The following is a brief outline of the life and times of three of the most important pioneers in modern 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 qualified descendent of the late and great Colonel Rex Applegate.
This individual Tank Todd of New Zealand learnt his lessons directly from Colonel Applegate and while 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.
From Colonel Applegate he was allowed to note any of the deadly subjects of instruction from his WWII programs and personal notes before much of this information was destroyed when he was refiling over 50 years of paper war.
The reason the Colonel allowed access to such information was because Tank was the only instructor qualified in European military close combat that was a Special Operations Group Chief Instructor and who operated a fulltime training facility.
Much of the information Tank learned from Colonel Applegate is only for Special Operations, 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 expert instructors such as Fairbairn and Sykes as taught to Tank by Colonel Applegate. Tank has original programs and taken notes from the WWII programs of Fairbairn, Sykes and Applegate.
The information for this article is from notes taken by Tank from Colonel Applegate. The pictures were supplied to Tank by Colonel Applegate from his collection. For any inquires regarding the systems outlined in this feature contact [email protected]
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Fairbairn demonstrating on Applegate. |
Fairbairn training an OSS Operative. |
Captain William Fairbairn
Captain William Fairbairn
William Ewart Fairbairn was born on 28 February 1885, in Surrey, England. At age 15, Fairbairn was an apprentice leather worker in London, England when he saw a Royal Marines recruiting poster. Since Fairbairn was underage the local recruiter forged Fairbairn's paperwork and he joined the Royal Marines. It was here he got his beginning in close combat. From 1901 to 1907, Fairbairn was assigned to Korea, where he studied the different Martial Arts practiced there. His exploits in combatives was further developed during this period. In Korea Fairbairn was assigned to the British Legation Guard and he was later stationed in Shanghai, China.
From 1907 to 1940, Captain W. E. Fairbairn was assigned to the International Police Force in Shanghai, China. This was known as the toughest Police assignment in the world. The city was overrun with gangsters and killers and he had experienced a gang attack that near left him for dead as a constable in Shanghai. The criminals were involved in strong-arm tactics, extortion, slavery, prostitution, kidnapping and smuggling. To contend with these gangsters, Fairbairn organized and led the famous Shanghai Riot Squad. The gangsters in Shanghai earned the reputation as being the most ruthless in the world. Fairbairn's fighting system was developed to enable the Police to counter the gangsters they had to control. It had to be effective in hand to hand and with weapons. It had to be effective and get results fast. Sometimes Fairbairn's Police Officers had to fight one or several gangsters by themselves, without assistance. Fairbairn became famous during this time frame for his toughness and ruthlessness. Fairbairn studied numerous Martial Arts. He studied with the chief Kung Fu instructor to the Empress of China and with her personal bodyguard Yin Fu.
In 1925, the infamous Shanghai riots occurred and mob violence was rampant. Fairbairn's Shanghai Riot Squad was instrumental in quelling this riot. In 1925, Fairbairn wrote his first book on the use of the M1911, 45 caliber pistol in combat. In 1926, he wrote the book "Defendo" on hand to hand combat. This book became the training manual for several Police departments. During this period, Fairbairn also wrote "Shooting to Live".
Fairbairn was a bayonet specialist who wrote the British Bayonet program. He spent three and a half years training with professor Okada in Ju Jutsu and was only the second Westerner ever awarded his Black Belt in Judo and Jujitsu personally from Jigaro Kano. He trained at the Kodokan in Japan from 1918 until 1931. This honor in itself is worth telling and provides an example of Fairbairn's fighting skills. Fairbairn graded to 1st Dan in 1926 and 2nd Dan in 1931.
With hostilities between Japan and China beginning Fairbairn was in a particularly dangerous position. One incident was when Fairbairn met a Japanese Officer, who was a fellow Judo exponent on a pier. They exchanged pleasantries and Fairbairn noticed 150 Chinese men, women and children with their hands tied behind their backs sitting by a Japanese Naval vessel. Fairbairn asked what was to become of them. The Japanese Officer said they would be shot. Fairbairn asked if he could take them. The Japanese Officer said no, they are to be shot. Fairbairn very calmly said that if they were shot he would meet the Japanese Officer some night and they would settle the score. The threat was implicit and the Japanese Officer later gave the Chinese captives to Fairbairn.
Colonel Biddle of the U.S. Marines trained under Fairbairn during this time as well as Fairbairn's unorthodox and respected assistant when it came to close combat, Dermot M. "Pat" O'Neill.
