Joint UK US WWII Combative Pioneers

8/12/2019 Joint UK US WWII Combative Pioneers

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Joint UK US WWII Combative Pioneers

Tank Todd

The following is a brief outline of the life and times of three of the most important pioneers inmodern military close combat. While there have been and will continue to be historic writings on

these individuals from historians, there is only one living post-World War II instructor qualifieddescendent of the late and great Colonel e! "pplegate.

This individual Tank Todd of #ew $ealand learnt his lessons directly from Colonel "pplegate andwhile he did gain a personal look at the history of these great pioneer%s times, it was the specialist

skills that he was most interested in.

&rom Colonel "pplegate he was allowed to note any of the deadly sub'ects of instruction from his

WWII programs and personal notes before much of this information was destroyed when he wasrefiling over () years of paper war.

The reason the Colonel allowed access to such information was because Tank was the only instructorqualified in *uropean military close combat that was a +pecial perations roup Chief Instructor and

who operated a fulltime training facility.

uch of the information Tank learned from Colonel "pplegate is only for +pecial perations,however the basic armed and unarmed skills have been preserved with Tank now being the only

instructor qualified descendent.

This preserved information includes the systems of other e!pert instructors such as &airbairn and+ykes as taught to Tank by Colonel "pplegate. Tank has original programs and taken notes from the

WWII programs of &airbairn, +ykes and "pplegate.

The information for this article is from notes taken by Tank from Colonel "pplegate and researched

by /ames Webb with the pictures as supplied to Tank by Colonel "pplegate from his collection. &orany inquires regarding the systems outlined in this feature contact tank0toddgroup.com

Fairbairn demonstrating on Applegate.

Fairbairn training an OSS Operative.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Captain William Fairbairn

Captain William Fairbairn

William *wart &airbairn was born on 12 &ebruary 322(, in +urrey, *ngland. "t age 3(, &airbairn wasan apprentice leather worker in 4ondon, *ngland when he saw a oyal arines recruiting poster.+ince &airbairn was underage the local recruiter forged &airbairn%s paperwork and he 'oined the

oyal arines. It was here he got his beginning in close combat. &rom 35)3 to 35)6, &airbairn wasassigned to 7orea, where he studied the different artial "rts practiced there. 8is e!ploits in

combatives was further developed during this period. In 7orea &airbairn was assigned to the 9ritish4egation uard and he was later stationed in +hanghai, China.

&rom 35)6 to 35:), Captain W. *. &airbairn was assigned to the International ;olice &orce in+hanghai, China. This was known as the toughest ;olice assignment in the world. The city was

overrun with gangsters and killers and he had e!perienced a gang attack that near left him for deadas a constable in +hanghai. The criminals were involved in strong-arm tactics, e!tortion, slavery,

prostitution, kidnapping and smuggling. To contend with these gangsters, &airbairn organi


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With hostilities between /apan and China beginning &airbairn was in a particularly dangerous

position. ne incident was when &airbairn met a /apanese fficer, who was a fellow /udo e!ponenton a pier. They e!changed pleasantries and &airbairn noticed 3() Chinese men, women and children

with their hands tied behind their backs sitting by a /apanese #aval vessel. &airbairn asked whatwas to become of them. The /apanese fficer said they would be shot. &airbairn asked if he could

take them. The /apanese fficer said no, they are to be shot. &airbairn very calmly said that if theywere shot he would meet the /apanese fficer some night and they would settle the score. The

threat was implicit and the /apanese fficer later gave the Chinese captives to &airbairn.

Colonel 9iddle of the B.+. arines trained under &airbairn during this time as well as &airbairn%sunorthodo! and respected assistant when it came to close combat, @ermot . ?;at? %#eill.

