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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 12pm

http://www.classicbattlefieldtours.com/

Classic Battlefield Tours, Alton (2025)

28/12/2024

Ship money

Ship money was a tax of medieval origin levied intermittently in the Kingdom of England until the middle of the 17th century. Assessed typically on the inhabitants of coastal areas of England, it was one of several taxes that English monarchs could levy by prerogative without the approval of Parliament. The attempt of King Charles I from 1634 onwards to levy 'ship money' during peacetime and extend it to the inland counties of England without parliamentary approval provoked fierce resistance. It was one of the grievances of the English propertied class in the lead-up to the English Civil War.

The Plantagenet kings of England had exercised the right to require the maritime towns and counties to furnish ships in time of war, and this duty was sometimes commuted for a money payment.

Although several statutes of Edward I and Edward III, notably their confirmations of Magna Carta, had made it illegal for the Crown to exact any taxes without the consent of Parliament, the prerogative of levying ship money in time of war had never fallen wholly into abeyance. In 1619, James I aroused no popular opposition by levying £40,000 (equivalent to £7,500,000 in 2023) of ship money on London and £8,550 on other seaport towns.

In 1628, Charles I, having prorogued Parliament in early summer and after he assented to the Petition of Right, proceeded to levy ship money on every county in England without Parliament, issuing writs requiring £173,000 to be returned to the exchequer. This was the first occasion when the demand for 'ship money' aroused serious opposition.

As matters deteriorated in England and Scotland starting with the Bishops' War, ship money proved to be insufficient to finance the king's military needs. It was later stopped by the Long Parliament when they voted the Ship Money Act 1640. Finally, half a century later, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, the Bill of Rights of 1689 prohibited all forms of extra-parliamentary taxation.

27/12/2024

Grand Battery

Grand Battery (Grande Battery, meaning big or great battery) was a French artillery tactic used during the Napoleonic Wars. It involved massing all available batteries into a single large, temporary one, and concentrating the firepower of their guns at a single point in the enemy's lines.

Substituting the volume of fire for accuracy, rate of fire, and rapid movement, it was rarely used in the wars' early years. As the quality of artillery crews and their horses declined, it was employed more frequently during later (post-1808) campaigns.

The Grand Battery was often concentrated against the enemy's center. An early example is at Austerlitz in 1805, when Napoleon ordered a "roar of thunder" before the main assault upon the Pratzen Heights, which split the coalition's lines in half. Another example of the tactic in use was Alexandre-Antoine Hureau de Sénarmont's aggressive use of his guns at the Battle of Friedland (1807), which was a major factor that won the battle. The same tactic was used during the Battle of Wagram in 1809, where a grand battery of 112 guns successfully halted an Austrian counterattack. At Borodino in 1812, it was again used to break a counterattack. It failed to break the strong Russian positions and earthworks in the center along the Rayevski Redoubt.

At the Battle of Lützen (1813), it succeeded in breaking the Russo-Prussian center, ahead of the main assault by the Imperial guard. In 1815 at Waterloo, the famous opening barrage of the Grande Batterie failed to break the center of Wellington's Anglo-allied army due to his deployment of most of his forces behind the reverse slopes of the rolling hillside and the fact that the ground was still wet and muddy, preventing the usual effects of the bouncing cannonballs.

24/12/2024

Nuts

In December 1944, the German army launched the surprise attack that became the Battle of the Bulge. Brigadier Genera McAuliffe commanded the 101st and its attached troops. At Bastogne, the 101st was besieged by a far larger force of Germans under the command of General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz.

On 22 December 1944, von Lüttwitz dispatched a party, consisting of a major, a lieutenant, and two enlisted men under a flag of truce to deliver an ultimatum. Entering the American lines southeast of Bastogne (occupied by Company F, 2nd Battalion, 327th Glider Infantry), the German party delivered the following to Gen. McAuliffe:

To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.

The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Ourthe near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term.
All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.

The German Commander.

