Copyright 2006 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
Judo and Jujitsu became something of a fad during the Physical Culture craze from the late 19th to early 20th Century. In Japan, they were losing popularity. When they arrived in the West, they were welcomed as another physical sport. Weightlifters, boxers, wrestlers and other physical culture buffs took immediate interest in the Japanese fighting systems. In the public's eye, Judo and Jujitsu were not Japanese wrestling, but skills that gave virtual invincibility. Japan had only emerged from its Middle Ages a half century earlier, so its wrestling still had combat applications. However, it was a difficult system that required many years to master.
During the First World War, propaganda newsreels showed troops learning Jujitsu. A few manuals purporting to teach Jujitsu and Wrestling circulated during the War. The manuals showed a handful of tricks, at best. Due to the nature of trench warfare, armies began to get interested in close combat systems.
Jujitsu and Judo were the first Asian martial arts to gain acceptance in the West. Jujitsu was the generic term for Japanese systems of unarmed combat. Most Jujitsu styles were forms of wrestling. Judo was a modernized version of Jujitsu that was intended as a sport. Jujitsu is a generic term, while Judo is a specific school of Japanese wrestling. Judo has its own organization and hierarchy. technically, Judo is a type of Jujitsu.
Karate originated in Okinawa. It is based on Chinese Boxing, also known as Kung Fu. Technically, Karate is a type of boxing with hands and feet. It was introduced to Japan in the early 20th century. Karate evolved into a sport and "art". As such, it is typified by more flamboyant techniques, such as wildly high kicks. Karate was introduced to the West after World War II.
Some styles of Jujitsu have elements that are more like Karate than wrestling. Kenpo / Kempo is one such style. It became popular in the West after World War II, changing its name from Kempo-Jitsu to Kempo Karate..
Kung Fu is the popular generic term for Chinese fighting arts. They are styles of Chinese boxing, and usually have a few weapons included in the curriculum. Kung Fu started to go public in the West in the late 1950s.
The striking techniques of Judo were called "atemi-waza." Jujitsu systems all had a handful of atemi strikes in the curriculum. These included various hand and elbow strikes and low kicks. The most common were the chop, elbow, knuckle punch and fist. Kicks were usually aimed at the lower extremities, especially feet and knees. Hand strikes were aimed at weak points and nerve centers, such as the throat, solar plexus, kidneys and philtrum. Jujitsu hand strikes tend to be quick, direct blows. High kicks, spinning kicks and elaborate hand strikes were not part of Jujitsu.
Prior to 1950, Karate was unknown to the West. Only a small group of people in Hawaii knew of kempo and Karate prior to 1950. The military did not take interest in karate until the late 1960s. For depictions of military close combat, Karate would be unlikely to be used by a soldier prior to the late 1960s, and even then would be uncommon. Karate had a small but growing following in the West through the 1960s.
Kung Fu emerged from the 1940s to the 1970s. It became popular as a martial art, but did not gain the interest of Western armies.
Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do and Moo Duk Kwan are Korean versions of Karate. Because of American and Allied troops stationed in Korea since 1946, the Korean arts have become very popular. They are characterized by high kicks. One Special Forces supplemental manual from the 1980s is little more than a course in Tae Kwon Do. It became popular in the US Army by 1970.
The most influential experiment in hand-to-hand combat was the work of W.E. Fairbairn, who was commissioner of the Shanghai Municipal Police in the 1930s. Fairbairn was a practitioner of Jujitsu and Chinese boxing. Using them, he developed a system that was easy to learn, easy to use and effective for police. His system was taught to various military units that participated in policing the Shanghai international community. Fairbairn';s method was later taught to the British Home Guard, British commandos, and agents of the British S.O.E. and American O.S.S. Fairbairn's system is similar to traditional Jujitsu.
Pat O'Neill, another Shanghai policeman, developed his own system based on Jujitsu and Chinese foot fighting He taught police in Shanghai, and later taught the US / Canadian First Special Force (Devil's Brigade). After the War, he taught U.S. Special Forces and CIA agents. The hand and foot strikes of O'Neill's system are not unlike those of other jujitsu systems.
