversity; again the lack of unity and uniformity, so important in the organization and formation of troops. Nevertheless, I still prefer this solution to the one that I feared and to which the sovereign had been noticeably inclined until now.”

A bayonet sharpened to a plane and a standard rifle screwdriver (using the example of the Berdan No. 2 system). It is unreasonable to think that such a bayonet is intended for unscrewing screws. If you try to do this, the tip of the bayonet will be damaged and most likely the person unscrewing will receive serious injury from the bayonet that has slipped off.

Turkestan soldier in winter uniform. 1873. The soldier is holding a 6-line rifle mod. 1869 (“Krnka system”) with fixed bayonet

Thus, to please Germanophiles in Russia, the Prussian cleaver replaced the Russian bayonet, contrary to all common sense and the opinion of qualified specialists. But... in reality, apart from experiments and experiments, things didn’t work out. And the needle-shaped tetrahedral bayonet remained in its place.

Capture of the Grivitsky redoubt near Plevna, Russian-Turkish war, 1877. The painting shows fragments of hand-to-hand combat and bayonet fighting

Shooting practice for lower ranks of the 280th Sursky Infantry Regiment wearing gas masks. 3-line rifles mod. 1891 with fixed bayonets. 1916 World War I. 1914-1918

Soon the Russian-Turkish War (1877-1878) broke out. For the first time, the Army of the Russian Empire entered such a large-scale fighting with rapid-fire breech-loading weapons. At main apartment The Russian army consisted of an American military agent, Lieutenant Engineer F.V. Green, who collected data for the US Government. He was tasked with collecting materials on the effectiveness of using sabers and bayonets in combat. This was due to the fact that the Americans wanted to give up both, but were afraid of making a mistake. After receiving the order, Green had a lot of conversations about the bayonet with Russian officers and among them he met only “ardent defenders of this type of weapon.” In his report, the lieutenant engineer completely refutes the opinion of the American command that bayonet combat is impossible when using rapid-fire weapons and notes, on the contrary, that during the campaign very often hand-to-hand combat decided the outcome of the battle. He described the tactics of attacking with chains, when the chains move, taking advantage of the cover of the terrain, the first chain suffers greatly, and numerous subsequent ones break into the trenches or, as they were called then, rifle trenches. And then the enemy either flees, surrenders, or a quick hand-to-hand fight begins.

The moment of a bayonet fight at a competition in the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after. Gorky. Moscow, 1942

A Bulgarian soldier armed with a Russian 3-line infantry rifle model 1891, converted to the Mannlicher cartridge model 1893, with an attached bayonet. An Austrian-style steel bayonet scabbard is visible on the waist belt. First World War. 1914-1918

As the American notes, usually the Turks fled or surrendered. But it wasn't always like this. In 1877, in the September battle of Lovcha, the Turkish redoubts were surrounded, the Turks refused to surrender, and during the attack all the defenders (about 200 people) were stabbed by Russian bayonets. In the same September, General Skobelev’s detachment attacked two Turkish redoubts and rifle trenches south of Plevna, from which the Turks could only be knocked out with bayonets. The fortifications on the right flank at Gorny Dubnyak were also taken with hostility during the October battles. 1878, January battles near Sheinovo, the attack on fortified Turkish positions ended in hand-to-hand combat, after 3 minutes from its start the Turks surrendered. Near Philippol, the guards captured 24 Turkish guns, and a hand-to-hand battle ensued, in which 150 Turkish soldiers and officers were wounded with bayonets. The bayonet always worked and worked perfectly.

The battle of January 1, 1878 at Gorny Bogrov is very indicative. The Russian units defended, the Turks advanced. Fire was opened on the Turks from a distance of 40 yards (about 40 m), the Turks suffered serious losses, some of the survivors rushed back, and some into the Russian fortifications, where they were killed. When examining the corpses, it turned out that some of them had their skulls pierced with rifle butts. This fact was explained as follows: the soldiers there were recruits, if they were more experienced, they would have worked with bayonets.

