The bayonet, a long knife attached to the end of a rifle, was invented in the 17th Century in the French town of Bayonne. Although originally conceived as a means of providing an infantryman with further offensive abilities in an era when rifles required extensive loading procedures, the bayonet has been retained in modern times and still proves an effective weapon in close combat. The M1 bayonet measured ten inches in length and was either attached to the barrel of a rifle, or used as a hand-held weapon. Private Mellish looks to have drawn his own bayonet during his struggle with a Waffen-SS soldier during the battle of Ramelle. |
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