One historical line of modern combatives.
An important part of what is now called modern combatives developed from police and military problems encountered during the early and mid-twentieth century.
The objective was direct: prepare people for close-range violence, with little time to decide and conditions that were difficult to control.
Shanghai, William Fairbairn, Eric Sykes, British wartime training, the OSS and Rex Applegate appear frequently in this history.
The value of this period lies both in the methods that were developed and in the questions that shaped the training.
THE PROBLEM
Limited time to prepare people for difficult situations.
During the Second World War, military organizations needed to prepare large numbers of personnel and specialized operators within relatively short periods of time.
Some roles involved operations inside buildings, reconnaissance, prisoner capture, actions behind enemy lines and situations in which the distance between two people could disappear very quickly.
This created a need for close-combat methods that could be taught quickly and applied under conditions of severe pressure.
The emphasis was on simplicity, adaptation and practical application.
William Fairbairn and the Shanghai Municipal Police.
William Ewart Fairbairn occupies a central place in this historical line.
Fairbairn served with the Shanghai Municipal Police — SMP, responsible for policing the Shanghai International Settlement.
His police experience and his work in training contributed to the development and adaptation of methods intended for close-range confrontations.
The practical question was simple: what responses remained available when distance collapsed, resistance was present and there was little time to decide?
Methods selected according to the problem.
Fairbairn worked with Eric Anthony Sykes, another important figure associated with the development of shooting and close-combat methods.
Their work brought together and adapted knowledge from different sources according to practical requirements.
This way of thinking became an important reference within twentieth-century combatives:
the problem determines the method.
The Shanghai connection.
Before the United States entered the Second World War, members of the United States Marines were stationed in Shanghai.
Historical research published by the Marine Corps documents contact between Marines and the combat methods associated with Fairbairn and Sykes during this period.
This connection helps explain how experiences developed in Shanghai later became part of the history of American close-combat training.
The work moved into military training.
During the Second World War, Fairbairn was involved in preparing British military personnel and individuals connected with special operations.
The time available for training could be limited. This favored methods that were simpler, more direct and relatively quick to teach.
Fairbairn and Sykes also became associated with the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife, developed during the war and used by British Commandos and other units.
Fairbairn in American wartime training.
Fairbairn was also brought to the United States to participate in training connected with the Office of Strategic Services — OSS.
Established in 1942, the OSS operated in strategic intelligence, espionage, sabotage, support for resistance movements and special operations.
Its personnel received instruction in several areas, including weapons, field skills and close combat.
Historical documents preserved by the CIA record Fairbairn's role within this training environment.
After the war, the OSS was dissolved. Part of its institutional legacy later appeared in the history of American intelligence and in the creation of the CIA in 1947.
Continuity in the United States.
Rex Applegate also holds an important place in the American history of close combat and practical shooting during this period.
His work helped document and develop concepts associated with the training environment in which Fairbairn also operated.
Close distance, limited reaction time, pressure and the need for simple responses appear repeatedly as problems throughout this historical material.
WHAT REMAINS WORTH STUDYING
The contexts have changed. Some questions remain useful.
The methods of this period were developed for specific police and military problems.
Today, these materials are primarily valuable as historical records and as references for examining recurring questions.
Shanghai, Fairbairn, Sykes, the Marines, British wartime training, the OSS and Rex Applegate form an important historical line in what is now called modern combatives.
Studying this history helps explain where some of these ideas came from. Their use today requires a different context, different audiences and different problems.
PRIMARY & INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES