World War II combatives are close quarters combat techniques including hand-to-hand fighting, advanced firearm

point shooting Point shooting, also known as target- or threat-focused shooting, intuitive shooting, instinctive shooting or subconscious tactical shooting, is a practical shooting method where the shooter points a ranged weapon (typically a revolver or semi ...

methods and weapons techniques (knife/bayonet/improvised weapons) that were taught to allied

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

by notable instructors such as Rex Applegate and William Ewart Fairbairn. Distinctions between World War II combatives and modern combatives include: 1) The former is based upon rapid high percentage gross motor strikes to vital targets whereas the latter is based upon fine motor skill grappling. 2) The former seeks primarily to disable the enemy as quickly as possible at all costs, whereas the latter seeks primarily to build "warrior ethos" and the courage to close with the enemy.

Background

World War II combatives are rooted in the policing tactics employed by

police forces The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

in the

Shanghai International Settlement The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which British subjects and American citizens would enjoy extraterritoriality and consular jurisdict ...

, pioneers of the concept of

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

police who operated in what was widely acknowledged as the most dangerous port city in the world at the time.

World War II

Upon returning to their countries of origin, veterans of the Shanghai Municipal Police were tasked with training allied World War II commandos and intelligence personnel including the

British Commandos The Commando, Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the World War II, Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out Raid (military), raids against ...

SAS SAS or Sas may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''SAS'' (novel series), a French book series by Gérard de Villiers * ''Shimmer and Shine'', an American animated children's television series * Southern All Stars, a Japanese rock ba ...

& SBS, the US/Canadian 1st Special Service Force ("

Devil's Brigade The 1st Special Service Force was an elite American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, under the command of the United States Fifth Army. The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana i ...

"), the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all bran ...

(precursor to the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

), the British Special Operation Executive,

Marine Raider The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. " Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine Raider Battalion and " Carlson's" Ra ...

Units, and the

US Army Rangers United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

Bibliography

*"Get Tough" by William Ewart Fairbairn *"Kill or Get Killed" by Rex Applegate *"Cold Steel" by John Styers *"Do or Die: A Supplementary Manual on Individual Combat" A.J. Drexel-Biddle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:World War Ii Combatives Combat Military personnel World War II Hybrid martial arts North American martial arts Martial arts in the United States European martial arts

Background

World War II

See also

Bibliography

References