Use of Knife & Effectiveness by "W.E. Fairbairn"

[Yvesrow1]

Very interesting "Timetable of Death"

[BigFoot]

I like this a lot, it makes sense that old sword executions used to go in for the Figure #4 kill. It was almost instant and there was no recovering from it.

Great find.

[sassieroses]

Holy crickets!! Very cool post!!

[Oswald2001]

The most effective knife is a .45.

[wilcox009]

I don't know... all those beheading movies where the guy is kicking and screaming (well kind of anyway the hole cutting the throat thing makes it sound different) doesn't make me think loss of consciousness at 2 seconds on the carotid artery.

[Oswald2001]

Originally Posted by wilcox009

I don't know... all those beheading movies where the guy is kicking and screaming (well kind of anyway the hole cutting the throat thing makes it sound different) doesn't make me think loss of consciousness at 2 seconds on the carotid artery.

In actual practice, it almost never went as quickly and quietly as in a 'perfect world' scenario.

Remember, these were indoctrination materials compiled in time of war. They were meant as propaganda more to bolster the morale of the men than to actually 'train'.

Almost none of the men trained would ever need to put any of this into actual practice. But it gave them a sense of emotional security which helped them to go into battle and function like soldiers.

Kinda like supposedly being able to disable a tank with ingredients commonly found around the kitchen. A comforting theory perhaps, but...

[AmericanIllusions]

Cool but I don't think anyone needs a lesson on how to kill a guy with a knife. Its damn easy, in fact you really can't screw it up if you're determined enough or pissed.

I always said knives are scarier then guns because they don't sear the wounds shut or go in & out like a bullet.

[Scumpup]

Some places are better to stab than others, if you really want your opponent dead. You have the luxury, sometimes, of being able to pick a target on an unsuspecting opponent. In an actual fight, you cut or puncture what you can when you can while minimizing damage to yourself. Knife vs. knife is especially ugly, messy, and dangerous with the winner being the one who is less badly maimed.

[commondenom]

great stuff....i've just finished reading 'the complete book of knife-fighting....a lot of info in the book is based on fairburns work plus a few others....

[30564U]

Bill Fairbairn is a historically very elusive character. There aren't very many books or stories written about his life...all we're left with are his books which are primarily focused on fighting skills. Fairbairn himself is somewhat of an enigma. For that matter so is the Shanghai Municipal Police. Not a ton written about the force except for basic statistics and formal dry history. Too bad...both Fairbairn and SMP are fascinating subjects.