The Great Swordfight of Sabratha

The old axiom, "Never bring a knife to a gunfight" is far from always correct.

On Friday afternoon 40 rebels brandishing 2ft swords and scimitars spearheaded a group of 1,000 men who clashed with army troops in Sabratha, a coastal town 40 miles west of Tripoli.

It made for a bizarre spectacle. While Colonel Gaddafi has the most modern of arms at his disposal, his civilians were relying on weaponry that hadn’t been used in anger since the days of Lawrence of Arabia.

Some said the swords belonged to their grandfathers in the First World War,’ said Egyptian waiter Mahmoud El Masri, who witnessed the fighting.

‘It was a crazy sight, all these swords being wildly swung in the main street. I was hiding in a cafe but I saw them connect with the soldiers and I heard blood was spilt.

‘The men with swords were at the front of the protesters, leading them. It scared me but they are brave to take on men with guns.’


Knives or swords are extremely lethal. They don't jam or require reloading. For those unfamiliar with knives or swords, you need to realize all parts can be used in an attack. The back of the blade can shatter bones or cracked skulls. A jab with the pommel can break ribs or knock the wind out of an opponent. Blades like the scimitar or bowie with a clip point allow the user to cut on both the down stroke as well as the back stroke. A single swing of a sword or long knife (such as a bowie or my favorite, the kukri) can injure multiple opponents.

Gunshot wounds are wicked and deadly but there is something even more psychologically devastating about seeing a human being filleted in front of your eyes. Watching body parts getting lob off can send even the most combat hardened troops packing in the opposite direction.

Does that mean I will be abandoning my H&K USP Compact in favor of my kukri? Well it depends. If I think I might need to engage a target at a distance, the H&K gets the nod. However, many times carrying a firearm can present other challenges. Hiking with an open carry firearm can cause fellow hikers some concern. However, no one seems concerned about a good field knife on your belt. If circumstances allow, I would carry both and then be able to employ the best solution.

Don't let the crap on the TV and Internet fool you. Edged-weapons are still lethal in the 21st Century and may be the option for defending yourself (or leading a revolution!)

Kukris

If you have never owned a held a kukri, you don't realize what you are missing. Originally these were daily carry knives to hack through thickets, cut rope or firewood, and defend yourself against wild animals. The curve of the kukri actually pulls whatever you are cutting into the blade. Contrary to what a lot of people think, the kukri is not a head-chopper. It is primarily a cleaving weapon with an extremely thick spine. The blade can disembowel your enemy in a quick cut. The back of the blade can break bones or shatter skulls. While it may not look like it, you can stab with the kukri creating a huge, gushing wound that all the kings horses and all the kinds men won't be able to mend. Don't let its size fool you. In the hands of a skilled user, the kukri is wicked fast and damn near impossible to defend against. The blade on mine is 12 inches long. Even if the edge doesn't hit the sheer weight of the blade is like getting clocked by a small steel bat.

I own and train with other fixed blades and folders but the kukri is my favorite.

Eagle Sanctum

Okay, I'm up to 413 posts on my original blog at Losantiville. I started that blog back in Oct 2007 as a way of developing my thoughts for my classes at the college. Like all blogs, it took several different turns but it seems to have found its niche in world affairs and national defense (with occasional detours for homeland security and local politics).

Writing Losantiville has sharpened my observations on world affairs but also on the mundane. I note things around the college or just walking around my town. Those travels allow me to observe things that are interesting enough to write about but just don't seem to fit on Losantiville. I've dabbled with Facebook and Twitter but those platformslimiting. I like the free flowing thoughts I can create on a blog without limitation. Hence Eagle Sanctum was created to give me a place to share my other thoughts.

I was trying to come up with a name that spoke to what I will try to do here. I was a colonel which in the US military is symbolized by the eagle. As a senior officer, you sometimes needed to be alone with your thoughts (a sanctum if you will). Eagle Sanctum thus is a place for a retired colonel to reflect on my thoughts. No this will not turn into some moody, introspective monologue. I hope to write about some of my other interests here in Eagle Sanctum.

I have interests in shooting, cooking, self-defense, martial arts, and have discovered a passion for bourbon. Each of those topics have a number of subsets and tangents within them. I may ramble one day about the virtues of the Sig Sauer P220 and the next day wax about Van Morrison.