According to those present when McAuliffe received the German message, he read it, crumpled it into a ball, threw it in a wastepaper basket, and muttered, "Aw, nuts". The officers in McAuliffe's command post were trying to find suitable language for an official reply when Lieutenant Colonel Harry Kinnard suggested that McAuliffe's first response summed up the situation well, and the others agreed. The official reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, to the German delegation. It was as follows:

To the German Commander.

NUTS!

The American Commander.

The German major appeared confused and asked Harper what the message meant. Harper said, "In plain English? Go to hell." The choice of "Nuts!" rather than something earthier was typical for McAuliffe. Captain Vincent Vicari, his personal aide at the time, recalled that "General Mac was the only general I ever knew who did not use profane language. 'Nuts' was part of his normal vocabulary."

The artillery fire did not materialize, although several infantry and tank assaults were directed at the positions of the 327th Glider Infantry. In addition, the German Luftwaffe attacked the town, bombing it nightly. The 101st held off the Germans until the 4th Armored Division arrived on 26 December to provide reinforcement.

23/12/2024

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year
From all at Classic Battlefield Tours
James, Tim, Louise, and Kate

20/12/2024

Treaty of Dunkirk - 1947 - The origins of NATO

The Treaty of Dunkirk was signed on 4 March 1947, between France and the United Kingdom in Dunkirk as a Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance against a possible German attack in the aftermath of World War II. It entered into force on 8 September 1947 and according to Article VI paragraph 2 of its text, it remained in force for a period of fifty years.
According to Marc Trachtenberg, the German threat was a pretext for defense against the USSR.

This Treaty preceded the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 (also known as "Brussels Pact"), which established the Western Union among Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, which became Western European Union in 1955, after the entry into force of the Treaty of Brussels of 1954 (also known as "Modified Brussels Treaty (MBT)"), when Italy and West Germany were admitted.

Since the end of World War II, sovereign European countries have entered into treaties and co-operated and harmonised policies (or pooled sovereignty) in an increasing number of areas, in the European integration project or the construction of Europe (French: la construction européenne). The following timeline outlines the legal inception of the European Union (EU)—the principal framework for this unification. The EU inherited many of its present responsibilities from the European Communities (EC), founded in the 1950s in the spirit of the Schuman Declaration.

19/12/2024

Origins of the Hundred Years War

The root causes of the conflict can be traced to the crisis of 14th-century Europe. The outbreak of war was motivated by a gradual rise in tension between the kings of France and England over territory; the official pretext was the interruption of the direct male line of the Capetian dynasty.

Tensions between the French and English crowns had gone back centuries to the origins of the English royal family, which was French (Norman, and later, Angevin) in origin through William the Conqueror, the Norman duke who became King of England in 1066. English monarchs had, therefore, historically held titles and lands within France, which made them vassals to the kings of France. The status of the English king's French fiefs was a significant source of conflict between the two monarchies throughout the Middle Ages. French monarchs systematically sought to check the growth of English power, stripping away lands as the opportunity arose, mainly whenever England was at war with Scotland, an ally of France. English holdings in France had varied in size, at some points dwarfing even the French royal domain; by 1337, however, only Guyenne and Gascony were English.

In 1328, Charles IV of France died without any sons or brothers, and a new principle, Salic law, disallowed female succession. Charles's closest male relative was his nephew Edward III of England, whose mother, Isabella, was Charles's sister. Isabella claimed the throne of France for her son by the rule of proximity of blood, but the French nobility rejected this, maintaining that Isabella could not transmit a right she did not possess. An assembly of French barons decided that a native Frenchman should receive the crown, rather than Edward.

The throne passed to Charles's patrilineal cousin instead, Philip, Count of Valois. Edward protested but ultimately submitted and did homage for Gascony. Further French disagreements with Edward induced Philip, during May 1337, to meet with his Great Council in Paris. It was agreed that Gascony should be taken back into Philip's hands, which prompted Edward to renew his claim for the French throne, this time by force of arms.