When the +econd World War was declared &airbairn moved back to *ngland to teach his fighting

system to the 9ritish Commandos and ;arachute &orces. &airbairn started teaching combatives atthe +pecial Training Center at 4achailort, +cotland. &airbairn trained such specialist units as the

+ecret +ervice, +pecial peration *!ecutive, 9ritish Commandos, the 35 saboteurs, the +pecial "ir+ervice +"+D including the +tirling 9rothers and ad ike Calvert, the Canadian +pecial +ervice,

the ffice of +trategic +ervices ++D, the B.+. arines and numerous law enforcement agencies.ne of &airbairn%s students was Ian &leming who went on to write the /ames 9ond series of books.

&airbairn taught his famous silent killing course. 8e taught here in con'unction with the legendary*.". +ykes. This fighting system was designed for use when you have lost your firearms, or when

the use of firearms is undesirable. This course was divided into si! segments of instruction.

In 35:3 Wilkinson +word made the first of the &airbain +ykes daggers designed by &airbain and

+ykes referred to as the Commando @agger. &airbairn and "pplegate later designed the superior"pplegate &airbairn but it was never mass produced as the war was near an end, that is until many

years after the war and after &airbairn%s death.

&airbairn met e! "pplegate with the ++ and together they taught "merica%s +pies and "ssassins.

&inally Wild 9ill @onovan of the ++ persuaded the 9ritish to allow &airbairn to work e!clusively withthe ++ on their secret operations. &airbairn was promoted to the rank of Colonel.

&airbairn then wrote a book on his fighting system called, ?et Tough?. This was his definitivecivilian work on hand to hand combat. It was filled with graphic easy to follow instructions to win an

encounter and put your opponent away before he knew what hit him.

When World War Two ended &airbairn was in his si!ties and still a man of action. In 35(), &airbairn

moved to +ingapore and was instrumental in developing a riot squad for their ;olice &orce. In 35(>,he was employed by the Cyprus ;olice teaching combatives, riot control and combat shooting.

&airbairn passed away on 1) /une 35>) at his home in *ngland. 8e is definintly one of the chief

pioneers in combatives in the twentieth century. &airbairn%s fighting methods worked and are stilltaught today. 8is students nicknamed &airbairn ?@eacon?. &airbairn never swore, never drank or

boasted. 8e was a quiet man with the manners of a gentleman.

&airbairn spent all of his time involved with close combat and had no other hobbies or interests. 8ewas not an academic man or did he read books, he was a man of action and a pioneer in his field.

&airbairn is probably the most famous unarmed hand to hand combat instructor in the twentiethcentury. 8is e!ploits and teaching methods are still talked about by elite units the world over.


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Captain Eric Anthony (Bill) Syes

Captain Eric Anthony Sykes

In the 351)%s to the 35A)%s, *ric "nthony 9illD +ykes worked with &airbairn in +hanghai, China aspart of his +hanghai iot +quad. +ykes was a +ergeant and commanded the sniper unit. 8is e!ploitsduring this period are famous and respected. +ykes worked with &airbairn in developing his unarmed

and armed combat courses. 8e had plenty of opportunity to put these techniques to actual use inthe streets of +hanghai.

When World War Two broke out +ykes moved back to *ngland to instruct the 9ritish Commandosand later the +pecial "ir +ervice +"+D in weapon usage and hand to hand combat. +ykes worked

with &airbairn at the 4ochailort and "chnacarry Training Centers. 8is specialty was armed combatand he developed sights for firearms to use in the dark, also silencers and covert weapons. +ykes

was a pioneer of the point instinctive shooting firing methods. 8e was a pioneer in combat weaponcraft.

When &airbairn moved over to the ffice of +trategic +ervices with Wild 9ill @onovan, +ykes went

with him. It was the early 35:)%s that +ykes and &airbairn developed and made the famous&airbairnE+ykes combat dagger that was used e!tensively by "llied Commandos during World War

Two. This was a double edge knife and made specifically for killing. +ykes, &airbairn and "pplegatedeveloped a complete method of knife fighting around this dagger. The &airbairnE+ykes dagger is

still used by elite forces world wide. +ykes was an e!pert on knife fighting and trained with a live

blade. When +ykes taught knife fighting he first instructed the students on how to hold the knife,how to pass it from one hand to another, how to thrust, and how to use the free hand. The ne!t

step was the correct method of knife carry and concealment. The final stage of training was taughton sentry neutrali


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+ykes was a very private and quiet man. 8e never boasted or bragged of his skills. @uring World

War Two, +ykes rose in the ranks and by the end of the war was a Captain. 8e was noted for histoughness and accepted all missions with enthusiasm. 8is reputation was one of a true professional.

8e personally trained thousands of men in combat warfare.

+ykes will go down in history as one of the key pioneers in unarmed and armed combat of the

twentieth century.

Colonel !e" Apple#ate

Colonel Rex Applegate Colonel Rex Applegate and Geo !odd

Colonel e! "pplegate was born on 13 /une 353: in regon. 8is e!pertise is world renowned. 8is

family heritage dates back to the first regon settlers in 32:A and Colonel "pplegate ownedregon%s oldest colonial home. 8e ensured this family home was always maintained in its original

form e!cept for the addition of a shooting range on the property. Colonel "pplegate spent most of

his youth in regon hunting and following pursuits in the outdoors. "s a teenager he assisted hisuncle the famous "merican e!hibition sharp shooter, us ;eret, by loading his guns for him andlearning shooting techniques. 8e graduated from the Bniversity of regon with a degree in 9usiness

"dministration and then 'oined the B.+. "rmy.

@ue to his large build and aggressive nature he was assigned to the ilitary ;olice. 8e served in this

capacity until he was recruited by Wild 9ill @onovan for duties with the ffice of +trategic +ervices++D. The ++ was the forerunner to the Central Intelligence "gency CI"D. Colonel "ppegate was

recruited to form the section in ++ known as ?The +chool for +pies and "ssassins?. 8e wasinvolved with developing skills and weapons for covert operations for worldwide use. any of these

trade methods are still being used today. While serving as the director of close combat training forclandestine operations, he was given free reign and finances to develop the best training center and

methods available.

Colonel "pplegate was selected by Wild 9ill because of his large stature, shooting e!pertise, fighting

skills and all around temperament to cause mayhem.

Colonel e! "pplegate had no *astern martial arts background and all his training was of *uropean

military origins and combat sports. 8e was si! feet three inches tall and 1A) pounds of muscle. 8ewas a crack shot and wasn%t afraid to mi! it up. The first thing Colonel "pplegate did was enlist the

help of &airbairn and +ykes from the 9ritish Commando +chool. These three men developed and


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instructed in unarmed combat, close quarter shooting, knife fighting, espionage, intelligence,

assassination and sabotage.

Colonel "pplegate was instrumental in the development and making of the famous dagger called the

?"pplegateE&airbairn &ighting 7nife?. 8e also along with &airbairn made the famous fighting weaponcalled the ?+matchet?. 8e also developed numerous covert weapons. "pplegate worked closely with

4ord ountbatten in espionage operations.

The Colonel was not only involved in the development and instruction of Commando perations

training but also involved with missions deep behind enemy lines which gave him a first hand chanceto put his skills to use. 8e was even assigned to protect ;resident oosevelt and ;rime inister

Winston Churchill when they secretly met during the war.

In 35:A, he was heavily involved with "rmy Intelligence and had their e!pertise and equipment at

his disposal. 8e had a fully equipped machine shop where he could design and construct realistictraining aids, simulators, covert weapons, and moving and disappearing targets. "pplegate created

an entire erman town that his operatives could use to train in. This also became the very first fullyautomated 7illing 8ouse. 8e was also in command of two units that speciali


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"pplegate was an advocate of instinctive shooting that he, &airbairn and +ykes developed and used

during the +econd World War. These methods are still used by ;olice fficers and soldiersworldwide. They give the person the best chance of survival in a hostile environment.

Colonel "pplegate was on the 9oard of @irectors for the #ational ifle "ssociation to mention butone of the many prestigious positions he held. 8e was also the developer and first used dye markers

and loading systems based on paint ball technology. 8e has been involved in the development of

protective helmets for police and military personnel, riot sticks, knives, guns, sighting devices, andsilencers.

