When it comes to the art of war, armies are constantly racing to out‑innovate each other. Yet, history loves to remind us that even the most outdated armaments can still find a place on today’s battlefields. In this roundup of 10 times anachronistic gear resurfaced in modern combat, you’ll see swords, machine guns from a century ago, and even medieval siege engines being pressed into service – sometimes with surprising success.
10 Times Anachronistic Weapons in Modern Conflict
10 Sword (2020)
In the war‑torn streets of Yemen, it’s not unusual to spot men brandishing traditional jambiyas – curved daggers that have been reforged from fragments of shrapnel littering the city. While the jambiya has deep cultural roots, akin to the Sikh kirpan, Houthis have turned it into a tool of intimidation, even stabbing a young civilian to death after beating him with wires for allegedly exposing corruption. The weapon’s symbolic value belies its very real, brutal use in today’s civil war.
The last era when swords were officially issued to regular troops dates back to World War I. Despite the flood of new technology, cavalrymen still carried a blade; the British and Commonwealth forces used the Pattern 1908 cavalry sword, which famously recorded the first British kill of the war when Captain Hornby of the 4th Dragoon Guards thrust a German cuirassier. King Edward VII reportedly called the design “hideous,” yet it proved its worth in close‑quarters thrusting, not cutting.
Even during World War II, Japanese soldiers were known to carry katana‑style swords, but these were cherished heirlooms meant for luck rather than combat. Soldiers were encouraged to return them home intact, and after Japan’s surrender, the United States seized many of these blades, aware that a surrendered samurai sword lost its cultural and monetary value.
9 M1910 (2022)
Russia’s answer to the original Maxim machine gun was the Pulemyot Maxima 1910, commonly called the M1910. The British Maxim, introduced in 1884, impressed the Russians during their 1904‑05 conflict with Japan, prompting a domestic redesign. The M1910 saw action throughout World War I, earning the conflict the moniker “machine‑gun war,” and later served the Red Army during the civil war and again in World War II.
Fast forward to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine: Ukrainian forces resurrected the cumbersome, water‑cooled M1910 to fire sustained bursts for minutes on end—something modern, air‑cooled guns can’t achieve without overheating. Its heavy barrel and brass water jacket allowed continuous fire, giving Ukrainian troops a unique edge against Russian armor.
Ukraine didn’t stop at the M1910. They also fielded the vintage American M101 howitzer and the Russian‑made D‑44 artillery piece, both dating from the early 1940s. Even a T‑34 tank, long retired and displayed as a monument in Lysychansk, was dug up and sent back into combat.
8 Bayonet (2004)
Bayonets, essentially spears attached to rifles, fell out of regular use after the Vietnam era. Their primary purpose was to turn a firearm into a thrusting weapon, a vital tactic before the advent of rapid‑fire reloading. The dense jungles of Vietnam forced close‑quarters combat, keeping the bayonet relevant.
In 2004, a British corporal in Helmand Province led a daring bayonet charge against Taliban fighters. After his patrol was pinned down, two soldiers provided covering fire while the corporal and three comrades surged forward with fixed bayonets. The sudden, ferocious assault confused the Taliban, forcing them to retreat until reinforcements arrived.
While modern armies rarely use bayonets, spears made a brief resurgence elsewhere. In December 2019, the Masalit community in Darfur defended themselves with traditional spears, knives, and even “saforok” throwing sticks, long before acquiring firearms.
7 Club (1918)
The First World War ushered in a host of high‑tech weapons—tanks, submarines, chemical agents—but the brutal reality of trench warfare forced soldiers on both sides to improvise hand‑to‑hand tools. Entrenching tools became battle‑axes, wooden stakes turned into push knives, and any sturdy object was fashioned into a club.
These makeshift clubs ranged from crude wooden blocks to sophisticated “morning‑star” designs. German clubs featured spiked heads with ersatz wrist straps, while French variants doubled as walking sticks, crafted from gnarled wood, leather grips, lead weights, and iron spikes. British troops often used the simple knobkerry—a standard entrenching tool with a metal‑capped head.
Because of their effectiveness in close‑quarter raids, these clubs eventually received official approval and were mass‑produced for army issue, cementing their place in the annals of World War I weaponry.
6 Brass Knuckles (1945)
Brass knuckles, also known as knuckle dusters, trace their lineage back to 12th‑century India, where the spiked vajra‑mushti—literally “thunder‑fist”—was a staple of wrestling. Earlier, Roman gladiators wielded the caestus, a leather glove reinforced with metal studs.