18/12/2024

Major Robert Cain won the Victoria Cross using a PIAT

Perhaps the most famous actions involving the Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) during Operation Market Garden are those carried out by Major Robert Cain, of 2nd Bn South Staffordshire Regt. Cain and his men had been blocked from reaching Lt.Col. John Frost’s PARA’s at the bridge in Arnhem and had formed a defensive perimeter in nearby Oosterbeek.

Throughout the battle, the British Airborne forces relied heavily on the PIAT and Major Cain put the weapon to good use. At one point during the battle, he used a PIAT, in its secondary in-direct mortar role, in an attempt to drop bombs onto a self-propelled gun which was positioned on the other side of a house. Sadly, Cain wasn’t able to destroy the SPG before his spotter, Lieutenant Meikle, was killed by enemy fire and he was wounded by falling masonry.

On the 21st September, he engaged and destroyed an enemy tank with the PIAT. He then moved to take on a second tank but as he fired the bomb prematurely detonated just as it left the weapon - likely due to a faulty fuse or a misaligned bomb. Cain was wounded again being thrown back by the blast and being hit by metal fragments.

Throughout the fighting, Cain displayed massive courage engaging German armoured vehicles at close ranges with the PIAT personally destroying or helping to destroy half a dozen vehicles. By the 25th Sept Cain & his men had run out of ammo for their PIATs and he began using a 2inch mortar, fired at high angle, to try and hold the enemy off.

For his gallantry during the battle he was awarded the Victoria Cross, he was the only Arnhem VC recipient to survive the battle.

17/12/2024

Recommended read/Christmas present

From Crimea with Love: Misadventures in the Making of Sharpe’s Rifles

by Jason Salkey

In the summer of 1992, Jason Salkey was cast in a role that would change his life forever. Sharpe’s Rifles, a Napoleonic war drama, was to be shot in the Crimean Peninsula. Little did the producers know they would send Jason and the crew to film in a rapidly disintegrating Soviet Union. There they faced near-starvation and danger around every corner as they set about creating one of Britain’s most successful and critically acclaimed television programmes.

From Crimea with Love documents the mishaps, blunders, incompetence, and downright corruption that made Sharpe’s Rifles go down in British television folklore for its unique tales of hardship. Follow the cast through intense deprivation and constant catastrophe until they become every bit the jaded, battle-hardened soldiers we saw on screen. Tapping into his diaries, photo journals, and video log, Jason brings you an eye-opening, jaw-dropping insider’s account of one of the best-loved shows ever made.

Available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crimea-Love-Misadventures-Making-Sharpes-ebook/dp/B08VRFN6PW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=14BKYGU6PX35G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.npd-n8Bzjk_uoCX86j5EXAySlnZSRYWhm58vqsbAfL7zUNz-wkeXbSikaXAxKa8ZctvDd3fEXlVG_ZAdw23Dc2HDIXW8UUO_jysAjEui7z65YFkuKliDvEjziC84zbiK.W0KhsG9fgRvCakVOWRzZzWU7bxuy5hDekWz5iXYpxGA&dib_tag=se&keywords=from+crimea+with+love&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1734427506&sprefix=To+Crimea%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-1

16/12/2024

Nightingale Pledge

The Nightingale Pledge, named in honour of Florence Nightingale, is a modified version of the Hippocratic Oath. Lystra Gretter and a Committee for the Farrand Training School Grace for Nurses in Detroit, Michigan created the pledge in 1893. Gretter, inspired by the work of Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, credited the pledge to her committee's work but was considered "the moving spirit behind the idea" for the pledge.

The Nightingale Pledge is a statement of the ethics and principles of the nursing profession in the United States, and it is not used outside the US. It included a vow to "abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous" and to "zealously seek to nurse those who are ill wherever they may be and whenever they are in need." In a 1935 revision to the pledge, Gretter widened the nurse's role by including an oath to become a "missioner of health" dedicated to advancing "human welfare"—an expansion of nurses' bedside focus to an approach encompassing public health.

US nurses have recited the pledge at pinning ceremonies for decades. In recent years, many US nursing schools have made changes to the original or 1935 versions, often removing the "loyalty to physicians" phrasing to promote a more independent nursing profession, with its particular ethical standards.