Austrian modification of the bayonet for the 4.2-line infantry rifle model 1870 (“Berdan system No. 2”) for the rifle o6jj.1895 (“Manlicher system”). The blade is attached to the handle of a bayonet-knife model 1895. First World War. 1914-1918

Bayonet for a 4.2-line infantry rifle model 1870 in an Austrian steel sheath. First World War. 1914-1918

Bayonets for a three-line rifle in the service of foreign armies in a scabbard. From bottom to top: Austrian, German, German ersatz, Finnish, Romanian scabbards

Greene comes to one crucial conclusion: during a short-lived hand-to-hand fight, only those with fixed bayonets have the upper hand. It is impossible to reload weapons during such a battle. According to Greene's estimates, of the 90 thousand who died in that war, 1 thousand died from the bayonet. AND best weapons for hand-to-hand combat there is no other weapon than the bayonet.

Now it's time to remember one more thing interesting feature Russian bayonet, its sharpening. It is often called a screwdriver. And even very serious authors write about the dual purpose of the bayonet, saying that it can both stab an enemy and unscrew a screw. This is, of course, nonsense.

For the first time, sharpening the bayonet blade not to a point, but to a plane similar to the tip of a screwdriver, appeared on newly manufactured bayonets for the Russian rapid-fire 6-line rifle mod. 1869 (“Krnka system”) and tetrahedral bayonets for an infantry 4.2-line rifle mod. 1870 (“Berdan system No. 2”). Why was she needed? Obviously do not remove the screws. The fact is that the bayonet must not only be “stuck” into the enemy, but also quickly removed from him. If a bayonet sharpened to a point pierced a bone, then it was difficult to remove it, but a bayonet sharpened to a flat surface seemed to bypass the bone without getting stuck in it.

By the way, another interesting story is connected with the position of the bayonet relative to the barrel. After the Berlin Congress of 1878, when withdrawing his army from the Balkans Russian Empire presented the young Bulgarian army with over 280 thousand 6-line rapid-fire rifles mod. 1869 "Krnka system" mainly with bayonets mod. 1856. But along with the rifles, a lot of bayonets for rifled guns mod. 1854 and to earlier smoothbore ones. These bayonets fit normally to the Krnkas, but the blade of the bayonet was not located to the right, as it should be, but to the left of the barrel. It was possible to use such a rifle, but accurate shooting from it without reshooting was impossible. And besides, this position of the bayonet did not reduce derivation. The reasons for this incorrect placement were different slots on the tubes, which determine the method of attaching the bayonet: mod. 1856 was fixed on the front sight, and bayonets for systems 1854 and earlier were fixed on the under-barrel “bayonet rear sight.”

Privates of the 13th Belozersky Infantry Regiment in combat uniform with full field equipment and a Berdan No. 2 system rifle with an attached bayonet. 1882

Private of the Sofia Infantry Regiment with a muzzle-loading rifle mod. 1856 with attached triangular bayonet and clerk of the Divisional Headquarters (in full dress uniform). 1862

And so the years passed, and an era began magazine weapons. The Russian 3-line rifle already had a shorter bayonet. The overall length of the rifle and bayonet was shorter than previous systems. The reason for this was the changed requirements for the overall length of the weapon; now the overall length of the rifle with a bayonet had to be above the eyes of a soldier of average height.

The bayonet still remained attached to the rifle; it was believed that the soldier should shoot accurately, and when the bayonet is attached to a rifle that was shot without it, the aiming point changes. Which is unimportant at very close distances, but at distances of about 400 steps it was no longer possible to hit the target.

The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) showed new battle tactics, and it was surprising that Japanese soldiers still managed to attach bladed bayonets to their Arisakas by the time of hand-to-hand combat.

Soviet bayonets at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Top down:
bayonet for 3-line rifle mod. 1891, bayonet for a 3-line rifle mod. 1891/30, bayonet for ABC-36, bayonet for SVT-38, bayonets for CBT-40 of two types

Bayonets in scabbards. From top to bottom: bayonet for CBT-40, bayonet for SVT-38, bayonet for ABC-36

Despite the changed situation, the bayonet remained popular and in demand. Moreover, the officers walking with their lower ranks took a rifle with an attached bayonet from the dead and wounded, being more confident in the bayonet than in their saber.