When the Second World War was declared Fairbairn moved back to England to teach his fighting system to the British Commandos and Parachute Forces. Fairbairn started teaching combatives at the Special Training Center at Lachailort, Scotland. Fairbairn trained such specialist units as the Secret Service, Special Operation Executive, British Commandos, the M19 saboteurs, the Special Air Service (SAS) including the Stirling Brothers and Mad Mike Calvert, the Canadian Special Service, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the U.S. Marines and numerous law enforcement agencies. One of Fairbairn's students was Ian Fleming who went on to write the James Bond series of books. Fairbairn taught his famous silent killing course. He taught here in conjunction with the legendary E.A. Sykes. 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 six segments of instruction.
In 1941 Wilkinson Sword made the first of the Fairbain Sykes daggers designed by Fairbain and Sykes referred to as the Commando Dagger. Fairbairn and Applegate later designed the superior Applegate Fairbairn but it was never mass produced as the war was near an end, that is until many years after the war and after Fairbairn's death.
Fairbairn met Rex Applegate with the OSS and together they taught America's Spies and Assassins. Finally Wild Bill Donovan of the OSS persuaded the British to allow Fairbairn to work exclusively with the OSS on their secret operations. Fairbairn was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
Fairbairn then wrote a book on his fighting system called, "Get Tough". This was his definitive civilian 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 Fairbairn was in his sixties and still a man of action. In 1950, Fairbairn moved to Singapore and was instrumental in developing a riot squad for their Police Force. In 1956, he was employed by the Cyprus Police teaching combatives, riot control and combat shooting.
Fairbairn passed away on 20 June 1960 at his home in England. He is definintly one of the chief pioneers in combatives in the twentieth century. Fairbairn's fighting methods worked and are still taught today. His students nicknamed Fairbairn "Deacon". Fairbairn never swore, never drank or boasted. He was a quiet man with the manners of a gentleman.
Fairbairn spent all of his time involved with close combat and had no other hobbies or interests. He was not an academic man or did he read books, he was a man of action and a pioneer in his field.
Fairbairn is probably the most famous unarmed hand to hand combat instructor in the twentieth century. His exploits and teaching methods are still talked about by elite units the world over.
Captain Eric Anthony (Bill) Sykes
Captain Eric Anthony Sykes
In the 1920's to the 1930's, Eric Anthony (Bill) Sykes worked with Fairbairn in Shanghai, China as part of his Shanghai Riot Squad. Sykes was a Sergeant and commanded the sniper unit. His exploits during this period are famous and respected. Sykes worked with Fairbairn in developing his unarmed and armed combat courses. He had plenty of opportunity to put these techniques to actual use in the streets of Shanghai.
When World War Two broke out Sykes moved back to England to instruct the British Commandos and later the Special Air Service (SAS) in weapon usage and hand to hand combat. Sykes worked with Fairbairn at the Lochailort and Achnacarry Training Centers. His specialty was armed combat and he developed sights for firearms to use in the dark, also silencers and covert weapons. Sykes was a pioneer of the point instinctive shooting firing methods. He was a pioneer in combat weapon craft.
When Fairbairn moved over to the Office of Strategic Services with Wild Bill Donovan, Sykes went with him. It was the early 1940's that Sykes and Fairbairn developed and made the famous Fairbairn/Sykes combat dagger that was used extensively by Allied Commandos during World War Two. This was a double edge knife and made specifically for killing. Sykes, Fairbairn and Applegate developed a complete method of knife fighting around this dagger. The Fairbairn/Sykes dagger is still used by elite forces world wide. Sykes was an expert on knife fighting and trained with a live blade. When Sykes 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 next step was the correct method of knife carry and concealment. The final stage of training was taught on sentry neutralization. The students were also taught how to search prisoners, securing a prisoner and movement with a prisoner.
His Commando exploits are well known and respected. Sykes also worked closely with Colonel Rex Applegate of OSS fame and with Fairbairn on the Silent Killing Course.
Sykes did bodyguard work for Winston Churchill on several occasions. He worked closely with the Cloak and Dagger Division of the OSS. Sykes and co designed the first kill house and urban warfare training cities.
Sykes was a very private and quiet man. He never boasted or bragged of his skills. During World War Two, Sykes rose in the ranks and by the end of the war was a Captain. He was noted for his toughness and accepted all missions with enthusiasm. His reputation was one of a true professional. He personally trained thousands of men in combat warfare.
Sykes will go down in history as one of the key pioneers in unarmed and armed combat of the twentieth century.