Original "Florence Nightingale Pledge":

I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully.
I shall abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and shall not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
I shall do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling.
I shall be loyal to my work and devoted towards the welfare of those committed to my care

15/12/2024

Vernon McGarity, award the Medal of Honor, during the Battle of the Bulge.

On December 16, 1944, the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, he served near Krinkelt, Belgium as a technical sergeant in Company L of the 393rd Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division. Wounded early in the battle, McGarity returned to his unit, and as squad leader, directed and encouraged his soldiers throughout the intense fight that ensued. He repeatedly braved heavy fire to rescue wounded men, attacked the advancing Germans, and retrieved supplies. Medics attempted to have McGarity evacuated after he was severely wounded on his face and legs, but he refused. After completely running out of ammunition, his squad and he were captured. For his actions during the battle, he was presented with the Medal of Honor a year later, on January 11, 1946, by President Harry S Truman. He left active service in 1947 to join the Tennessee Army National Guard, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1974.

McGarity died at the age of 91 in 2013

14/12/2024

Lunches and Talks at the RAF Club in 2025

‘Crisis at K*t’ Talk by Alan Wakefield

On the 12th March 2025, between 12.30 to 16.00

Crisis at K*t talk covers the early days of the Mesopotamia campaign, Townshend's advance up the Tigris, the siege and attempted relief operations, and reasons for the failure to relieve the 6th (Poona) Division.
Alan Wakefield is a historian and author with great knowledge of the Mesopotamia campaign and great art in delivering the story.

To book follow this link: https://classicbattlefieldtours.wetravel.com/trips/raf-talks-crisis-at-kut-classic-battlefield-tours-56490365

A unique talk with John Peters about his experiences in the first Gulf War.

On the 5tn June 2025, between 12.30 to 16.00

On his first mission during Operation Desert Storm, aged 29, an ultra-low level daylight mission on Ar Rumaylah Southwest Air Base, his Panavia Tornado GR.1 of XV Squadron was hit at fifty feet by a shoulder-launched SAM SA-14, and the military of Iraq captured him and his navigator (John Nichol). After capture, he was shown, bruised, and beaten, on television.
He received around 25,000 letters from well-wishers following the appearance. He said that he was "treated very specially" due to his experiences and found it difficult to live up to the public's image of him. At the end of the war, he was released and returned to the RAF for a further ten years.

To book follow this link: https://classicbattlefieldtours.wetravel.com/trips/raf-club-lunch-and-talk-by-john-peters-classic-battlefield-tours-78105975

A talk on the Lancaster bomber by a crew member Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

On the October 2025, between 12.30 to 16.00.

The Avro Lancaster is the most famous and successful RAF heavy bomber of World War Two.
There are only two airworthy Lancasters left in the world - 7,377 were built.
Lancaster PA474 was built at the Vickers Armstrong Broughton factory at Hawarden Airfield, Chester on 31 May 1945, just after VE day. The war in the Far East ended before she was deployed and she did not take part in any hostilities.

To book follow this link: https://classicbattlefieldtours.wetravel.com/trips/raf-club-lunch-and-talk-the-lancaster-bomber-classic-battlefield-tours-37414127

The cost per person for each of these talks is £175, which includes pre-drinks, a three-course meal with wine, in a private room, and the talk.

13/12/2024

General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.

Leadership style

During his tour of duty in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf developed a reputation as a commander who preferred to lead from the front, even willing to risk his own life for his subordinates. His leadership style stressed preparedness, discipline, and rigorous training, but also allowed his troops to enjoy the luxuries they had. In a valedictory address to West Point cadets, he stressed the need for competence and character. His rehabilitation of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry stressed survival and offense. Like German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and General George S. Patton, Schwarzkopf highly regarded decisiveness and valued determination among his commanders. He pushed for offensive combat over defensive operations in the Gulf War.

