The military assassin, the former battlefield hero, seems to be gradually retiring from the stage of history. What is it that has brought this once-feared weapon to the brink of obsolescence? Is it because its cruelty is intolerable to modern civilization, or is it inadequate in the face of practicality?
Rumors swirl that the United Nations had stepped in to ban China's Triangular Thorn because it was too cruel. But when looking for official documents, such a ban does not seem to exist.
Quadrangular Thorn: An imperfect attempt
On the fierce battlefield of the Anti-Japanese War, the arrival of the Soviet Union's Mosin Nagant Quadrangular Thorn was initially pinned on high hopes. This uniquely designed spur, with its quadrangular shape, is believed to provide greater lethality and breakthrough ability on the battlefield. Its theoretical design has indeed shown good performance in static tests, especially in terms of penetration, making it an ideal cold weapon on paper.
However, as this spur was widely used on the battlefield, a series of design flaws began to be revealed. First of all, its quadrangular structure increases penetration, but it also makes it less portable. The shape and weight of this military spur put a lot of burden on soldiers during long marches and rapid movements. Especially in complex terrain such as mountains and jungles, the problem of carrying quadrangular military thorns has become particularly prominent. The soldiers had to spend extra energy on the march to deal with the problem of carrying this equipment, which undoubtedly increased their burden.
More critically, the feel and adaptability of the four-edged military thorn. Designers may not have initially taken into account Asian physique and usage habits. The grip and length of the four-edged military spur, when used in practice, were neither suitable for Asian soldiers nor convenient for quick drawing. In an emergency battlefield environment, this discomfort and inconvenience often affect the combat performance of soldiers.
Despite this, the Quadrangular Thorn has demonstrated its design merits in certain situations, especially against enemy poorly equipped infantry, where its excellent penetration ability can be remarkable. However, these advantages do not fully compensate for its shortcomings in practical use. Especially in an environment of high-intensity and frequent close combat such as the War of Resistance Against Japan, the need for rapid reaction and light carrying is far more important than a single penetrating force.
Triangular Thorn: Saving and Practicality in Innovation
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in the face of severe national defense and military challenges, the improvement and innovation of military equipment has become an urgent need. In particular, in terms of personal equipment, the improvement of the traditional cold weapon of the military stab reflects the progress of China's military thinking and its deep understanding of the needs of actual combat. Based on the inconveniences exposed by the four-sided military thorn in actual combat during the Anti-Japanese War, military engineers and designers devoted themselves to intense and challenging improvement work.
After repeated experiments and considerations, the length of the three-sided military thorn was finally developed at 38 centimeters. This length is set to ensure sufficient lethality and penetration, while greatly improving the convenience of carrying. When soldiers move quickly or engage in hand-to-hand combat, they can quickly draw their knives to respond, and this improvement in design details directly enhances the practical application value of military stabs.
In terms of materials and manufacturing processes, due to the fact that the forging steel technology was not yet developed at that time, the traditional flat knife-like design had obvious problems of insufficient strength and easy breakage. This is unacceptable for military equipment that requires high strength and reliability. As a result, the design team adopted a tapered design, a structure with a better physical strength distribution that is able to withstand strong impact forces while maintaining structural integrity. The conical design not only solves the problem of strength, but also optimizes the penetration effect to a certain extent, making it easier for the spur to penetrate the target.
In order to further conserve resources and improve the use effect, the design cleverly digs three blood grooves on the knife body. The addition of these blood troughs not only saves in the use of materials, but more importantly, increases the structural stability and balance of the military thorns. The presence of a blood groove improves the accuracy and efficiency of operations in combat by changing the weight distribution of the blade, making it more stable when holding the knife. In addition, this design has the effect of reducing underwater drag, providing unexpected combat considerations for possible underwater combat.
The real purpose of the blood trough
In the design process of military equipment, practicality and efficiency are often the primary considerations. The design innovation of the triangular military thorn, especially the design of its blood trough, came into being in this context. Traditionally, people may mistakenly believe that blood troughs exist to make wounds more difficult to heal, thus increasing lethality. However, in reality, the logic and considerations behind the design of the blood trough on the Triangular Army Thorn are far more complex and scientific than that.
The introduction of the blood trough is first of all based on the consideration of the stability of the military spur structure. By digging blood grooves in the knife body, not only does it visually give people a sense of sharpness, but more importantly, these grooves physically act like steel bars in buildings, enhancing the overall structural strength. In combat, the spur may need to penetrate heavy uniforms or other obstacles, and the presence of blood grooves makes it less likely to break or deform when subjected to this impact.
