Editing Bayonet (section)

==History==
[[File:子母鳥銃.png|thumb|Depiction of a Chinese muzzle-loading musket with a plug bayonet attached from 1606. The weapon's instructional manual and specifications is shown above.]]
The term ''bayonette'' itself dates back to the 16th century, but it is not clear whether bayonets at the time were knives that could be fitted to the ends of firearms, or simply a type of knife. For example, Cotgrave's 1611 ''Dictionarie'' describes the bayonet as "a kind of small flat pocket dagger, furnished with knives; or a great knife to hang at the girdle". Likewise, [[Pierre Borel]] wrote in 1655 that a kind of long-knife called a ''bayonette'' was made in [[Bayonne]] but does not give any further description.<ref>H. Blackmore, ''Hunting Weapons'', p. 50</ref> There are some accounts that place the invention of the bayonet in either France or Germany as early as 1570.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.germanmilitaria.com/Heer/photos/H112062.html | title=The Collector's Guild | access-date=1 May 2023 | archive-date=1 May 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501155736/https://www.germanmilitaria.com/Heer/photos/H112062.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Plug bayonets===
[[File:02 158 Book illustrations of Historical description of the clothes and weapons of Russian troops.jpg|thumb|Depiction of an early 18th-century [[Tsardom of Russia|Russian]] infantryman installing a plug bayonet.]]

The first recorded instance of a bayonet proper is found in the Chinese military treatise, {{ill|Binglu|zh|兵录}} published in 1606. It was in the form of the {{ill|Son-and-mother gun|zh|子母鳥銃}}, a [[breech-loading weapon|breech-loading]] musket that was issued with a roughly {{convert|57.6|cm|adj=on|abbr=on}} long plug bayonet, giving it an overall length of {{convert|1.92|m|abbr=on}} with the bayonet attached. It was labelled as a "gun-blade" ({{zh|t=銃刀|s=铳刀|p=Chòngdāo}}) with it being described as a "short sword that can be inserted into the barrel and secured by twisting it slightly" that it is to be used "when the battle have depleted both gunpowder and bullets as well as fighting against bandits, when forces are closing into melee or encountering an ambush" and if one "cannot load the gun within the time it takes to cover two bu (3.2 meters) of ground they are to attach the bayonet and hold it like a spear".<ref name="needham volume 5 part 7 456">Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 456.</ref><ref name="Binglu 《兵錄》, Scroll 12">Binglu 《兵錄》, Scroll 12.</ref>

Early bayonets were of the "plug" type, where the bayonet was fitted directly into the barrel of the musket.<ref name="johnfixbayonets"/><ref name="COLD" /><ref name="militaryhistory" /> This allowed light infantry to be converted to heavy infantry and hold off cavalry charges. The bayonet had a round handle that slid directly into the musket barrel. This naturally prevented the gun from being fired. The first known mention of the use of bayonets in European warfare was in the memoirs of Jacques de Chastenet, Vicomte de Puységur.<ref name="worldbayonets.com1"/> He described the French using crude {{convert|1|ft|adj=on}} plug bayonets during the [[Thirty Years' War|Thirty Years' War (1618–1648)]].<ref name="worldbayonets.com1"/> However, it was not until 1671 that General [[Jean Martinet]] standardized and issued plug bayonets to the French regiment of [[fusilier]]s then raised. They were issued to part of an English [[dragoon]] regiment raised in 1672, and to the Royal Fusiliers when raised in 1685.<ref name=EB1911/>

===Socket bayonets===
[[File:Musee-historique-lausanne-img 0095.jpg|thumb|left|Socket of a bayonet, showing triangular cross-section and fluted sides]]

The major problem with plug bayonets was that when attached they made it impossible to fire the musket, requiring soldiers to wait until the last possible moment before a [[melee]] to fix the bayonet. The defeat of forces loyal to [[William III of England|William of Orange]] by [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] Highlanders at the [[Battle of Killiecrankie]] in 1689 was due (among other things) to the use of the plug bayonet.<ref name="COLD"/><ref name=EB1911/> The Highlanders closed to {{cvt|50|yd|m}}, fired a single volley, dropped their muskets, and using axes and swords quickly overwhelmed the loyalists before they had time to fix bayonets. Shortly thereafter, the defeated leader, [[Hugh Mackay (general)|Hugh Mackay]], is believed to have introduced a socket bayonet of his own invention. Soon "socket" bayonets would incorporate both socket mounts and an offset blade that fit around the musket's barrel, which allowed the musket to be fired and reloaded while the bayonet was attached.