He was known to be extremely critical of unprepared staff officers, but was even more contentious with other generals who he felt were not aggressive enough. His frequent short temper with subordinates was well known in his command. His leadership style was sometimes criticized by subordinates who felt it reduced their ability to solve problems creatively. While Colin Powell would say Schwarzkopf's strengths outweighed his weaknesses, Dick Cheney personally disliked what he considered Schwarzkopf's pretentious behavior with subordinates. Cheney doubted Schwarzkopf's ability to lead the Gulf War, and so Powell dealt with Schwarzkopf instead.

Schwarzkopf sought to change the relationship between journalists and the military, feeling that the news media's negative portrayal of the Vietnam War had degraded troops there. When he took command during the Gulf War, he sought an entirely different strategy, which was ultimately successful by favoring greater media coverage but subject to strict controls on the battlefield. Schwarzkopf favored the intense press surrounding the Gulf War conflict, feeling that blocking the news media, as had been done in Grenada, would affect public perception of the war in the United States negatively. His dealings with the press were thus frequent and very personal, and he conducted regular briefings for journalists. He would usually not attack media coverage, even if negative unless he felt it was blatantly incorrect. He staged visible media appearances that played to patriotism.

Schwarzkopf believed extensive press coverage would help build public support for the war and raise morale. In some press conferences, he showed and explained advanced war-fighting technology that the U.S. possessed to impress the public. These also had the side effect of distracting the public from focusing on U.S. casualty counts or the destruction wrought in the war.

After the war, Schwarzkopf was very critical of military analysts who scrutinized his operation, felt that some of them were poorly informed on the factors involved in his planning, and felt that others were violating operations security by revealing too much about how he might plan the operation.

12/12/2024

What is a Livery company?

A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are styled the "Worshipful Company of" their respective craft, trade , or profession. There are 111 livery companies in total. They play a significant part in the life of the City of London (i.e. the financial district and historic heart of the capital), not least by providing charitable giving and networking opportunities. Liverymen retain voting rights for the senior civic offices, such as the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs and Common Council of the City Corporation, London's ancient municipal authority with extensive local government powers.

The term livery originated in the designed form of dress worn by retainers of a nobleman and then by extension to special dress to denote the status of belonging to a trade. Livery companies evolved from London's medieval guilds, becoming corporations by royal charter responsible for training in their respective trades, as well as for the regulation of aspects such as wage control, labour conditions, and industry standards. Like most organisations during the Middle Ages, these livery companies had close ties with the Roman Catholic Church (before the Protestant Reformation), endowing religious establishments such as chantry chapels and churches, observing religious festivals , and hosting ceremonies as well as well-known mystery plays. Most livery companies retain their historical religious associations, although nowadays members are free to follow any faith or none.

Livery companies invariably established a guild or meeting hall, though these halls faced destruction in the Great London Fire of 1666 and during the Blitz of World War II, over forty companies still own or share ownership of livery halls, some elaborate and historic, others modern replacements for halls destroyed or redeveloped. Most of these halls are made available for use by other companies not having a livery hall of their own.

After the Carmen's Company received City livery status in 1848 no new companies were established for 80 years until the Honourable Company of Master Mariners in 1926 (granted livery in 1932). Post-1926 creations are known as modern livery companies. The Nurses' Company, the newest, was granted livery status in 2023, making it the 111th City livery company in order of precedence. The Honourable Company of Air Pilots is exceptional among London's livery companies in having active overseas committees in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and North America.

11/12/2024

Quasi-War

The Quasi-War was an undeclared war from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and French First Republic. It was fought almost entirely at sea, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States, with minor actions in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

In 1793, Congress unilaterally suspended repayment of French loans from the American Revolutionary War, and in 1794 signed the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. Then engaged in the 1792 to 1797 War of the First Coalition, France retaliated by seizing U.S. ships trading with Great Britain. When diplomacy failed to resolve these issues, in October 1796 French privateers began attacking all merchant ships in U.S. waters, regardless of nationality.

Spending cuts following the end of the American Revolutionary War left the U.S. unable to mount an effective response, and within a year over 316 American ships had been captured. In March 1798, Congress reconstituted the United States Navy, and in July authorized the use of force against France. By 1799, losses had been significantly reduced through informal cooperation with the British Royal Navy, whereby merchant ships from both nations could join each other's convoys.

