When was the sword put out of use?

[Ferret]

What time frame was the gun a more preferable weapon then melee weapons?

 

[Ranger REG]

Do you mean when it is no longer serviceable in war? I'm guessing probably after WW II.

 

[Enkhidu]

Well, swords have always been somewhat associated with the nobility (so much so that even in today's militaries, a sword is often part of the dress uniform), so the sword actually had more longevity than most other battlefield weapons. In fact, swords were in common melee use all the way up through the American Civil War. It wasn't until the advent of the repeating rifle and the "six-shooter" that swords fell out of use as a sidearm.

Likewise, spears - which have always been a "common soldier's weapon" were in common use (in the form of the bayonet) all the way up to the 1st World War. They were only displaced once the traditional tactics of "everybody line up and shoot until one side runs away" were abandoned during WW2. Tanks in that conflict, as well as automatic weaponry, were the end of melee as a real force in war.

Why do you ask?

 

[Aaron2]

What time frame was the gun a more preferable weapon then melee weapons?

By the 1600s, the pike-and-musket formations were develped. Here pike armed troops were relegated to protecting the musketeers (primarily from cavalry). Around 1650 the bayonet was develped to allow a musketeer to, essentially, carry his own pike around. From this point on the focus of battle was on gun armed troops.

I'm curious what you mean by "preferable". Early firearms from the 1400s used a matchlock. Here, the user would have to like a match (more like a long fuse) which kept burning and was used to ignite the powder. While reliable, it wasn't much use outside of battle as you couldn't walk around with it lit. In the early 1500s the wheellock was develped. It worked kinda like a modern cigarette lighter. With this, you could walk around with a loaded weapon and fire at any time. The downside was that it was so expensive that only the rich, and not common soldiers, were able to use one. By the early 1600s, the flintlock was finally invented. Its what you typically think of as the pistols used by pirates. This didn't change the battelfield much but it did make firearms more useful when your suprised etc.

Aaron

 

[Nifft]

Plenty of people still die in knife fights.

Soldiers are still issued knives... and I think are still trained in their use as weapons (not just survival tools).

-- N

 

[jerichothebard]

In Europe, at least, the sword was beginning to fall out of favor as a weapon of war during the period of the musketeers - 1600 or so. Their name means, essentially, one who carries/uses a musket. They still used the sword extensively in close quarters, but warfare was starting to be held more at arm's length.

However, melee weapons did not fall into total disuse until sometime after colt and winchester invented revolvers and repeating rifles. The American Cavalry still carried and were trained in the use of swords through the 1800s, I believe, partially because they were fighting foes (i.e. American Indian tribes) who made heavy use of primitive weapons in addition to picking up and showing an apptitude for rifles.

 

[bubbalin]

Plenty of people still die in knife fights.

Soldiers are still issued knives... and I think are still trained in their use as weapons (not just survival tools).

-- N

This is arguable. It takes a lot of training to use one effectively, more than most militaries have the time for unless they have a good idea that these soldiers will get in a knife fight.

Also, I think Churchill broke tradition as a cavalry officer by leading charges with a revolver rather than a sword. I think this was around the early 1900s, possibly the boer war. IIRC he had a lame arm or something.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I would say WW1, this was when horse based calvary was replaced by mechanized calvary, the saber was still used up to that point.

 

[Ranger REG]

I thought the army of Imperial Japan was the last time swords were in use in wartime.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I thought the army of Imperial Japan was the last time swords were in use in wartime.

It is one of those questions that really does not have an true answer. I quess the real question is 'when was the sword no longer issued as a weapon?'