fm21-150 is the rather notorious 'Hand to hand combatives' handbook that was in use from around WWII until, IIRC, the late 1950's. Much of the research is not v

fm21-150 is the rather notorious 'Hand to hand combatives' handbook that was in use from around WWII until, IIRC, the late 1950's. Much of the research is not very sound, as evidenced by the low amount of detail and general amateurishness in the description of the techniques (for example, the suggestion to knock a sentry KO by taking his helmet and hitting him over the head with it) It was replaced by research from Applegate and the likes (based on experiences in WWII and subsequent wars like Korea) in the 1960's and 1970's, which in turn was replaced with the MACP (Modern Army Combatives Program) in the 1990's. So yes, it's poorly written and superstitious (although the 'sixth sense' thing isn't completely bogus - although there's nothing mystical about it, it's more about the state of mind of the attacker and the avoidance of tunnel vision than a true sixth sense in the mark). But also remember that field manuals have to be written in a way to be easy to teach, to the lowest common denominator (soldiers, aka cannon fodder) who usually, and especially at that time, came from lower socio-economic backgrounds and had little critical thinking or analytical skills.