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<blockquote data-quote="Fester" data-source="post: 1436971" data-attributes="member: 14945">Not so. Bayonets are used for close combat fighting, which occurs a lot more than is generally thought with ground troops.&nbsp; Close combat fighting is savage and not the sort of thing shown by the press or the sort of thing that any army wants the press to be showing, so people just think it doesn't happen.&nbsp; But that assumption is wrong.As pointed out, there is no real answer to the original question.&nbsp; Swords are still used by armies all over the world, though generally as ceremonial pieces.&nbsp; The image of the machette wielding guerilla also comes to mind.&nbsp; However, they were still used in combat during the First World War and the Japenesse certainly used them during the Second World War,&nbsp; but they had no militray value by then.&nbsp; Even during the American Civil War and Crimean War the use of swords had questionable military value (though they were certainly used).To be honest, in western history, I think you need to go back as far as the Napoleonic era to find the last time that swords were used effectively in combat, but these were almost entirely used by the cavalry.&nbsp; Foot wielding swordsmen died out after the medieval period, as they found them pesky musketeers and pikemen just too much for them to handle.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Fester, post: 1436971, member: 14945"] Not so. Bayonets are used for close combat fighting, which occurs a lot more than is generally thought with ground troops. Close combat fighting is savage and not the sort of thing shown by the press or the sort of thing that any army wants the press to be showing, so people just think it doesn't happen. But that assumption is wrong. As pointed out, there is no real answer to the original question. Swords are still used by armies all over the world, though generally as ceremonial pieces. The image of the machette wielding guerilla also comes to mind. However, they were still used in combat during the First World War and the Japenesse certainly used them during the Second World War, but they had no militray value by then. Even during the American Civil War and Crimean War the use of swords had questionable military value (though they were certainly used). To be honest, in western history, I think you need to go back as far as the Napoleonic era to find the last time that swords were used effectively in combat, but these were almost entirely used by the cavalry. Foot wielding swordsmen died out after the medieval period, as they found them pesky musketeers and pikemen just too much for them to handle. [/QUOTE]

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