[[File:Bayonette-p1000740.jpg|thumb|Early 19th-century offset spiked socket bayonet]]

An unsuccessful trial with socket or zigzag bayonets was made after the [[battle of Fleurus (1690)|Battle of Fleurus]] in 1690, in the presence of [[King Louis XIV]], who refused to adopt them, as they had a tendency to fall off the musket. Shortly after the [[Peace of Ryswick]] (1697), the English and Germans abolished the [[pike (weapon)|pike]] and introduced socket bayonets.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911|wstitle=Bayonet|inline=1}}</ref> The British socket bayonet had a spike with a triangular cross-section rather than a flat blade, with a flat side towards the muzzle and two fluted sides outermost to a length of {{convert|15|in|cm}}. It had no lock to keep it fast to the muzzle, and was well-documented for falling off in the heat of battle.<ref name="COLD"/>

By the mid-18th century, socket bayonets had been adopted by most European armies. In 1703, the French infantry adopted a spring-loaded locking system that prevented the bayonet from accidentally separating from the musket. A triangular blade was introduced around 1715 and was stronger than the previous single or double-edged model.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://blademag.com/knife-history/bayonets-an-iconic-historic-blade |title= Bayonets: an iconic historic blade|website= blademag.com|date= 11 February 2023}}</ref>

===Sword bayonets===
The 18th century introduced the concept of the [[sword bayonet]], a long-bladed weapon with a single- or double-edged blade that could also be used as a [[Classification of swords|shortsword]]. Its initial purpose was to ensure that riflemen could form an [[infantry square]] properly to fend off cavalry attacks when in ranks with musketmen, whose weapons were longer. A prime early example of a sword bayonet-fitted rifle is the Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle, later known as the "[[Baker Rifle]]". Sword bayonets were used by German Jagers in the 18th century. The hilt usually had [[quillons]] modified to accommodate the [[gun barrel]] and a [[hilt]] mechanism that enabled the bayonet to be attached to a [[bayonet lug]]. A sword bayonet could be used in combat as a [[Sidearm (weapon)|sidearm]], when detached from the musket or rifle. When the bayonet was attached to the musket or rifle, it effectively turned all  [[long gun]]s into a [[spear]] or [[glaive]], which made it suitable for both thrusting and cutting attacks.

[[File:Chassepot-diag.jpg|thumb|Chassepot bolt-action rifle and sword bayonet.]]

While the British Army eventually discarded the sword bayonet, the socket bayonet survived the introduction of the rifled musket into British service in 1854. The new rifled musket copied the French locking ring system.<ref name="COLD"/> The new bayonet proved its worth at the [[Battle of Alma]] and the [[Battle of Inkerman]] during the [[Crimean War]], where the Imperial Russian Army learned to fear it.<ref name="COLD"/>

[[File:Chassepot bayonet assembly.jpg|thumb|left|Bayonet assembly system of the [[Chassepot]]]]

In the 1860s, European nations began to develop new [[bolt-action]] [[breech-loading weapon|breechloading]] [[rifle]]s (such as the [[Chassepot]] and [[Snider–Enfield]]) and sword bayonets suitable for mass production and used by police, pioneer, and engineer troops.<ref name="OWE">Owen, John Ivor Headon, ''Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World: Infantry Weapons and Combat Aids in Current Use by the Regular and Reserve Forces of All Nations'', Bonanza Press,  {{ISBN|978-0-517-24234-6}} (1975), p. 265</ref> The decision to redesign the bayonet into a short sword was viewed by some as an acknowledgement of the decline in importance of the fixed bayonet as a weapon in the face of new advances in firearms technology.<ref name="PUN"/> As a British newspaper put it, "the committee, in recommending this new sword bayonet, appear to have had in view the fact that bayonets will henceforth be less frequently used than in former times as a weapon of offence and defence; they desired, therefore, to substitute an instrument of more general utility."<ref name="PUN"/>

