Prince of Darkness, part 2

                There is an interesting footnote to the story of my girlfriend, the flatmates and the “Prince of Darkness”.

            Just a few days after that incident, my lady looks out of the window and sees a naked old man in the garden (I told you this was a really classy area!). The ancient guy sees her, turns and waves his arse at her, wrinkled plums swinging I imagine. He was seriously surprised when the little Brazilian firecracker burst out of the door, gleaming kukri in hand. He actually went pale and probably broke a geriatric sprint record!

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Vietnam Tomahawk Part 2 - Applications.

            Since I posted about the Vietnam tomahawk yesterday some comments about using one may be in order. This is going to be very brief and only touch on a few selected topics. If you really want to know about armed and unarmed combat purchase my book. Three hundred or so pages of text and over a hundred illustrations are going to cover far more information than a blog can or should. In this post I will mainly be covering aspects unique to the tomahawk.

            As I have often stated in my book and this blog avoiding or neutralizing a threat should come before counter-attacking. If you can evade or avoid the assault using the techniques in my book or other skills you have acquired, do so. You may still have to block or parry his initial attacks. Virtually all parts of the tomahawk can be used to block or parry. The edge, the backspike, side of the head and shaft can all be used to defend. If you hit an incoming attack with the edge or backspike that may be the end of the fight. Most blocks and parries will be executed with the shaft, however. The axe bit and backspike form an angle with the shaft and this characteristic can work for you or against you. On the positive side, the head can be used to hook or control a foe. On the downside, if you catch a blow below the head it can knock the weapon right out of your hands. Wherever possible attempt to parry and block with the sides of the head or shaft. This also applies to the use of similar shaped weapons such as hammers, Kama and many entrenching tools.

            The short length of the shaft and the backspike prevent the use of certain offensive techniques. You have to be aware of what part of you is behind the weapon as well as what is in front. Yes, I am a little wary of a weapon that nearly killed me the first time I used it! You can use the double headed nature of the weapon to advantage, however. If you miss a target, step forward and bring the weapon back. What the edge misses going one way the spike may hit on the way back.

            Primary offensive method with a tomahawk is to swing it. Try to do this without pulling the weapon back first or making any other telegraphic moves. A technique worth practicing is the thrust, something that many people will not think of when using a tomahawk. It may lack sharp edges but the top of a tomahawk head is still a hard substantial lump of metal. Drive it into the eyes, nose, teeth, chin or throat and use the opportunity created for a follow up attack. The butt of the shaft is also a useful weapon. If you cannot bring the head into play use the butt to employ your kongo techniques.

            The tomahawk can also be used two-handed. Grip the butt end of the shaft with one hand and below the head with the other. The section of shaft between your hands can be used to defend, and is a much stronger defence than if the weapon is held single handed. This is the “Bumper Guard” I describe in my book. This section of shaft can also be used offensively. Drive it into his throat, up under his chin or into his nose or eyes. Either end can be used to strike with this hold. The axe edge can still be pressed into a target or used to slice, while the backspike can stab or rip.

            When LaGana was first marketing the Vietnam Tomahawk he often demonstrated it as a missile. Funny thing. If you suggest throwing a knife someone almost by reflex will bleat something about “throwing your weapon away”. Suggest throwing a tomahawk or entrenching tool and the usual response is “Cool!” Imagine you are in a certain hot dusty country. You are investigating a deserted building for intelligence materials. While your buddy gets distracted by the contents of a desk you decide to break open a nearby cupboard, so approach it, tomahawk in hand. Suddenly the cupboard door swings open to reveal it is the entrance to a concealed room. A sleepy terrorist with an AKM is stepping out and is as surprised to see you as you are to see him. As his hand goes for the safety lever on the right side of the rifle you throw your tomahawk right at his head, buying yourself enough time to draw your pistol and fire first. Sometimes throwing your weapon is a good move if it lets you bring a better weapon into action.

            I’ve heard that the Russians have conducted experiments. Shoot at someone with a rifle and they will fire back. Throw an entrenching tool at them and it is claimed they will drop their rifle trying to avoid it. Then you can shoot them with your rifle. Not sure how reliable and how often this will be true, but it is interesting.

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Beware the Prince of Darkness!

            The background to this story is that due to various stupid visa requirements my girlfriend had to live at a different address for some time. She ended up living in a not particularly nice part of town where break-ins and generally anti-social dirtbags were common.

            One night, in the very early hours of the morning she is awoken by a hammering on the front door. The lady likes her sleep, and given the area she tries to ignore it. After about 20 minutes it becomes obvious that no one else in the house is inclined to do anything and the caller is not going to go away. She gets up and answers the door.

            Outside are three drunk and now very pissed off Italian flatmates.  Everything goes very quiet. (Remember these are drunk, angry Italians!)