As time passed, the question of replacing the bayonet with a cleaver was not forgotten. As before, the main problem in his solution was the task associated with shooting with and without a fixed bayonet.

Fixed cleaver bayonets did not allow accurate shooting, so it was possible to open fire with a fixed bayonet only as an exception. With needle-faceted bayonets, where the neck deflects the blade some distance from the axis of the bore, shooting does not pose a problem.

The arguments of supporters of one or another point of view on bayonets were very consistent. Supporters of cleaver bayonets pointed to the development of manual firearms: with increasing range, the start of the battle begins at fairly long distances, which eliminates the need for hand-to-hand combat. The retreat of one side or the other occurs under the influence of fire contact only, bayonet fighting in modern wars They are becoming less and less common, and the number of wounded and killed with melee weapons is also decreasing. At the same time, a needle bayonet, always attached to a rifle, still, albeit slightly, affects shooting accuracy. Its weight, applied to the muzzle far from the rifle's fulcrum, tires the shooter. This was considered especially important when a soldier enters battle already tired. It was further stated that a needle bayonet, except for attack, is useless in all cases of combat and marching life, while a cleaver bayonet replaces a knife for lower ranks and is used when cutting wood, when pitching tents, when arranging bivouac and household equipment, etc. The requirements for instant connection of an open cleaver, according to its propagandists, were fulfilled, since the procedure itself is simple and does not require much time. If necessary: at posts, on guard, in secrets, etc. cleaver bayonets must be attached. If a soldier needs to go somewhere without a rifle, he will always be armed with a cleaver. A constantly attached bayonet makes the rifle longer; the bayonet in the forest clings to branches, making it difficult to carry the rifle over the shoulder on a shoulder strap. A bayonet-cleaver hanging on the belt allows you to avoid these difficulties.

The poster depicts a fighter with an SVT-40 rifle with an attached bayonet-knife, going on the attack

The issue of replacing the needle bayonet was considered in great detail in the Russian army at the beginning of the 20th century, and what is very important is that the arguments for it significantly outweighed the arguments against it stated above.

So what was said in defense of the permanently attached needle bayonet? To satisfy all the conditions of battle, it is necessary that the infantry be armed with weapons that allow them to hit the enemy both from afar and in chest-to-chest combat. So that the infantryman would be ready to use both firearms and knives at every moment of battle. Fixing bayonets before an attack presents significant difficulties; battle conditions are so varied that it is impossible to determine in advance the moments at which troops should have their bayonets fixed. The need for a bayonet in battles may appear suddenly, at a time when hand-to-hand combat is not expected.

Reserves for the front: During classes to practice bayonet fighting techniques. Central Asian Military District, 1943

The contact of cutlasses when approaching the enemy entails the most unfavorable consequences: during this period of the battle, people are in such an excited state that they may not touch the bayonet at all. In addition, attaching a bayonet in battle does not take as little time as it might seem. Experience has shown that in order to remove and attach a bayonet, it will take time corresponding to at least 5 - 6 shots. At the time when the lower ranks will join bayonets, the fire should weaken significantly, and this can have disastrous consequences. At the same time, the closer to the enemy the bayonet is attached, the more fussy and slower it will be executed.

Thus, our rifle with a permanently fixed bayonet fully satisfies all the conditions for firearms and hand-to-hand combat.

The mentioned harmful effects of the weight of the bayonet on the shooting results are insignificant. In combat, it is rarely possible to shoot accurately while standing without cover; in most cases, shooting is done while lying down, and there is always the opportunity to put the gun on a support or rest your elbow on the ground. As for the influence of the bayonet on shooting accuracy, firstly, a bayonet attached to the right reduces derivation, and secondly, in our rifle system the bayonet affects the accuracy of the battle. With a correctly attached bayonet, the radius of the circle containing all the bullets is smaller. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that when shooting with a bayonet from our rifle (with the accepted barrel length, weight of parts and charge, etc.), the trembling of the muzzle of the barrel is less, and the bullet receives a more uniform direction.