===Multipurpose bayonets===
[[File:Bayonet, sawback (AM 1983.150-5).jpg|thumb|British Pattern 1875 Snider saw-backed bayonet (with scabbard) for the artillery carbine]]

One of these multipurpose designs was the 'sawback' bayonet, which incorporated saw teeth on the spine of the blade.<ref name="OWE"/> The sawback bayonet was intended for use as a general-purpose utility tool as well as a weapon; the teeth were meant to facilitate the cutting of wood for various defensive works such as barbed-wire posts, as well as for butchering livestock.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="PUN"/><ref name="KNI">Knight, Edward H., ''Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary'' (Vol. 1), New York: J. B. Ford & Co. (1874), p. 252</ref><ref name="RHO">Rhodes, Bill, ''An Introduction to Military Ethics: A Reference Handbook'', ABC CLIO LLC, {{ISBN|978-0-313-35046-7}} (2009), pp. 13–14</ref> It was initially adopted by the German states in 1865; until the middle of WWI approximately 5% of every bayonet style was complemented with a sawback version, for example in Belgium in 1868, Great Britain in 1869 and Switzerland in 1878 (Switzerland introduced their last model in 1914).<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="PUN"/><ref name="KNI"/><ref name="RHO"/><ref>Foulkes, Charles J., and Hopkinson, Edward C., ''Sword, Lance & Bayonet: A Record of the Arms of the British Army & Navy'' (2nd ed.), Edgware, Middlesex: Arms & Armour Press (1967) p. 113</ref> The original sawback bayonets were typically of the heavy sword-type, they were issued to engineers, with to some extent the bayonet aspect being secondary to the "tool" aspect. Later German sawbacks were more of a rank indicator than a functional saw. Generally, an average of 6% of all bayonets were sawbacks for non-commissioned officers. There were some exceptions, such as the kurzes Seitengewehr 1898 model, all of which were of the sawback design and meant for what was considered more prestigious units, such as machine gunners, telegraph troop and colonial troops.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carter |first=Anthony |title=German Bayonets |publisher=Tharston Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0946696086 |volume=2 |location=Norfolk, England |pages=55, 131}}</ref> The sawback proved relatively ineffective as a cutting tool, and was soon outmoded by improvements in military logistics and transportation; most nations dropped the sawback feature by the early 20th century.<ref name="BRA"/> The German army discontinued use of the sawback bayonet in 1917 after protests that the serrated blade caused unnecessarily severe wounds when used as a fixed bayonet.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="RHO"/>

[[File:U.S. BAYONET MODEL 1873 TROWEL.jpg|thumb|U.S. Bayonet Model 1873 [[trowel]] bayonet]]

The ''trowel'' or ''spade'' bayonet was another multipurpose design, intended for use both as an offensive weapon as well as a [[entrenching tool|digging tool]] for excavating entrenchments.<ref name="RIP">Ripley, George, and Dana, Charles A., ''The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge'' (Vol. II), New York: D. Appleton & Co. (1873), p. 409</ref><ref name="BOA">Board of Officers Assembled at St. Louis, Missouri, Schofield, J.M. (Maj. Gen.) President, ''Bayonets: Resume of the Proceedings of the Board, June 10, 1870'', Ordnance Memoranda, Issue 11, United States Army Ordnance Dept., Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (1870), p. 16</ref> In 1870, the US Army issued trowel bayonets to infantry regiments based on a design by Lieutenant-Colonel [[Edmund Rice (general)|Edmund Rice]], a US Army officer and Civil War veteran, which were manufactured by the Springfield Armory.<ref name="BEL">Belknap, William W., ''Trowel-Bayonet, Letter from the Secretary of War In Answer to a Resolution of the House of April 4, 1872'', The Executive Documents of the House of Representatives, 42nd Congress, 2nd Session (1871–1872), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (1872), pp. 1–20</ref> Besides its utility as both a fixed bayonet and a digging implement, the Rice trowel bayonet could be used to plaster log huts and stone chimneys for winter quarters; sharpened on one edge, it could cut tent poles and pins.<ref name="BEL"/> Ten thousand were eventually issued, and the design saw service during the [[Nez Perce War|1877 Nez Perce campaign]].<ref name="MCC">McChristian, Douglas C., ''Uniforms, Arms, and Equipment: Weapons and Accouterments'', University of Oklahoma Press, {{ISBN|978-0-8061-3790-2}} (2007), pp. 128–142</ref> Rice was given leave in 1877 to demonstrate his trowel bayonet to several nations in Europe.<ref name="MCC"/> One infantry officer recommended it to the exclusion of all other designs, noting that "the entrenching {{sic}} tools of an army rarely get up to the front until the exigency for their use has passed."<ref name="BEL"/> The Rice trowel bayonet was declared obsolete by the US Army in December 1881.<ref name="MCC"/>

