I can tell you from personal experience that it doesn't make any difference in the outcome or the disabling of an individual if they get impaled with either a blade bayonet or a spike bayonet.
The muscles in the inflicted area try to contract around the impaling object and when it's withdrawn, the pain is incredible and will not go away. The pain is just barely tolerable with a shot of morphine to the area and you better hope someone can stop the bleeding, internally and externally quickly or you're going to bleed out in a few minutes.
There's a very good reason infantrymen are terrified by the thought of a face to face altercation where fixed bayonets are deployed.
I have a bayo induced scar on my left, inner thigh. When the fellow stuck it into my leg, he was going for my lower stomach and the only reason he got my inner thigh was that I was able to deflect his thrust. Not a chance in hell of a complete parry.
When this sort of #### is going down, it happens at light speed. Even if you hopefully have an Adrenalin rush going on, it's almost impossible to keep track of.
I don't care how much training an individual gets, the outcome of such conflicts is always a toss up. Skill, a sharp mind and fantastic coordination, combined with a blessing from your favorite Deity will determine the outcome.
The fellow that got me, was thankfully dispatched by a compadre, before he could pull the bayo out. When the bayo was detached from the rifle, the medic slowly withdrew it. Pain, just barely describes it. Every muscle in that leg was in spasm mode and if felt like my leg was being cut in half.
When the blade was out, and the bleeding slowed to a trickle, the Femoral Artery was visible and bulging every time my heart beat, which was frequently at the time. It felt like I was having a massive Heart attack at the same time. Yes, I was pumped with Adrenalin and likely panicking at the same time.
That medic was incredibly experienced. He told me to STFU and let him work. He used the very large army ants that proliferated in the region to stitch that wound back together. Proper ring staplers weren't around back then and suture/thread was in short supply. Not only that, but the ant pincers, even though they stung like heck, had a natural bacteria killer on them.
He used 9 of those ants to stitch up that wound. The heads of the six he used internally are still in there, but over the last 5 decades have become mushy and no longer ache when it gets to cold.
Now, also from personal experience, whoever decided to issue a spike bayonet, should have had one of them shoved up his/her back end. There are a few things that they "might" come in handy for, than their intended battle purpose, but a proper blade, with a proper handle would have made life a lot better for a troopie in the field.
This is just IMHO of course
Brutus, not dissing you one bit. I never had the opportunity to go through any sort of training with a bay equipped rifle, other than in a direct, in your face conflict.
I fully understand how training and practice effect reaction and response.
The thing is, when you're confronting the person who is doing his utmost to stick that thing into you, up close and personal, you see his fear, feel his angst, maybe even his hate and things go to heck in a hurry.