Colonel Rex Applegate
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Colonel Rex Applegate |
Colonel Rex Applegate and Geoff Todd |
Colonel Rex Applegate was born on 21 June 1914 in Oregon. His expertise is world renowned. His family heritage dates back to the first Oregon settlers in 1843 and Colonel Applegate owned Oregon's oldest colonial home. He ensured this family home was always maintained in its original form except for the addition of a shooting range on the property. Colonel Applegate spent most of his youth in Oregon hunting and following pursuits in the outdoors. As a teenager he assisted his uncle the famous American exhibition sharp shooter, Gus Peret, by loading his guns for him and learning shooting techniques. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration and then joined the U.S. Army.
Due to his large build and aggressive nature he was assigned to the Military Police. He served in this capacity until he was recruited by Wild Bill Donovan for duties with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The OSS was the forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Colonel Appegate was recruited to form the section in OSS known as "The School for Spies and Assassins". He was involved with developing skills and weapons for covert operations for worldwide use. Many of these trade methods are still being used today. While serving as the director of close combat training for clandestine operations, he was given free reign and finances to develop the best training center and methods available.
Colonel Applegate was selected by Wild Bill because of his large stature, shooting expertise, fighting skills and all around temperament to cause mayhem.
Colonel Rex Applegate had no Eastern martial arts background and all his training was of European military origins and combat sports. He was six feet three inches tall and 230 pounds of muscle. He was a crack shot and wasn't afraid to mix it up. The first thing Colonel Applegate did was enlist the help of Fairbairn and Sykes from the British Commando School. These three men developed and instructed in unarmed combat, close quarter shooting, knife fighting, espionage, intelligence, assassination and sabotage.
Colonel Applegate was instrumental in the development and making of the famous dagger called the "Applegate/Fairbairn Fighting Knife". He also along with Fairbairn made the famous fighting weapon called the "Smatchet". He also developed numerous covert weapons. Applegate worked closely with Lord Mountbatten in espionage operations.
The Colonel was not only involved in the development and instruction of Commando Operations training but also involved with missions deep behind enemy lines which gave him a first hand chance to put his skills to use. He was even assigned to protect President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill when they secretly met during the war.
In 1943, he was heavily involved with Army Intelligence and had their expertise and equipment at his disposal. He had a fully equipped machine shop where he could design and construct realistic training aids, simulators, covert weapons, and moving and disappearing targets. Applegate created an entire German town that his operatives could use to train in. This also became the very first fully automated Killing House. He was also in command of two units that specialized in German and Japanese tactics. These units were comprised of military personnel who could speak German and Japanese and wore these nation's uniforms and used their weapons. Applegate would use these units to train his operatives. He continued to develop and refine close combat training techniques into a fine art. He was constantly upgrading and reviewing field reports to determine what methods worked the best
Applegate's entire career has been involved with instruction, invention, development, training and implementing covert and combat operations. He would compile reports from returning operatives and modify techniques that would meet realistic requirements. Battle proven techniques was what counted to him and he was no fan to what he described as "the flowing robe brigade". He was a master of his trade, close combat and silent killing. Applegate has written numerous texts that have become the Field Manuals for military units the world over. His most famous is the book, "Kill or Get Killed". This book has been translated into several languages and is a best seller. He also wrote "Combat Use of the Double-Edged Fighting Knife", "Scouting and Patrolling", "Get Tough and Shooting to Live", and "Bullseyes Don't Shoot Back" and "The Close Combat Files of Colonel Rex Applegate".
Colonel Applegate's personal museum of firearms and knives was world renowned and featured many originals. His collection was priceless and a true labor of love. He had antiques and modern weapons in his collection. It was the most comprehensive collection of weapons ever compiled.
Applegate is known as the Father of Close Combat and had a long and distinguished career that spanned the total twentieth century. He was a man whose expertise was sought out until the day he died, in advising governments, stopping riots, instructing special units, teaching close quarters battle, or as a public speaker.
His associations with men like Roosevelt, Wild Bill Donovan, Churchill, Patton and Eisenhower are testament to his expertise knowledge and demand for the best man for the job. The Colonel was a personal friend of John Wayne and assisted as an advisor on his movie "The Alamo". The late Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series of books and movies, said that Rex Applegate was where he got the ideas for some of his characters. Applegate was also associated with the famous Border Patrolman, Bill Jordan. Bill Jordan autographed a copy of his book for Applegate and in it he said, "To Rex Applegate, the only real soldier of fortune I ever knew". Colonel Applegate was a close friend of G. Gordon Liddy and described him to Tank as one of the smartest and toughest men on the planet.
Applegate was an advocate of instinctive shooting that he, Fairbairn and Sykes developed and used during the Second World War. These methods are still used by Police Officers and soldiers worldwide. They give the person the best chance of survival in a hostile environment.
