Close-quarters battle

Sometimes people fight in very close spaces.

This can happen in narrow trenches or small rooms. Long ago, people used swords or bows to fight close up. Later, a man named William Fairbairn taught special ways to fight. He used ideas from many martial arts.

He wanted his students to learn quickly. Today, police and soldiers train to stay safe. They practice how to enter buildings. They also work together as a team.

Training helps them do their jobs well.

Close-quarters battle is a type of fight. It happens in very small or tight spaces.

This can mean fighting in a narrow room or a hallway. People might use guns or even simple tools like chairs.

Long ago, soldiers fought this way with swords and bows. In the past, a man named William Fairbairn changed how people trained. He was a police leader in Shanghai. He took ideas from many martial arts. He made a new way to fight called "defendu." It was meant to be easy to learn. During World War II, he taught special forces how to use these moves.

In the 1970s, new ways to fight with guns were made. Special units learned how to enter buildings quickly. They wanted to keep hostages safe.

These skills moved from special units to regular police. SWAT teams use these moves to catch people.

Police often use tools like pepper spray to keep things safe. They want to catch people without hurting them.

Close-quarters battle is a type of fight that happens in small spaces. It is also called close-quarters combat or CQC. This happens when people fight at a very short range. They might use guns or melee weapons like knives. This can occur between military groups or police and criminals. The fighting is usually very fast and intense. It often happens in narrow places like hallways or rooms.

This way of fighting has existed for a very long time. In the past, people used swords, bows, and slings. They also used bayonets attached to guns. During World War I, soldiers fought in narrow trenches. They had to fight closely to capture those areas. Modern methods began with a man named William E. Fairbairn. He was an assistant commissioner for the Shanghai Municipal Police. After 1925, he created a special squad for policing. He combined different martial arts into a style called "defendu."

This style was meant to be easy to learn but very effective.

Fairbairn's methods became very famous during World War II. He trained Allied special forces in his fighting styles. He even wrote a book called "Get Tough." Other leaders like Rex Applegate and Anthony Biddle learned these ways too. Applegate wrote his own book in 1943 called "Kill or Get Killed." Many groups used these skills, including British Commandos and U.S. Marines. Later, other styles like Krav Maga and Sambo were also used. For a long time, regular soldiers did not use these specific tactics. They mostly used different ways to fight in cities.

New gun tactics were made in the 1970s. This happened after a sad event in Munich in 1972. Special units like the SAS and Delta Force developed new ways. They learned to enter buildings quickly and precisely. Their goal was to save hostages and keep people safe.

These skills moved to police SWAT teams by the 1980s. In the 1990s, wars in places like Iraq and Bosnia changed things again. Regular soldiers began to learn these skills more often. This was because fighting in cities became more common.

Today, many different groups use close-quarters battle. The military uses it for things like peacekeeping or boarding ships. Police units use it to handle dangerous situations. However, police have a different main goal than soldiers. They want to catch people alive and keep them safe. They use tools like pepper spray or tasers instead of guns. Some private security companies also use these training methods. They might protect important people in dangerous areas. It is a very specialized way of training for many people.

Close-quarters battle, often called close-quarters combat or CQC, is a specific type of combat. It involves multiple combatants fighting at a very short range. This fighting can involve ranged weapons, like firearms, or melee weapons, which are weapons used for close contact.

CQB is defined by its high intensity and short duration. It usually involves sudden violence in confined spaces like rooms or hallways. This type of combat occurs in many settings, including military operations, law enforcement actions, and criminal encounters.

The mechanism of CQB relies on speed and precision within small environments. Combatants must move through structures, such as buildings, while managing threats in multiple directions. In military settings, this might involve breaching a door to enter a room. In law enforcement, the goal is often to secure a location while managing risks to others. The intensity of the situation requires rapid decision-making. Because the distance between people is so small, there is very little time to react to a threat. This makes the training for these situations extremely specialized.

There are different types of CQB depending on who is fighting. Military units use it for various missions. Some units perform peacekeeping or riot control during military operations other than war (MOOTW). Naval boarding teams might adapt these tactics to fight inside the narrow corridors of a ship. Police tactical units, or PTUs, use CQB in domestic settings. These units handle situations that go beyond the normal capabilities of regular police officers.

Private security and private military companies also maintain units trained in these methods. They may protect high-profile individuals or secure government facilities in dangerous areas.

History shows that close combat has existed since the beginning of warfare. In ancient times, people used swords and shields. Later, they used slings, bows, and muskets at close range. During World War I, the narrow spaces of trenches made close combat a major part of warfare. Modern CQB began to take shape through the work of William E. Fairbairn. He was an assistant commissioner for the Shanghai Municipal Police. After 1925, he created a special squad for aggressive policing and riot control.

Fairbairn developed a martial art called "defendu." This method combined different fighting styles to be effective and easy for recruits to learn. It included firearm techniques and the use of everyday objects like chairs or table legs.

During World War II, Fairbairn's methods became essential for Allied special forces. He created a version called the "Silent Killing Close Quarters Combat method" for military use. He also wrote a textbook titled *Get Tough*. Other leaders, such as Rex Applegate and Anthony Biddle, studied his methods in Scotland. Applegate later published *Kill or Get Killed* in 1943. Many famous groups received this training, including the British Commandos, U.S. Army Rangers, and Marine Raiders. Over time, other martial arts like Krav Maga, Sambo, and Capap were also introduced into combat training.

Modern firearm-based CQB tactics emerged in the 1970s. This change followed the 1972 Munich massacre. Western counterterrorist units, such as the Special Air Service (SAS) and Delta Force, developed new ways to assault buildings. Their goal was to be quick and precise to minimize casualties to hostages and friendly forces.

These tactics were shared among closely-knit special forces units. By the 1980s and 1990s, these methods reached police SWAT teams. For a long time, regular infantry did not use these tactics, as they were seen as specialized hostage rescue tools. However, urban wars in the 1990s changed this perception. Battles in Mogadishu, Bosnia, and Chechnya showed the need for better urban combat skills.

The importance of proper CQB training was highlighted during the Iraq War. In the battles for Fallujah, U.S. Marines faced challenges in clearing buildings. They lacked specific CQB training and equipment, which led to many civilian and allied casualties. This made proper urban warfare tactics a priority for infantry. Today, CQB is a major part of military and police training. While some special forces units prefer to keep these tactics exclusive, the complexity of modern cities makes these skills necessary for many different types of soldiers and officers.