'All-in Fighting' - 'Get Tough'

Other than forking out the £20 or so for a copy of Capt. Fairbairn’s W.W.II Special Forces manual, there are several sites where this can now be perused (even printed out) on-line.

http://www.vrazvedka.ru/main/learning/ruk-b/fairbairn-01.shtml

The above site has done quite a good job, including text and illustrations. I’ve checked their inclusions against my 1940’s copy and they go right through to the last page. The original book ran about 120 pages which they have been able to include in much fewer web pages.

Fairbairn published the manual as ‘All-in Fighting’ in Britain which was published in the US as ‘Get Tough’. There’s nothing ‘secret’ in it, or anything that has not appeared in numerous Martial Arts type books since, but quite revolutionary at the time to have this specifically taught in the British services.

No.9

 

Pretty good link No9 ! However it does not say anything about getting your money back if you pick a fight with a 250 pound gorilla and lose. I guess there should be a chapter about discreton being the better part of valor.

I am going to read up on it and practice on my dogs.

 

Very fair point TA. Moons ago an American Navy pal raised a similar observation in view of what happened to his Unarmed Combat instructor. One time my friend was back from duties, he saw the instructor in a poor way hobbling about on sticks. Turns out this instructor was sitting at a bar, enjoying a quiet evening, when a haystack of a drunk came in, swayed up to the bar next to him, demanding the bartender set him up. As he slobbered about he knocked and spilt the instructors drink. In an unthreatening manner, the instructor said something like; “steady on fella”, where upon the drunk said; “f… you”, smothered him off his barstool and bounced him all round the room. The only explanation the instructor could offer my friend was; “if only I could have gotten off the stool and adopted a stance………..”

Any chance of filming you and your dogs TA? It’s just that I’ve never seen anyone take a Luger off a dog before.

No.9

 

During 'Airborne Medic' s research-blitz at the PRO last Saturday, I was interested to come across the following entry in the War Diary of No 6 Commando : -

' 16/6/41 ; Captain Sykes and Captain Fairbairn gave the Commando a demonstration on close combat '

Now, that must have been quite interesting......