==="Reach" controversy===
[[File:Bayonet team of "H" Company, 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment in the Imperial fortress colony of Gibraltar in 1913.jpg|thumb|Competitive bayonet team of "H" Company, 2nd Battalion, [[Royal Lincolnshire Regiment|Lincolnshire Regiment]], equipped with non-lethal dummy weapons, in the [[Imperial fortress]] colony of [[Gibraltar]] in 1913]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 136-B1356, Kasernenhof - Fechten.jpg|thumb|German soldiers at bayonet practice in 1914]]
[[File:On Board the Battleship HMS Rodney. October 1940, Training on Board the Battleship. A1210.jpg|thumb|Six sailors with Lee–Enfield rifles, standing in the 'On Guard' position during rifle and bayonet drill on board the battleship {{HMS|Rodney|29|6}}. October 1940.]]
[[File:Border Security of the 50th parallel of north.JPG|thumb|From 1899 to 1945, the Japanese used the very long, 15.75 inches (40 cm), Type 30 sword-bladed bayonet on the already long [[Arisaka]] rifle.]]

Prior to World War I, bayonet doctrine was largely founded upon the concept of "reach"; that is, a soldier's theoretical ability, by use of an extremely long rifle and fixed bayonet, to stab an enemy soldier without having to approach within reach of his opponent's blade.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="HUT">Hutton, Alfred, ''Fixed Bayonets: A Complete System of Fence for the British Magazine Rifle'', London: William Clowes & Sons (1890), pp. v, 125, 131–132</ref><ref name="BAR">Barrett, Ashley W., "Lessons to be Learned by Regimental Officers from the Russo-Japanese War", "Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States", Volume 45, (March–April 1909), pp. 300–301.</ref> A combined length of rifle and bayonet longer than that of the enemy infantryman's rifle and attached bayonet, like the infantryman's pike of bygone days, was thought to impart a tactical advantage on the battlefield.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="BAR"/><ref name="HOP">Hopkins, Albert A., ''Scientific American War Book: the Mechanism and Technique of Warfare'', New York: Munn & Co. (1915) p. 141</ref><ref name="PRA">''Praktische Bajonett-Fechtschule: auf Grund der Bajonettir-Vorschrift für die Infanterie'', Berlin: E. S. Mittler und Sohn (1889)</ref>

In 1886, the French army introduced a {{convert|52|cm|in|round=0.5|adj=mid|-long}} quadrangular [[épée]] spike for the bayonet of the [[Lebel Model 1886 rifle]], the ''Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886'', resulting in a rifle and bayonet with an overall length of {{convert|6|ft|m|spell=in}}. Germany responded by introducing a long sword bayonet for the [[Gewehr 98|Model 1898 Mauser]] rifle, which had a 29-inch barrel. The bayonet, the ''Seitengewehr 98'', had a 50&nbsp;cm (19.7-inch) blade.<ref name="HOP"/> With an overall length of {{convert|5|ft|9|in|m}}, the German army's rifle/bayonet combination was second only to the French Lebel for overall 'reach'.<ref name="HOP"/>

