Close Combat

S1, E3: Hand-to-hand combat is warfare at its most visceral. Since ancient times, soldiers on the battlefield have relied on specialized weapons to survive this most immediate form of fighting. Military experts explore some of history’s most effective weapons, from the Gladius, the short sword Roman legionaries relied on for centuries, to the war hammer, the medieval era’s most efficient yet little-known weapon, to the bayonet, a firearm still being used today thanks to its ability to inflict both physical and psychological damage.