Colonel Applegate was on the Board of Directors for the National Rifle Association to mention but one of the many prestigious positions he held. He was also the developer and first used dye markers and loading systems based on paint ball technology. He has been involved in the development of protective helmets for police and military personnel, riot sticks, knives, guns, sighting devices, and silencers.
His early instructing at the School for Spies and Sabotage included the use of killer dogs, booby traps, crossbows, poisons and explosives. He worked with a Finnish soldier who killed twenty-six Russians with his knife, the Stirling brothers (who founded the Special Air Service (SAS) for the British Army), and those individuals responsible for the assassination of Gestapo Chief Reinhard Heydrich. He has touched shoulders with the meanest and dirtiest fighters the world as ever known.
Applegate was given the mission by Wild Bill Donovan, commander of the OSS, to learn all he could about armed and unarmed combat. He continued this mission throughout his lifetime. He developed a system that was brutal, simple, effective, and made to cripple, maim, or kill your enemy without flashy stances or techniques. He deployed dirty tricks, feints, methods of deception, anything to get the job done and quick. He used to say, "Against 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." Applegate always said many fights can be stopped before they begin by a well placed knee kick. Once an opponent is down, the job should be finished with your boots. He also said your teeth, in spite of any mental qualms as to their use, are great weapons. One of the basic principles of his fighting method is to retain your own physical and mental balance while destroying the balance of your enemy. Another facet of his method is to pit your strongest weapon against an enemy's weakest point.
After the end of the Second World War, Applegate spent over fifteen years in Latin America and Mexico involved in advising governments and in the armaments business and training various military units. He was given the honorary rank of General by the Mexican government for his work there.
When he returned to the United States he was sought out by Police Forces and Federal Agencies for training and his expertise. When the Vietnam War broke out he was once again consulted by the United States government. Applegate was respected by the U.S. Special Forces soldier and knife innovator, Al Mar, as the best knife fighter and knife maker in the world. Al Mar is famous in his own right and made the first knife accepted by Colonel Nick Rowe for the Special Forces SERE Instructor School at Camp McCall, North Carolina.
In 1980, Applegate began to release his new versions of fighting knives to the military and general public. These knives are still sold today and are very popular. He knew that his knives needed to have basic attributes; must be strong, easily maintained, capable of retaining an edge under normal combat operations, and have a clean and functional design. He was a proponent of the double edge blade and must be long enough to reach vital organs when stabbed or thrust into a body. Balance, weight and handle design are very important features. For a person with sweaty palms a non-slip surface for the handle is required. Applegate is the scientist of knife fighting. Post WWII Colonel Applegate instructed many people in instinctive shooting but he only trained and certified one instructor in his 'Kill or Get Killed' Close Combat Systems. This instructor is Tank Todd of New Zealand who worked with him for the ten years leading up to his death on projects and as his trade show assistant. The WWII knife fighting program complete film footage was destroyed and Tank is the only recipient of this entire program and other specialist programs of Applegate, Fairbairn and Sykes directly from Colonel Applegate.
The International Close Combat Instructors Association (ICCIA) made Colonel Applegate its patriarch and senior member. He was instrumental in this Association's development including naming the association and his advice was always sought out. Much of his work can never be revealed for security reasons but no other individual has accomplished so much or has been so instrumental in the development of Close Combat over such a long period of time. Colonel Rex Applegate is truly the King of Military Close Combat in the twentieth century. He was a dirty fighter and the worst enemy the bad guys could ever have the luck of coming up against.
In 1998, he was made a member of the Cutlery Hall of Fame by Blade magazine. He developed a combat folder that won international acclaim. He also won the National Riflemen Association's "Outstanding Handgunner Award for his lifetime contributions." Applegate and Chuck Melson wrote the book, "The Close Combat Files of Colonel Rex Applegate."
His teachings are based on Military science and battle proven experience. On 14 July 1998, while working at San Diego, California, Rex Applegate passed away. This ended the era of a true Combat Master.
Interested in Close Combat Training? Todd Group Depots are located throughout New Zealand and at various overseas locations.
For more information on Todd System of Close Combat see the following books, dvds and cds:
- Close Combat Books
The Do's and Don'ts of Close Combat – Tactical C&R – Control and Restraint – No Nonsense Self Defence – Military Close Combat Systems Phase One – Combative Masters Of The 20th Century - Close Combat DVDs
Self Defence of the Elite – 80 Years of Combative Excellence – Primary Option Control & Restraint – Military Unarmed Combat – Phase 1 - Close Combat CDs
Technique To Command – Combative Code of Conduct