During the American Civil War, brass knuckles saw limited use; even President Abraham Lincoln and his personal guard were rumored to keep a pair on hand. Their popularity surged in the First and Second World Wars, where they offered a cheap, easily manufactured close‑combat option—soldiers could melt down lead bullets to cast them.
Beyond their punching power, brass knuckles left the fingers free, allowing soldiers to reload firearms without removing the weapon. Their low cost and ease of production made them a practical addition to trench‑raiding arsenals.
5 Blow Gun (1945)
Blow guns are silent, deadly, and rely on poisoned darts for lethal effect. In 1964, Congolese guerrillas used them to assassinate the nation’s army chief of staff, an American missionary, and several others, demonstrating their potency in covert operations.
During World War II, Allied forces in Borneo enlisted indigenous Dyak head‑hunters to wield blow guns against Japanese troops. After a U.S. pilot parachuted onto the island, he was rescued and trained in blow‑gun tactics, contributing to the campaign’s success. Decades later, the Viet Cong turned the same weapon against American soldiers in Vietnam.
Even in 2022, U.S. service members stationed in Hawaii sparked controversy by using blow darts to euthanize stray cats on Oahu, highlighting the weapon’s continued, albeit unconventional, presence in modern military life.
4 Bow and Arrow (1945)
British 4th Infantry Brigade diaries from World War II recount the calming sight of Captain “Mad” Jack Churchill marching onto the Dunkirk beaches with a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder. Churchill, a staunch traditionalist, famously declared that any officer without a sword was “improperly dressed.” He also prized the longbow, using it to down an enemy combatant during the Battle of l’Epinette before resorting to firearms.
Modern analysts still debate the bow’s relevance. In 2015, a Special Forces experiment pitted a modern bow against a .45 M1911, a .30 M1 carbine, and a .30 M1 rifle, with only the bow’s arrow managing to pierce a box of packed dirt, showcasing its surprising penetrative capability.
Beyond battlefield feats, archery’s ease of field‑manufacture—simple shafts and bows can be crafted from local materials—remains an attractive option for guerrilla fighters and special operators alike.
3 Crossbow (1999)
Invented over two millennia ago, the crossbow resurfaced in the 20th century Vietnam War, wielded by the Montagnard highlanders. Its silent, bolt‑firing mechanism made it ideal for ambushes in dense jungle terrain.
In the 1990s, Serbian forces imported English‑made crossbows to combat the Kosovo Liberation Army. Chosen for their quiet operation and psychological impact—recalling war criminal Arkan’s notorious use of exotic weapons—these crossbows bypassed export restrictions because Britain classified them as sporting equipment.
The strategic advantage lay not only in stealth but also in legality; the weapons could be smuggled without the usual scrutiny applied to conventional arms, giving Serbian units a discreet edge until British authorities caught on.
2 Trebuchet (2014)
Originating in 4th‑century BC China, the trebuchet was a staple of medieval siege warfare until superseded by gunpowder artillery. Its last recorded historical use was during the 1521 siege of Tenochtitlán.
In 2014, Syrian opposition fighters resurrected the ancient catapult to hurl projectiles at government positions. Their improvised machines, sometimes fitted with ornamental balls or even shotgun barrels, offered a silent, low‑tech alternative to modern artillery. Rebels also fabricated makeshift “tanks” by encasing cars in corrugated iron and rigged video‑game controllers to fire mortar rounds.
These DIY weapons underscored how resource‑constrained combatants will resort to any viable tool—no matter how antiquated—to gain a tactical edge.
1 Lance (1939)
The lance, emblematic of medieval knighthood, is often cited as a relic of a bygone era. Legend claims that on 1 September 1939, Polish Colonel Kazimierz Mastalerz led a cavalry charge against a superior German force, lances flashing as horses thundered forward. While propaganda from Italy and Germany amplified the tale, the reality was more nuanced: Polish cavalry did charge, but they typically relied on anti‑tank rifles and only occasionally brandished lances.
Even after 1937, Polish units retained lances for ceremonial purposes and occasional morale‑boosting charges. Their psychological shock value—against an enemy unaccustomed to seeing horse‑mounted troops—remained a factor, even if the weapon itself was largely obsolete by World War II standards.
Thus, the lance survives as a symbol of daring and tradition, reminding us that sometimes the most anachronistic tools can still stir fear and inspire troops in the heat of battle.