After 1900, Switzerland, Britain, and the United States adopted rifles with barrel lengths shorter than that of a rifled musket, but longer than that of a carbine.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="SET">Seton-Karr, Henry (Sir), "Rifle", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (11th ed.), New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Co., Vol. 23 (''Ref–Sai'')(1911), p. 328</ref> These were intended for general use by infantry and cavalry.<ref name="SET"/> The "reach" of the new short rifles with attached bayonets was reduced.<ref name="BRA"/> Britain introduced the [[Lee–Enfield#Short Magazine Lee–Enfield Mk I|SMLE]] (Short, Magazine, Lee–Enfield), in 1904.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="SET"/> The German M1898 Mauser rifle and attached sword bayonet was 20&nbsp;cm (eight inches) longer than the SMLE and its P1903 bayonet, which used a twelve-inch (30&nbsp;cm) blade.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="PEG">Pegler, Martin and Chappell, Mike, ''Tommy 1914–18'' (Vol. 16), New York: Osprey Publishing Ltd., {{ISBN|978-1-85532-541-8}} (1996), p. 16</ref> While the British P1903 and its similar predecessor, the P1888, was satisfactory in service, criticism soon arose regarding the shortened reach.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="HOP"/><ref name="SET"/><ref name="TIL">Tilson, John Q. (Hon.), ''Weapons of Aerial Warfare: Speech By Hon. John Q. Tilson, Delivered June 1, 1917'', United States House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (1918), p. 84</ref> One military writer of the day warned: "The German soldier has eight inches the better of the argument over the British soldier when it comes to crossing bayonets, and the extra eight inches easily turns the battle in favour of the longer, if both men are of equal skill."<ref name="HOP"/>

In 1905, the German Army adopted a shortened {{convert|37|cm|in|round=0.5|adj=mid|-long}} bayonet, the ''Seitengewehr 98/05'' for engineer and pioneer troops, and in 1908, a short rifle as well, the ''Karabiner Model 1898AZ'', which was produced in limited quantities for the cavalry, artillery, and other specialist troops.<ref>James, Gary, "[http://archives.gunsandammo.com/content/germanys-karabiner-98az?page=1 Germany's Karabiner 98AZ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607012053/http://archives.gunsandammo.com/content/germanys-karabiner-98az?page=1 |date=7 June 2013 }}", ''Guns & Ammo'' (June 2010), retrieved 17 November 2011</ref> However, the long-barreled 98 Mauser rifle remained in service as the primary infantry small arm.<ref>Ezell, Edward C., ''Small Arms of the World: A Basic Manual of Small Arms'', Volume 11, p. 502</ref> Moreover, German military authorities continued to promote the idea of outreaching one's opponent on the battlefield by means of a longer rifle/bayonet combination, a concept prominently featured in its infantry bayonet training doctrines.<ref name="PRA"/> These included the ''throw point'' or ''extended thrust-and-lunge'' attack.<ref name="CRO">Crossman, Edward C., "The Rifle of the Hun", ''Popular Mechanics'', Vol. 30, No. 2 (1918), pp. 183–185.</ref> Using this tactic, the German soldier dropped into a half-crouch, with the rifle and fixed bayonet held close to the body.<ref name="CRO"/> In this position the soldier next propelled his rifle forward, then dropped the supporting hand while taking a step forward with the right foot, simultaneously thrusting out the right arm to full length with the extended rifle held in the grip of the right hand alone.<ref name="CRO"/> With a maximum 'kill zone' of some eleven feet, the ''throw point'' bayonet attack gave an impressive increase in 'reach', and was later adopted by other military forces, including the U.S. Army.<ref name="CRO"/><ref>Stacey, Cromwell (Capt.), "Training in Bayonet Fighting: Throw Point", ''U.S. Infantry Journal'', Vol. 10, No. 6 (1914) pp. 870–871.</ref>

In response to criticism over the reduced reach of the SMLE rifle and bayonet, British ordnance authorities introduced the P1907 bayonet in 1908, which had an elongated blade of some seventeen inches to compensate for the reduced overall length of the SMLE rifle.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="BAR"/><ref name="SET"/><ref>'' Notes on Naval Progress, Section II: Small Arms'', General Information Series Volume 20, United States Office of Naval Intelligence, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (July 1901), p. 198</ref><ref name="REG">Regan, Paula (ed.), ''Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor'', London: Penguin Ltd.  {{ISBN|978-0-7566-4219-8}} (2006), p. 284.</ref> The 1907 bayonet was essentially a copy of the Japanese Type 30 bayonet, Britain having purchased a number of Japanese type 30 rifles for the Royal Navy during the preceding years.<ref name="royalarmories"/> U.S. authorities in turn adopted a long (16-in. blade) bayonet for the [[M1903 Springfield]] short rifle, the [[M1905 bayonet]]; later, a [[M1917 bayonet|long sword bayonet]] was also provided for the [[M1917 Enfield]] rifle.<ref name="TIL"/>