The decision made in Western European armies to shoot without a bayonet and to attach it only when approaching the enemy at 300 - 400 steps slightly contributes to less fatigue for the shooter, but the accuracy of the system suffers from this. Shooting from a rifle without a bayonet, sighted with a bayonet, without moving the front sight gives such results that at a distance of 400 steps one can no longer expect accurate shooting.

The needle bayonet gave more dangerous non-healing wounds and provided better penetration of thick clothing.

The decision made in the Russian army - to shoot at all distances with a fixed bayonet, with which the rifle is zeroed - is the most correct.

Years passed, and August 1914 arrived. Russia entered the First World War. New types of weapons have not reduced the relevance of the bayonet. The Russian bayonet is no longer just Russian.

Captured Russian 3-line rifles mod. 1891 (“Mosin system”) was massively used by Germany and Austria-Hungary. In Austria-Hungary, both captured and ersatz Austrian-made bayonets of excellent quality were used together with them. They differed from the original only in the slot in the tube, which for the “Austrians” was straight. The scabbards for the original and ersatz bayonets were made of iron with hooks characteristic of Austrian scabbards. German scabbards for bayonets for the 3-line “Mosin rifle” could be of two types: iron, similar to the Austrian ones, but with a teardrop-shaped hook characteristic of the “Germans,” and an ersatz one made of galvanized sheet.

Suzdal infantry regiment in the vanguard of the Danube Army. Forced movement to Adrianople. 1878. The lower ranks have rifles of the Krnka and Berdan systems No. 2 with fixed bayonets

Lower ranks of the 64th Kazan Infantry Regiment. A halt during the march from Baba-Eski to Adrianople. 1878. In the foreground are rifles of the Berdan system No. 2 with fixed bayonets, mounted in sawhorses

Repelling the assault on the Bayazet fortress on June 8, 1877. The Russian soldiers defending the fortress had rapid-fire needle rifles mod. 1867 (“Carle system”) with fixed bayonets

During the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian army also had captured Russian rifles of the “Berdan No. 2 system” in service. Leather and iron scabbards were made for their bayonets. A number of bayonets for the Berdan rifle No. 2 were converted into bayonets for a rifle mod. 1895 “Mannlicher system”, by welding the handle of a Mannlicher bayonet knife to the blade.

From 1882 to 1913, the Bulgarian army received from Russia about 180 thousand infantry rifles of the “Berdan No. 2 system” and 3 thousand dragoon rifles of the same system. All of them were equipped with infantry and dragoon bayonets. The Bulgarian army also had about 66 thousand Russian 3-line rifles of the “Mosin system” in service, which in 1912-1913. were delivered from Russia. In 1917, Austria-Hungary transferred allied assistance to Bulgaria - 10 thousand Mosin system rifles, converted to the Mannlicher cartridge mod. 1893. The bayonets for them were in metal Austrian and German sheaths.

The war is over, the Russian bayonet showed itself excellently. But his time was running out irrevocably. The battle conditions changed, new automatic weapons appeared. And for the first time, a bayonet-knife came to the Red Army en masse in 1936, it was a bayonet for a Simonov automatic rifle mod. 1936. Soon, new Tokarev self-loading rifles SVT-38 and SVT-40 begin to enter service. Only at that historical stage and only with the use of rapid-fire, quickly reloadable rifles, with the widespread use of fire from automatic weapons, did the needle bayonet lose its position.

Life Guards Moscow Regiment attacks Turkish positions at Araba-Konak

And be our army with new rifle and a new bayonet, if not for the war. June 1941, powerful blow German army, inability to take decisive action and outright sabotage of the military leadership Soviet Union allowed the Germans to as soon as possible take over a significant part of our country. The production of the “three-line” was accelerated, the bayonet that came with it was still a needle bayonet, but already modified in 1930. In 1944, a new 3-line carbine was put into service; it also had a needle bayonet, but of a different design. The bayonet was fixed on the carbine and folded forward if necessary. The last needle bayonet in the history of the Soviet army was the bayonet self-loading carbine Simonova arr. 1945. Soon after the start of production, the needle bayonet was replaced with a knife-shaped one. From that moment on, the USSR and Russia never returned to the old needle bayonets.