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ARMY SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL TRAINING, ALDERSHOT CLOSE COMBAT 1. OBJECT To kill the enemy at close quarters, or under certain conditions to overpower or disable him. Hand to hand fighting requires in its stark reality, the skill to fight and kill even with the bare hands. A practical knowledge of Close Combat enables a soldier to accomplish this successfully although opposed to an armed enemy, when hehimself may be completely unarmed. With the vast extension in mechanized warfare, the opportunities to indulge in this form of fighting have greatly increased, and the after dark tank hunting raids, which have become a feature of modern war, offer great scope to the skillful exponent of Close Combat. 2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES Before going into detail and method there are some general principles to belearned and remembered. Unlike boxing, there are no rules in Close Combat. You are up against a ruthless enemy who has been taught and trained to employ every possible means to kill you. Remember, therefore, that it is your life or his, so do not hesitate to put him out of action as quickly as possible, regardless of the means employed. Attack is the best form of defense, so be on the attack orready for it al all times. In Close Combat the essentials of successful attack are surprise, speed, determination and ruthlessness. An armed man will always have the advantage over an unarmed man provided he thoroughly understands his weapon, but do not allow the fact that you are unarmed to disturb your confidence, because there are many ways in which you can get the better of the enemy, in spiteof his weapon. If you find yourself disarmed and facing a man with a rifle, Tommy gun or revolver, you can be pretty sure that for some reason or other he does not wish to shoot - maybe he has no ammunition, or perhaps the weapon has jammed, or gain he may not wish to make any noise - whatever the reason the fact that he does not shoot should give you the confidence. Always aim to get within armslength of an armed opponent and then get closer still. The closer you are the less chance he has to use his weapon effectively. In Close Combat there is no such thing as defense, there is only attack and counterattack. Your counter may contain a defensive movement, but only as part of your counter-attack. A properly executed attack consists of no defense.

The soldier must first be taught thevulnerable points of the body and then to decide quickly which of those is the most easily accessible according to the dress and position of his opponent. These vulnerable points are: (a) In front - the point of the chin; the front and sides of the throat, fork, knees, insteps, and the solar plexus (b) Behind - the base of the skull, kidneys, spine and fork. 3. APPLICATION the spirit of attackshould be kept alive throughout the training. To achieve this in the early stages, the instructor should follow the sequence of attack and counter-attack as detailed. The various movements should be practiced carefully and slowly at first, working up later to full speed - speed and surprise are the keys to success. In the early stages, the lessons should be carried out in gym and sports kit, laterworking up to full battle orders. All movements should be practiced on both sides to be able to deal effectively with either a right or left handed opponent. To attain proficiency and self-reliance frequent practice is essential. 4. ATTACKS i) Unarmed a) The Chin Jab - A sharp upward blow delivered with the heel of the hand, with the weight of the body behind it, under the opponent's chin, thefingers being spread and slightly bent, so that they may strike the opponent's eyes or nose. b) Edge of the Hand Blow - Delivered with the inner (i.e. little finger) edge of the hand, using that part opposite the base of the thumb, the fingers being kept straight and close together, the thumb extended as far as possible. The blow is delivered from the elbow with a chopping action. c) The Knee Blow - A...