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View Full Version : How often did Brits/Aussies/NZ use bayonet?


NuJudge
08-28-2009, 04:46
I don't think I've ever seen a pic of an L1A1 with a Bayonet on it. I just picked up a British Bayo cheap. I'm going to test to see what difference in POI it makes.

CDD
John Sukey
08-29-2009, 04:31
Tumbledown mountain, The Falklands

I don't know if they used them in Gulf War One but the SA80's quickly got shifted to the rear areas and the L1A1 went to the front line troops.:rolleyes:Apparently the MOD's "wonder weapon" didn't work in the sand.:eek:
Also Gulf one was the last use of the Bren gun even though the politicians thought it was obsolete, It also worked in the desert.;)
Liam
09-02-2009, 11:43
Had a small Brit unit cross-train with my unit in West Germany in 1987 or 1988. They were armed with L1A1's and stens! Thinking back to their vehicles it makes sense. Like our guys who had to get into and out of small openings in M113s and M577s, they need smaller arms. Our guys got the greasegun - some of which I'm sure saw action in Korea, possibly WWII.
Sunray
09-17-2009, 06:39
Bayonets were and are for parades.
Paul S.
09-18-2009, 10:55
Bayonets were and are for parades.

It would appear that the memo hasn't gotten to 5 SCOTS yet. One of their young lieutenants is getting the MC for skewering a Taliban machine gunner during a contact amongst other things, and that is after the MID he got earlier in the month for previous episode of leading by example.
dave
09-19-2009, 07:06
watch the movie "The Australian Light Horse", one of my favorites! never quite understood the point of the 'game' they played with them however.
TomSudz
09-19-2009, 08:33
Had a small Brit unit cross-train with my unit in West Germany in 1987 or 1988. They were armed with L1A1's and stens! Thinking back to their vehicles it makes sense. Like our guys who had to get into and out of small openings in M113s and M577s, they need smaller arms. Our guys got the greasegun - some of which I'm sure saw action in Korea, possibly WWII.


Liam, were they stens? Or could they have been sterlings? The reason I ask is that I though the stens were phased out in the 60's.
Liam
09-19-2009, 10:57
Guess so. Metal tube with magazine sticking out the side. I thought it was a Sten. I just Googled the words "Sterling Machine Gun" and THAT looks like a Sten to me! My ignorance is indeed blissful. Thanks for the correction.
Paul S.
09-19-2009, 11:45
watch the movie "The Australian Light Horse", one of my favorites! never quite understood the point of the 'game' they played with them however.
Dave, are you talking about 'Two-up' which uses a two Pennie coins and a flat stick?

It's only legal on ANZAC Day, or at least was 40 years ago. My uncle Darcy (WWII) would take me along as his 'Spinner' when I was newly returned from Vietnam to win beer money off his mates after the March. Good fun that!!!!
Sunray
09-19-2009, 01:41
"...young lieutenants..." There's no telling what one of them will do.
No STENs in '87/88. Sterling.
John Sukey
09-19-2009, 05:44
Some Iraqi's also got a nasty surprise when they shot at a British unit. The brits fixed bayonets and used them VERY effectively.
As the corporal on Dad's army said, "They don't like it up'em":eek::eek:
Paul S.
10-09-2009, 10:42
The latest Afghanistan honour list is out and posted on www.soldiermagazine.co.uk. You will find a picture of Lt. James Adamson (SCOTS) and a very brief summary of his MC citation there.

Congratulations to Lt. Adamson.
John Sukey
10-12-2009, 10:49
On that same website, it appears the IRA is still making BIG IED's in Northern Ireland

Guess it's true that the Irish will fight to the death but can't remember the reason why.:rolleyes:
Arnhemjim
10-27-2009, 08:56
Hello to all,
Thought this speaks well to the fact that a bayonet, in trained hands and the right circumstances, still fills its intended purpose. In my humble opinion Lt Adamson merits more than the MC and MID, and is an officer of the same caliber as LTCOL H. Jones, VC, 2PARA at Goose Green in the Falklands. For the details see the following story in the UK Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6178044/British-officer-wins-two-gallantry-awards-for-fending-off-Taliban-attack-with-bayonet.html.
So much for the uselessness of lieutenants and bayonets. In this case a deadly combination!
Arnhemjim
Arizona Territory
can14
11-23-2009, 08:42
The Sterling SMG also takes a bayonet, in british, aussie,NZ and CDN service.I have sterlings and the bayonet is like the enfield jungle carbine bayonet and was sold by sterling in england before they closed down. The major difference between the Uk sterling and the CDN is the magazine follower, uk used rollers,cdn used solid follower.
Paul S.
11-28-2009, 01:07
Um, actually we Aussies didn't have the Sterling. We had the Owen gun and the F1 Submachine gun. Both nice working guns although many of us still think the Owen was the better of the two.
John Sukey
12-04-2009, 12:48
Dave, are you talking about 'Two-up' which uses a two Pennie coins and a flat stick?

It's only legal on ANZAC Day, or at least was 40 years ago. My uncle Darcy (WWII) would take me along as his 'Spinner' when I was newly returned from Vietnam to win beer money off his mates after the March. Good fun that!!!!

And you have to use 1911 pennies. bought a two up set in Perth years ago.
Can you imagine an Australian worrying about some stupid law banning the game except for once a year? ;)
Art
12-19-2009, 07:14
Bayonets were and are for parades.

The last use of bayonets I know of in the British army, other than the one mentione here was in the Falklands War.

The in the final assaults on the high ground around Stanley the Brit infantry was ordered to go in with bayonets fixed. Some Argentine soldiers were, in fact, bayonetted when the fighting got close.
John Sukey
12-21-2009, 10:56
"...young lieutenants..." There's no telling what one of them will do.
No STENs in '87/88. Sterling.

There was a butterbar in the Kalifornia guard who SANK a M113! He decided that the maps of the area were wrong and tried to cross a swamp!

The only thing more dangerous than a corporal with a clipboard is a 2nd lt. with a map:eek:
harry mac
12-21-2009, 04:17
Had a small Brit unit cross-train with my unit in West Germany in 1987 or 1988. They were armed with L1A1's and stens! Thinking back to their vehicles it makes sense. Like our guys who had to get into and out of small openings in M113s and M577s, they need smaller arms. Our guys got the greasegun - some of which I'm sure saw action in Korea, possibly WWII.

Whereabouts in Germany were you Liam? I was over there in that time frame, well, up to 86 anyway. We used to do quite a few exercises with the Yanks. I was recconaisance cavalry, equiped with Scimitar AFVs (like a little tank, but moves quicker than hot snot:icon_salut:) and we were armed with SMGs. Schweinfurt is one location that springs to mind but there were others.