Feldgrau.net

What kind of fighting knives were used by the Wehrmacht? Were they issued, or private purchase items? And what was their hand-to-hand combat training like?

Thanks in advance.

Yours,
Paul

Many people believe that war is like in the movies. In fact that kind of close combat many people imagine was a rare occurance. The normal Landser did not have a knife. He had the bajonet (Seitengewehr). Fallschirmjäger were issued a knife.
A german soldier did not learn much close combat or hand to hand fighting techniques because as I said it was rare and should not happen.

Here in short the things they learned:

1) Dagger- or spade defense against high and low attack:
There were several techniques with the lower arms to reject such attacks grab the arm of the attacker and make him drop the weapon.

2) Unarmed combat
They learned several ways to take out an enemy without a weapon
a) Enemy with helmet: Grab the helmet front and neckside and turn the head with power
b) Enemy without helmet: Grab the nose with the fingers with the arm around the neck and turn the had right or left
c) Defense by pushing the head: Middle-index-finger form a V and hit the eyes pushing back the head of the enemy

3) Liberating from clasp by arms:
a) Hit the genitals of the enemy with the knee
b) The defender breathes in - with that loosening the clasp. Then drops to the ground grab the lower leg of the enemy and push the shoulder towards the knee to make him fall

4) Defense from to be in chancery:
Turn back the head of the enemy with the left arm while raising the standing leg. Then push the head against the ground or against a hard material.

5) Some techniques when attacked in lying position

This is a short summary what they were supposed to learn in 1943. The time reserved for this kind of training was very, very limited.

\Christoph

Thanks, Christoph. I'll bet the German Army has more than made up for it since.

Yours,
Paul

Christoph Awender wrote:Many people believe that war is like in the movies. In fact that kind of close combat many people imagine was a rare occurance. The normal Landser did not have a knife. He had the bajonet (Seitengewehr). Fallschirmjäger were issued a knife.
A german soldier did not learn much close combat or hand to hand fighting techniques because as I said it was rare and should not happen.

Here in short the things they learned:

1) Dagger- or spade defense against high and low attack:
There were several techniques with the lower arms to reject such attacks grab the arm of the attacker and make him drop the weapon.

2) Unarmed combat
They learned several ways to take out an enemy without a weapon
a) Enemy with helmet: Grab the helmet front and neckside and turn the head with power
b) Enemy without helmet: Grab the nose with the fingers with the arm around the neck and turn the had right or left
c) Defense by pushing the head: Middle-index-finger form a V and hit the eyes pushing back the head of the enemy

3) Liberating from clasp by arms:
a) Hit the genitals of the enemy with the knee
b) The defender breathes in - with that loosening the clasp. Then drops to the ground grab the lower leg of the enemy and push the shoulder towards the knee to make him fall

4) Defense from to be in chancery:
Turn back the head of the enemy with the left arm while raising the standing leg. Then push the head against the ground or against a hard material.

5) Some techniques when attacked in lying position

This is a short summary what they were supposed to learn in 1943. The time reserved for this kind of training was very, very limited.

\Christoph

hm they were not trained to use entrenching tool? Here is the instrution for hand to hand combat for partisans - it is in Russian -but hey there are pictures! :) http://9may.ru/photo_gallery/m4650/

Oleg

See the term "spade" in Christophe's post - same thing as an entrenching tool.

But the Russians certainly own the patent on that one! I believe the spesnaz still have competitions with it (even throwing it) to honor the use of it in WW2.

cheers
Reb