b. Development of Bayonet Fighting Techniques.—The bayonet was developed to protect the musketeer while he reloaded his weapon, a defensive mission. The tactics employed were an individual or unit matter; there was no published doctrine for bayonet fighting. However, as weapons improved and rapid fire, longer range weapons were developed, the troops were more widely dispersed on the battlefield. The percentage of time spent in close combat with the enemy was reduced. As a result, the use of the bayonet, a close combat weapon, was also reduced. There is little said about the use of the bayonet in the American Civil War and Spanish-American War. (1) The development of the machinegun and refinements in artillery reversed the trend toward battlefield mobility and World War I was a static conflict in which trench warfare was employed. There were great concentrations of troops, sometimes in close proximity to one another. The bayonet was extremely important in trench fighting, and the experience gained in World War I led to the publication of the first manuals on bayonet fighting doctrine. The bayonet was depicted as an offensive weapon, used in assaulting enemy troops in trenches. Many of the principles appearing in these manuals are still valid today. Early doctrine pictured the bayonet as essential for successful culmination of the attack. Artillery fire was capable of demolishing enemy trenches, but this was undesirable since the trenches would have to be redug to defend against the inevitable counterattack. Therefore the only way to drive the enemy from his trenches without destroying the trench and burying him was through the bayonet assault. The doctrine set forth in these manuals regarding attitude, standardization of movements, and practice for bayonet fighting was as follows: (a) The bayonet fighter was given a firm knowledge of the underlying principles of bayonet combat. The bayonet was regarded as an individual weapon and each bayonet fighter was taught in such a manner as to take advantage of his own physical characteristics. No attempt was made to set down prescribed standards as to the position of feet or hands on the weapon. Each bayonet fighter was left free to choose positions and movements most natural to him. (b) Instructors corrected individual errors, but took advantage of any particular skill possessed by any individual. Instructors tried to develop to the fullest degree the proficiency of the individual, consistent with his physique and degree of development, but guarded against attempting to make a precise parade or calisthenic drill of bayonet training.