Russians and the Bayonet.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume xxii, Issue 6458, 30 December 1904, Page 2

Russians and the Bayonet.

Ever since the war began the Russians have been talking about what they would do when they got at the Japanese with the bayonet. They went further; at the battle of the Yalu and in many a subsequent fight they have stated that the Japanese would not iaea the Russian bayonet. And this in spite of the memorable passage of the Yalu and the even stronger testimony of Nan-shan to the contrary. A month ago General Dragomiroff, in his letter to ! the 14feh Infantry Division, farewelling to the Far East, said that the bayonet was the weapon par excellence of the Russian, and bade the men to make the utmost use of it, for no enemy would stand before the* Russian bayonet.

Mr Bennet,Burleigh, smarting from what he considers treatment derogatory to his acknowledged standing, and rather prone to fault-finding with the senior Japanese officers, had a chance of seeing what the Russians could do. with the bayonet. It was in the fighting round Liaoyang, when the Japanese infantry of the Third Division took Sciub Hill, a part of the Shushan defences. This is what he writes: — " At the east end of Scrub Hill there was a Russian work, about 75 yards in diameter, which had been dug and blasted into the loose earth and rook. It was protected by outer trenches, and on the foot of the slope, 150 yds or so away there were double lines of rifle pits, banked wire entanglements, and cheval de frise. The 6in vfans Qiaken at Nan-shan) had breached the parapet of the fort in two places, Watching the work on the Scrub Hill I saw the sight of the day, the greatest achievement of men in war. Groups of little shortlegged Japanese soldiers started up and began moving down the range towards the neck which separated them from the Scrub Hill* Many'dropped. Those left ran on. The wounded men who were hit and could not run on helped their comrades by shooting at the Russians, ivho were now showing above the works, firing rapidly a*nd hurling a sheet of leaden rain at the dauntless stormere. In open formation, in squads of ten, twenties-, and forties, the cotton-khaki-ekd Japanese ran, those in the rear hastening to catch up with the foremost. The getting through the entanglements and crossing the pitfalls took a fearful time. It made even the onlookers' flesh creep as the troops strove to pick their way, though shells burst in their faces, bullets whipped che dust and most of the men were knocked over violently and fell to rise no more, But the weak remnant, not nore than 40, at last got through, and ran without pause. < The Russians despatched about a dozen of them before they had covered 50 yard 9, but the scattered handful of men never wavered, • never looked back, but strove to run faster than ever straight for jthe breach. Then I saw another curious spectacle. After the first three or four had got in, instantly a stream of Russian soldiers jumped out from the rear of the works, and, throwing down their rifles sprinted for their lives along the Scrub Hill to the rear, dodgiog down the reverse slopes, scurrying like rabbits in all directions. The Muscovites ran wildly in search of cover. The Japanese, without pausing, dashed in, and very few of the Russian soldiers, I believe, waited to cross bayonets or swords with them. Still, the trenches did show that some of them tarried and met their fate with soldierly courage."

Here was an admirable and striking instance when everything was in favour of the defending Russians. They had successfully repulsed several previous attacks. They were fresh, in a selected position, and had plenty of time to make up their minds what to do. What they did not do was to beat the Japanese at bayonet fighting.