Lee-Enfield No. 4-Fixed Bayonets

albertacowboy

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In doing some research on Canadian infantrymen in Europe in WWII, I see a lot of the men with fixed spike bayonets on their rifles. Does anyone know if it was common practice or standard procedure to keep bayonets fixed much of the time in combat?
 
In doing some research on Canadian infantrymen in Europe in WWII, I see a lot of the men with fixed spike bayonets on their rifles. Does anyone know if it was common practice or standard procedure to keep bayonets fixed much of the time in combat?

I know what you are saying,..as i have seen these photo's too,...have done some reading on the No.4 rifle,..and this is what i understand...the No.4 rifle was equiped with Mark 2 rear sight..or the L sight as it is sometimes called..with the 300 yard aperature, and 600 yard aperature....the 300 yard aperature was calibrated for 300 yards with the bayonet fixed...600 yard aperature without the bayonet fixed....also as a previous post from CGN Green mentioned..normal practice of fixing bayonetswithin 300 yards of the enemy.

It is interesting if one looks at photo's of Canadian troops in Korea,..and they were issued the No.4....the practice of fixing bayonets was not followed as closely as in Normandy .

Always interesting about how much bayonet fighting was done by Canadian troops....several recorded times the bayonets were used at close quarters with the enemy was at Dieppe raid....where the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry clashed with German troops inside the Casino,..and the South Saskatchewan Regiment was known to have used the blade with skill...also at Hong Kong in 1941 where our troops where heavily outnumbered and outgunned ,..the use of the bayonet was used many times ,,as the fighting was at very close quarters ....this was of course with the SMLE rifle and Pattern 1907 sword bayonet , as the No.4 as not yet issued .
 
In doing some research on Canadian infantrymen in Europe in WWII, I see a lot of the men with fixed spike bayonets on their rifles. Does anyone know if it was common practice or standard procedure to keep bayonets fixed much of the time in combat?

Since the sights (Mk II) on the Lee Enfield were designed for the 300 yd aperture to be accurate with a fixed bayonet...on the EAL rifle, they used the same sight, and overstamped it with 200/400 instead of 300/600. Since that rifle obviously couldn't accept a bayonet, presumably it was the correct calibration for those ranges with no bayo involved?
 
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