Bayonet Battle

Gallipoli. The Somme. Crete. North Africa. Normandy. Malaya. Singapore. Guadalcanal. Burma. Iwo Jima. Korea. Dien Bien Phu. Khe Sanh. Hue. Tumbledown – the twentieth century may have seen land warfare become increasingly mechanized, but bayonets were used in all these conflicts and they are still used in the current conflict in Afghanistan.

Bayonet Battle is a history of the lesser-known use of the bayonet in twentieth century combat, featuring Japanese, Australian, German, Vietnamese, Korean, British and American forces. For each featured action the strategic and tactical situation is covered in full and the fighting itself is, where possible, told through first-hand battle accounts.

Written by an expert in the field and including black-&-white photographs, Bayonet Battle reveals just how little some close-quarters fighting has changed since antiquity. Bayonet Battle presents a fresh perspective on twentieth century land warfare.