In addition to increasing strength, the design of the blood tank also focuses on improving balance and ease of use. Because the blood groove on the knife body can effectively reduce the overall weight, this adjusts the center of gravity of the knife to a certain extent, so that the operator can control more flexibly after the bayonet is equipped with a bayonet in the hand or the head of the gun, which improves the mobility and accuracy in combat. In a tense battlefield environment, even small improvements can be a key factor in victory in battle.
In addition, the blood tank unexpectedly provides additional practical features. In some specific cases, the blood gauge can reduce resistance when piercing or withdrawing, which is essential for quick succession of combat maneuvers, buying the soldier valuable reaction time. While this may not have been a major design consideration, it certainly increases the battlefield applicability of the Triangular Thorn.
Structural characteristics and practicability of the triangular military thorn
The unique design of the Triangular Thorn lies in its reinterpretation and innovation of the traditional cold weapon function. Different from the conventional design that pursues the sharpness of the blade, the triangular military spur pays more attention to the scientific structure and the penetration efficiency in actual combat. This shift in design thinking not only reflects a deep understanding of battlefield needs, but also demonstrates the progress of China's military equipment design concept.
The tip of the three-edged spine is designed in the shape of a duck's beak, and this unique shape is not without purpose. The duckbill-shaped tip concentrates power during stabbing and significantly increases penetration. Compared to the traditional sharp tip of a knife, the duckbill-shaped design ensures that it is not easily damaged when hitting hard objects or penetrating heavy clothing, maintaining the durability and stability of the bayonet.
The rear end of the three-edged spur has a cylindrical design, which is not only easy to hold, but also makes the overall structure stronger. The cylindrical rear end combined with the duckbill design of the front end creates a perfect balance that provides a stable grip and effectively transmits power, ensuring that the user can use the spur more flexibly and accurately in actual combat.
One of the most central aspects of the design is the prismatic structure of its middle part, which combines three blood grooves. The design concept of this variable cross-section structure is a significant feature that distinguishes the triangular military spur from other cold weapons. The middle part of the prism, combined with the presence of the blood trough, not only reduces the overall weight, but more importantly, improves the efficiency of penetration. When the Triangular Army stabs into the target, the prismatic structure can concentrate the force, which greatly enhances the penetration ability, and the design of the blood groove further reduces the resistance when drawing the knife, making continuous combat possible.
This unusual design, that is, not the pursuit of the sharpness of the blade, but the enhancement of penetration through the exquisite structural design, embodies a completely new combat concept. In actual combat, bayonet battles often take place when the two sides are extremely close to each other, and the ability to penetrate the opponent's protection and quickly defeat the enemy is far more important than simply cutting the wound. The design of the Triangular Army Thorn is based on this combat demand, which does not expand the wound by cutting, but focuses on the improvement of penetration, which is more suitable for the needs of fast and efficient combat in modern warfare.
The demystification of the UN's ban on rumors
In the history of the development of modern military equipment, there are often various controversies and misunderstandings surrounding the use, effectiveness and legal status of weapons. One such example is China's Triangular Thorn, which is often surrounded by misinformation and rumors, especially claims that it has been banned by the United Nations. In fact, this claim lacks factual basis, and the United Nations has never issued a ban on triangular spurs or any other type of cold weapon. This misconception may stem from an exaggerated interpretation of the lethality of weapons and an incomplete understanding of international law.
It is true that historically, specific weapons have been restricted or banned because the harm they cause is considered too cruel, but this mainly concerns non-traditional weapons such as chemical weapons, biological weapons, etc. There is no explicit prohibition in international law for cold weapons such as the Triangular Thorn. The design and use of the Triangular Thorn was carried out more according to the needs of the battlefield and the principle of practicality, rather than on inhumane considerations for the enemy.
Over time, the shape of warfare and the capabilities of weapons have evolved, and modern weapon systems have increasingly emphasized versatility and practicality. The Type 95 bayonet is the embodiment of this philosophy. As part of modern military equipment, the Type 95 bayonet not only retains the basic functions of traditional bayonets, such as being mounted on the muzzle for stabbing and chopping, but also adds a variety of practical functions that allow it to play an important role in non-combat situations.
The design of the Type 95 bayonet takes into account the needs of actual combat and the practical convenience of the soldier. It can be easily disassembled and used alone as a tool such as an axe and saw, which is extremely useful for wilderness survival, rescue, and daily tasks. The design on the bayonet, such as the round hole in the blade, can even be combined with the scabbard to turn into a temporary pair of scissors for cutting rope or cloth.
"Let the blood of "bayonet see red" forever