Melee
!All Melee have the same range!
You can throw your bayonet weapon with Mouse3 (scroll wheel click). [60 damage]
Bayonets can be attached to certain weapons to increase damage and range. Bayonet Stab with Mouse3 (scroll wheel click)
Large bayonets are Weapon dependent.
Stabs are one shot kills on back and head.
The bleed effect is not present in Gun Game or Zombies.
Melee does double damage in Zombie Mode.
Charged punches and weapon bashes knock weapons and items out of hands with certain settings enabled.
Shovels and the crowbar have a charge attack when you hold m2 that will deal more damage and knock away weapons and items, also does increased damage while sprinting.
| Factions | Weapon | Icon | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Attack | Secondary Attack | |||
  VC US |
 Fists |
 |
25 | 25 (50 charged) |
US |
 M7 Bayonet |
 |
35 52 headshot |
55 (25 bleed) |
VC |
 6H2 Bayonet |
 |
35 52 headshot |
55 (25 bleed) |
US |
 M1905 Bayonet |
 |
65 (25 bleed) | 100 |
VC |
 Type 30 Bayonet |
 |
65 (25 bleed) | 100 |
US |
 M1942 Machete |
 |
42 63 headshot |
Charged 84 (25 bleed) |
VC |
 Sickle |
 |
42 63 headshot |
Charged 84 (25 bleed) |
US |
 AMES 1966 Shovel |
 |
30 45 Sprinting |
60 charged 90 Sprinting charged |
VC |
 ChiCom Shovel |
 |
30 45 Sprinting |
60 charged 90 Sprinting charged |
US |
 Crowbar |
 |
25 | 37 charged 52 Sprinting charged |
Melee weapons are close-range weapons used without firing a projectile, including bayonets mounted to rifles as well as knives and similar tools carried for utility and last-resort fighting. In military service they often overlap with field tools—many “fighting” blades are also designed for everyday tasks like cutting, prying, and general camp work. In the Vietnam War era, melee weapons remained part of standard equipment, even as most combat was decided by firearms, explosives, and supporting arms.
DEFINITION & CHARACTERISTICS
“Melee weapon” is a broad, practical category covering weapons intended to strike, cut, or stab at arm’s length (or very close range). In a Vietnam-era infantry context, the most common melee weapons were bayonets and fighting/utility knives, along with improvised or tool-like items that could serve the same purpose when needed.
- Common traits
- Role: Last-resort close combat, sentry/security use, and a wide range of field utility tasks (especially for knives and multi-purpose bayonets).
- Typical types: Bayonets, fighting/utility knives, machetes or brush knives, clubs/entrenching tools (context-dependent), and other close-combat implements.
- Typical “fire modes”: Manual striking/thrusting only; effectiveness depends heavily on training, environment, and opportunity.
- Typical carry/issue: Often issued as part of a rifleman’s kit (bayonet) or as general equipment (knife/tool), with additional items used by specialists.
- Common engagement ranges: Very close range; often associated with confined spaces, thick vegetation, night actions, or emergency circumstances.
- Notable tradeoffs: Extremely portable and always “ready,” but short reach and high risk; many designs prioritize utility and durability over purely combative features.
HISTORY
Melee weapons predate firearms by millennia, and they remained part of infantry equipment after guns became dominant because close-range emergencies still occurred and because edged tools were universally useful in the field. The bayonet, designed to attach to the muzzle of a long gun, historically allowed infantry to combine the firearm with spear-like capability, and over time many bayonets evolved toward shorter, more multipurpose knife-like forms.
In the Vietnam War era, melee weapons were still routinely carried even though their primary day-to-day value was often utilitarian. U.S. forces fielded rifle bayonets for the M16 family (commonly paired with the M7 bayonet-knife in period manuals), and Marine Corps culture also retained the fighting/utility knife as a long-standing personal implement. Australian forces issued the L1A2 bayonet with the L1A1 SLR, and period photographs from Vietnam show rifles configured with bayonets as part of that equipment set. In practice, these items served as tools first for many soldiers, while remaining a close-range option when circumstances forced combat to very short distances.
Sources
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/bayonet Bayonet (history and purpose) | Encyclopaedia Britannica
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/knife Knife (general definition and use as tool/implement) | Encyclopaedia Britannica
- https://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/FM23-9%2868%29.pdf FM 23-9 (1968): Rifle, 5.56-mm, M16A1 (includes “rifle with bayonet-knife, M7”) | U.S. Department of the Army (archive)
- https://archive.org/details/FM23-25 FM 23-25 Bayonet (training doctrine context) | U.S. War Department (public domain scan)
- https://www.usmcmuseum.com/iconic-artifacts.html Three-Generation Ka-Bar Fighting Knife (notes Vietnam service continuity) | National Museum of the Marine Corps
- https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C225314 L1A2 Bayonet & Scabbard (issued with L1A1 SLR) | Australian War Memorial
- https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1148282 L1A1 SLR and bayonet (Vietnam photo record) | Australian War Memorial