Fairbairn eventually worked with Captain Rex Applegate of the U.S. Army, who was developing methods for O.S.S. agents. Applegate's unarmed methods were derived from Jujitsu. He also worked with Fairbairn on combat shooting.
Major Anthony Biddle of the U.S. Marine Corps was putting together a system. He used a combination of jujitsu tricks and illegal boxing methods. Biddle also worked on knife and bayonet fighting, based on fencing. A Lieutenant Taxis introduced some of Fairbairn's techniques to Biddle. An improved version of Biddle's bayonet was taught to Marines.
The official U.S. Army manual for hand-to-hand combat in 1942 was a long course in jujitsu. By 1954, it had evolved into a type of combat Judo. It used atemi type strikes, low kicks, Judo throws, chokes and holds . Subsequent manuals used similar techniques. The 1971 manual included a few of O'Neill's tricks.
Germany taught some of its troops a simplified form of Jujitsu. Several techniques were intended to counter specific attacks as designed by Fairbairn. German methods were not that much different from most of the jujitsu-based unarmed combat systems. Unlike Fairbairn, whose chop had the thumb extended, the Germans kept the thumb pressed along the side of the hand..
A military system not only has to be effective, but it has to be safe to teach. A problem for armies is training injuries. A hand to hand system has to be able to injure an enemy, not the men learning it. Students of the martial arts can take their time to learn a method safely. Soldiers must learn at an accellerated pace.
Martial artists have time to learn complex techniques. They also have time to develop their bodies to be able to perform unusual feats, such as high kicks. In effect, they can adapt themselves to the art. Soldiers do not have this time. They need something they can learn quickly, that works with their current physical condition. The art must adapt itself to the soldiers.
A problem for armies is controlling their own troops. While elite units and officers are less prone to disruptive behavior, regular troops can be cantankerous. Brawls, mischief and drinking make it imperative that an army control its troops. An army has to have a balance between training its men in close combat and being controllable by military police. Otherwise, the military police would be unable to restore order without using excessive force. Does an army train its men in close combat during basic training, or does it withhold such training until the likelihood of war is imminent? Perhaps not so much of a problem for U.S. or NATO countries, but this could cause difficulties in the armies of less-developed nations.
Select References
The Secrets of Jujitsu by Capt Allan C. Smith, 1920 An early book, written by an Army instructor who had studied in Japan. This is an interesting compilation of attacks and defenses. A useful reference on the art. PDF version exist on the Internet.
Get Tough (also known as "All-in Fighting" by W. E. Fairbairn This is the system which influenced all others. Used by Allied forces in World War II, especially British Commandos, S.O.E. and O.S.S. agents.
Abwehr Englisher Gangster-Methoden by the German Army Techniques for self defense, several especially designed for Fairbairn's tactics. The manual was written after 1943, judging by the uniform of the German soldier.
Do or Die by Colonel A.J.D,. Biddle: This manual includes Biddle's bayonet method, knife method and unarmed combat. An interesting look at the development of close combat.
Kill or Get Killed by Rex Applegate This book has been in print since the 1940s. It includes the World War II unarmed combat tricks, plus lessons in combat pistolcraft and related skills. Parts are updated for the modern reader. There are copies of the 1943 version on the Net.
Combatives FM 21-150: this is the old Army manual on close combat. Currently, reprints exist of the 1954, 1971 and 1992 edition. The 1964 version combined the 1954 manual with the manual of bayonet fighting. The 1992 version is a departure, teaching less Judo and more hand and foot strikes. For our purposes, the 1954 and 1971 version count. The 1971 version had been reprinted commercials as "Deal the First Deadly Blow." A few of the 1964 version had also been printed under that title.
Combat Sans Armes 1941 Canada This manual is a brief collection of simple combative techniques. Illustrations show a World War I Canadian soldier beating up a World War I German.
FM 32-25 Bayonet 1943: The 1943 manual shows a British method adopted by the U.S. Army during World War I. It remained in use until about 1970. The 1943 version has unarmed defenses against the knife and bayonet.
Cold Steel by John Styers This books was written in the 1950s. Styers was a student of Biddle. It includes knife fighting, bayonet, stick fighting and an unarmed system that can be described as Combat Boxing.