In fact, Major (then Lt) Dick Winters landed with the 506th in Normandy with just his knife, which was strapped to his right boot, and whatever he had in his pockets. Like most of the paratroopers who had lost their weapons on jumping, he had a musette bag (like a small day pack) on his back, and his rifle was secured through the straps in front, across his chest. The straps snapped under the shock of his canopy deploying. The straps were kind of flimsy for that purpose. Here’s a picture of what a musette bag looked like. The guy on the left with his back to the camera is wearing one:K.Mooneyham wrote:On the subject of bayonet use in the era of semi-automatic/automatic firearms, when the paratroopers were briefed on their D-Day jump and subsequent actions, they were told to use hand-grenades and bayonets as much as possible. This was to make them harder to locate and to conserve ammunition, since it wasn't known how long it would take for the ground forces to get inland to them. Some airborne troops lost their primary arms when they jumped due to various factors, and all that remained to them were grenades and bayonets. I suspect that more than a few German soldiers lost their lives to bayonets that dark early morning in Normandy.
Here’s another picture of one:
If attacked, I’m just going to have to shoot them and be done with it.