8is early instructing at the +chool for +pies and +abotage included the use of killer dogs, booby

traps, crossbows, poisons and e!plosives. 8e worked with a &innish soldier who killed twenty-si!ussians with his knife, the +tirling brothers who founded the +pecial "ir +ervice +"+D for the

9ritish "rmyD, and those individuals responsible for the assassination of estapo Chief einhard8eydrich. 8e has touched shoulders with the meanest and dirtiest fighters the world as ever known.

"pplegate was given the mission by Wild 9ill @onovan, commander of the ++, to learn all he couldabout armed and unarmed combat. 8e continued this mission throughout his lifetime. 8e developed

a system that was brutal, simple, effective, and made to cripple, maim, or kill your enemy withoutflashy stances or techniques. 8e deployed dirty tricks, feints, methods of deception, anything to get

the 'ob done and quick. 8e used to say, ?"gainst a knife, if you%re armed, shoot him, if you%re

unarmed use a chair or some improvised weapon, plus throw anything available, then kick his knee,follow up with more kicks, after he is on the ground.? "pplegate always said many fights can bestopped before they begin by a well placed knee kick. nce an opponent is down, the 'ob should be

finished with your boots. 8e also said your teeth, in spite of any mental qualms as to their use, aregreat weapons. ne of the basic principles of his fighting method is to retain your own physical and

mental balance while destroying the balance of your enemy. "nother facet of his method is to pit

your strongest weapon against an enemy%s weakest point.

"fter the end of the +econd World War, "pplegate spent over fifteen years in 4atin "merica ande!ico involved in advising governments and in the armaments business and training various

military units. 8e was given the honorary rank of eneral by the e!ican government for his workthere.

When he returned to the Bnited +tates he was sought out by ;olice &orces and &ederal "gencies fortraining and his e!pertise. When the Fietnam War broke out he was once again consulted by the

Bnited +tates government. "pplegate was respected by the B.+. +pecial &orces soldier and knifeinnovator, "l ar, as the best knife fighter and knife maker in the world. "l ar is famous in his own

right and made the first knife accepted by Colonel #ick owe for the +pecial &orces +** Instructor+chool at Camp cCall, #orth Carolina.

In 352), "pplegate began to release his new versions of fighting knives to the military and generalpublic. These knives are still sold today and are very popular. 8e knew that his knives needed to

have basic attributesG must be strong, easily maintained, capable of retaining an edge under normal

combat operations, and have a clean and functional design. 8e was a proponent of the double edgeblade and must be long enough to reach vital organs when stabbed or thrust into a body. 9alance,

weight and handle design are very important features. &or a person with sweaty palms a non-slipsurface for the handle is required. "pplegate is the scientist of knife fighting. ;ost WWII Colonel"pplegate instructed many people in instinctive shooting but he only trained and certified one

instructor in his %7ill or et 7illed% Close Combat +ystems. This instructor is Tank Todd of #ew$ealand who worked with him for the ten years leading up to his death on pro'ects and as his trade

show assistant. The WWII knife fighting program complete film footage was destroyed and Tank isthe only recipient of this entire program and other specialist programs of "pplegate, &airbairn and

+ykes directly from Colonel "pplegate.


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The International Close Combat Instructors "ssociation ICCI"D made Colonel "pplegate its patriarch

and senior member. 8e was instrumental in this "ssociation%s development including naming theassociation and his advice was always sought out. uch of his work can never be revealed for

security reasons but no other individual has accomplished so much or has been so instrumental inthe development of Close Combat over such a long period of time. Colonel e! "pplegate is truly the

7ing of ilitary Close Combat in the twentieth century. 8e was a dirty fighter and the worst enemythe bad guys could ever have the luck of coming up against.

In 3552, he was made a member of the Cutlery 8all of &ame by 9lade maga

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Joint UK US WWII Combative Pioneers