The replacement of the French First Republic by the Consulate in November 1799 led to the Convention of 1800, which ended the war. The right of Congress to authorize military action without a formal declaration of war was later confirmed by the Supreme Court. This ruling formed the basis of many similar actions since, including U.S. participation in the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

10/12/2024

Why are so many pubs called the Marquess of Granby?

Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby PC (2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770) was a British Army officer, politician and nobleman. The eldest son of John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland, as he did not outlive his father and inherit the dukedom, was known by his father's subsidiary title, Marquess of Granby. He served in the military during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and the Seven Years' War, being subsequently rewarded with the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.

During the Seven Years War (1756-63), Granby initially commanded a cavalry brigade in Germany. While there, he helped reorganise the mounted units into light and heavy roles and improved their training.

His victory at Warburg, where he skilfully deployed his cavalry and horse artillery to maximum effect against a much larger enemy force, marks him out as one of the great commanders. He went on to help defeat the French again at the battles of Vellingshausen (1761) and Whilhelmsthal (1762), co-operating well with his German allies.

It was a testament to Granby's reputation as a commander that his French opponent at Warburg and Vellinghausen, the Duc de Broglie, later commissioned Sir Joshua Reynolds for a full-length portrait of him.

Granby returned home from Germany to a hero's welcome. Like his contemporary, General James Wolfe, his popularity and celebrity led to him being commemorated in paintings, prints, medals, and ceramics.

This popularity was founded not only upon his great personal bravery, but also on his well-known generosity and concern for the welfare of his men. For example, when the 'Leicester Blues' mutinied over withheld wages, Granby paid the money out of his own pocket before they were due to be disbanded.

In April 1762, while colonel of the 21st Light Dragoons (Royal Foresters), he happily paid over £105 (around £22,000 today) for dinner for the whole regiment in the Half Moon Inn at Hertford.

A hard drinker himself, Granby also assisted some of his soldiers in setting up as publicans upon their discharge from the Army. To this day, a large number of public houses are named after him.

09/12/2024

PLUG BAYONET

The late 17th century saw the final demise of the pike, and its replacement by the bayonet. The plug bayonet, which blocked the musket's muzzle and needed to be removed for firing, did not catch on. The earliest military use of bayonets was by the French Army in 1647, at Ypres. These were plug-fitted into the barrel. That prevented firing once they were mounted but allowed musketeers to act as pikemen, giving infantry formations greater firepower. By 1650 some muskets had bayonets fixed to the gun at manufacture, hinged and foldable back along the barrel. French fusiliers adopted the plug bayonet as standard equipment in 1671; English fusiliers followed suit in 1685.

However, in 1669 the socket bayonet was developed, which created no such impediment. It was introduced to the French Army by Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban. By 1689 it was becoming a standard issue for French infantry.

The trouble with firing in successive lines was that it was only practical on a narrow front. In open country, the musketeers could easily be flanked, especially by cavalry. In most battles, the musketeers relied on pikemen to protect them while reloading. The infantry practiced various formations and drills that allowed musketeers to hide behind the pikes while reloading and to take up firing positions as soon as their weapons were ready to use. This system worked pretty well, but it cut down the army’s firepower-sometimes by more than half.

The solution to the problem was to turn the musket into a spear. According to some sources, this was the idea of Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban, the great French military engineer in the armies of Louis XIV. It was a solution at least for soldiers. Hunters in France and Spain had been jamming knives into the muzzles of their muskets for protection against dangerous game. It seems that Bayonne, a French city noted for its cutlery, made a type of hunting knife that was favored for this use. When the French army adopted this weapon, it was called a “bayonet.” The earliest reference to the use of the bayonet is in the memoirs of a French officer who wrote that on one campaign, his men did not carry swords, but knives with handles one foot long and blades of the same length. When needed, the knives could be placed in the muzzles of the guns to turn them into spears. The bayonet proved to be a much more effective defense against cavalry than the sword.

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