Rex Applegate: The Lost Tapes

Recently discovered in a stack of old tapes, this 1992 video contains rare footage of Colonel Rex Applegate in his later years. In it, the late Colonel reveals little-known anecdotes from his career and covers timeless elements of combat fighting. Heeding his own adage that "there are no gentlemen in combat situations," Colonel Applegate made it his life's work to equip combatants with the right knowledge and tools to prevail in a fight.

In this vintage video, Applegate describes his shooting background, which began early in his boyhood, and the combat shooting experience he gained during World War II, especially during his collaboration with British combatives specialists William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes. Of special interest to shooting enthusiasts is the method of combat shooting Applegate helped develop during the war, which he demonstrates in the video. Based on the point shooting technique, Applegate's instinctive shooting method was crucial to the war effort because it could be quickly learned and retained with minimum practice.

In the last part of this unique video memoir, Applegate reveals the evolution of combat knife fighting and how double-edged knives entered the scene. From an in-depth comparison of different knife fighting techniques, based on the type of blade, to the creation and development of modern fighting knives, Applegate explains in great detail how the design of his classic Applegate-Fairbairn Fighting Knife was influenced by real-life fights, as well as by experiments with blindfolded fighters!

Rex Applegate—The Lost Tapes is must-see footage for anyone who is interested in the evolution of combatives as recounted by one of its early practitioners. But its importance is not just historical; it also imparts valuable lessons for today's martialists. Paladin Press is proud to help preserve the lasting legacy of Colonel Applegate by making this keepsake available to the public. For information purposes only.