===Reversal in opinion===
[[File:World-War-II-US-Military-Bayonets.jpg|thumb|US military bayonets; from the top down, they are the M1905, the M1, M1905E1 Bowie Point Bayonet (a cut down version of the M1905), and the M4 Bayonet for the M1 Carbine.]]

The experience of [[World War I]] reversed opinion on the value of long rifles and bayonets in typical infantry combat operations.<ref name="PEG"/><ref name="REG"/><ref name="MCB"/><ref name="KNY">Knyvett, R. Hugh (Capt.), ''Over There with the Australians'', originally published 1918, reprinted by The Echo Library, {{ISBN|978-1-4068-6694-0}} (2011), pp. 152–153.</ref> Whether in the close confines of trench warfare, night time raiding and patrolling, or attacking across open ground, soldiers of both sides soon recognized the inherent limitations of a long and ungainly rifle and bayonet when used as a [[close-quarters battle]] weapon.<ref name="PEG"/><ref name="REG"/><ref name="MCB">McBride, Herbert W., ''A Rifleman Went to War'', Plantersville, SC: Small Arms Technical Publishing Co. (1935), pp. 179–185, 197, 241–243, 335</ref><ref name="KNY"/> Once Allied soldiers had been trained to expect the ''throw point'' or ''extended thrust-and-lunge attack'', the method lost most of its tactical value on the World War I battlefield.<ref name="CRO"/> It required a strong arm and wrist, was very slow to recover if the initial thrust missed its mark, and was easily parried by a soldier who was trained to expect it, thus exposing the German soldier to a return thrust which he could not easily block or parry.<ref name="CRO"/><ref>Moss, James Alfred, ''Manual of Military Training'', Menasha, WI: George Banta Publishing Co. (1914), p. 161: "The adversary may attempt a greater extension in the thrust and lunge by quitting the grasp of his piece with the left hand and advancing the right as far as possible. When this is done, a sharp parry may cause him to lose control of his rifle, leaving him exposed to a counter-attack, which should follow promptly."</ref><ref>United States Marine Corps, ''U.S. Marine Combat Conditioning'', United States Marine Corps Schools (Sep 1944), reprinted Skyhorse Publishing Inc.,  {{ISBN|978-1602399624}} (2011), p. 7: "The...' throw point' as it is sometimes called can be used to thrust from a distance an '''unarmed''' enemy who is running backwards away from you. This would probably be the only time you would actually thrust a man with a...' throw point'...because unless your enemy is off his guard and unless you have a very strong arm, there is too much chance of dropping the rifle or of his knocking it from your hands."</ref> Instead of longer bayonets, infantry forces on both sides began experimenting with other weapons as auxiliary close-quarter arms, including the [[trench knife]], [[Trench raiding club|trench club]], [[handgun]], [[hand grenade]], and [[entrenching tool]].<ref name="MCB"/><ref>Beith, Ian H., "Modern Battle Tactics: Address Delivered April 9, 1917", ''National Service'' (June 1917), pp. 325, 328</ref>

Soldiers soon began employing the bayonet as a knife as well as an attachment for the rifle, and bayonets were often shortened officially or unofficially to make them more versatile and easier to use as tools, or to maneuver in close quarters.<ref name="BRA"/><ref name="REG"/><ref name="MCB"/><ref name="KNY"/> During [[World War II]], bayonets were further shortened into knife-sized weapons in order to give them additional utility as [[Combat knife|fighting]] or [[utility knife|utility knives]].<ref name="BRA"/> The vast majority of modern bayonets introduced since World War II are of the [[knife bayonet]] type.<ref name="BRA"/>