            After a long pause, one lad asks “What kind of a knife is that?”

            “It is my kukri!” she answers matter of factly. “The Prince of Darkness.”

            She really has named the kukri I gave her for Christmas “The Prince of Darkness”. As she explains it:- “ I move my hand –fttt! there is only darkness!” If she is going to answer the door at 2am in the morning in one of the worst areas of town, she is going to take precautions.

 

            Now, as kukris go, a 10” bladed Sirupate is not that big, but when it is held by a petite Brazilian girl barely five foot tall, it looks massive.  The three Italian lads went to bed without any argument or unpleasantness.  Word spread around the household that disturbing the little Brazilian girl’s sleep was not the best idea in the world.

           Me? I was just pleased to hear her Christmas present was seeing some use and that she had some capability to look after herself.

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Vietnam Tomahawk

            I was interested to see that the Vietnam Tomahawk is seeing wider issue. The original Vietnam Tomahawk was created by Peter LaGana and saw some use in the Vietnam war. According to some sources its use was officially discouraged for political reasons, a decision made by individuals who regarded carpet bombing, napalm, flamethrowers and agent orange as acceptable. Troops that needed to fight at close range had to use machetes, entrenching tools and hand axes rather than the LaGana’s tomahawk. No, doesn’t make any sense to me either.

            Decades pass, and about ten years ago I heard the US Army engineers had approved the LaGana as an “Obstacle Removal Tool”, a term that rather amused me. It seems the idea has caught on with issue now being more widespread. The current version is called the VTAC (Vietnam Tactical) and the main difference appears to be a synthetic handle with some moulded cross-hatching to improve grip. From reports these are mainly being used for general utility tasks such as breaking down doors and part of me wonders if a mass-produced standard hatchet with a lower price tag might have served as well?

            A good ten years or more ago I brought myself a replica of a Vietnam Tomahawk. I don’t recall what company I brought it from but I am fairly certain it was not Cold Steel. As soon as I had unpacked it I decided to try it out with some figure eight combat moves. No sooner had I started when there was a clunk. The clunk was the backspike of the tomahawk hitting me in the temple. Luckily only the side of the spike had hit me otherwise I would not be writing this now.A slight variation in angle and I would probably have killed myself in a very embarrassing manner. My feelings about the LaGana are therefore rather mixed. While it has great potential I am obviously wary about a weapon that can so easily injure its user making what is a fairly fundamental combat move. I would be much happier if the LaGana was offered with the option of a longer handle than the 13” one it has. The handle itself could do with some redesign. It is oval in cross-section, which is very good. While there is some contouring it is very shallow and less than one would see on a typical hardware store hammer. A tomahawk is a head heavy weapon so swinging it tends to naturally pull it from your grasp. There seems to be a reasonable chance you could lose grip on such a straight-sided and smooth handle, particularly once your hands got sweaty or blood got on them. The synthetic handled VTAC has some mouldings intended to improve grip but still looks rather straight sided. An increase in diameter at the butt would be a welcome feature. One good addition on the newer models is the provision of a hole for a retention loop. The VTAC has a 14” handle that appears to be secured with a hex-bolt so perhaps there is a possibility of replacement alternate handles? If you use a LaGana or VTAC wrapping the handle for increased grip will probably be a prudent move.

            While in the process of making your tomahawk combat ready you might consider painting it. Original Vietnam Tomahawks were green, which was fine for South East Asian jungles. Other examples and the VTAC appear to be black or dark green, and these really stand out against a desert camouflage combat dress. Spraying it flat earth or coyote brown will improve its camouflage abilities in most environments.

            The most distinctive part of the Vietnam Tomahawk and VTAC is its head. The most obvious part is the backspike that so nearly caused my accidental demise. Most hatchets, hand axes and tomahawks have a face intended for hammering. The LaGana has a spike that was probably intended to penetrate skulls or steel helmets but is often used these days to ventilate fuel drums. The axe bit is also unconventional in that it is also sharpened for part of its lower edge. On my example the thickness of the blade gives this quite a broad bevel so this is not particularly sharp and I suspect is unlikely to ever be that sharp. This feature might give the tomahawk some added capability if used to clear undergrowth and will improve the penetration of the lower point of the edge. Should the main edge slightly miss the intended target, which is always possible in combat this lower edge should increase the likelihood of still causing damage.

            The Vietnam tomahawk is a good tool, but could easily be better. The handle needs to be redesigned for better grip and retention and needs to be longer so the head is less likely to injure the user in the heat of combat. As some of you may know, my benchmark in close combat weapons is the kukri. The kukri can handle many of the cutting tasks a tomahawk can. It is easier to bring into action if it starts sheathed. It is more likely to stay in my hand when swung and not likely to injure me. To close, a video of Paul LaGana demonstrating his creation. Note how long it takes to draw and ready from his belt.

 

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