Fighting with the Klewang

The Dutch klewang is probably one of the most distinctive modern military swords. A short cutting weapon with a sharp, curved, single-edged blade and a clipped-point, the Dutch klewang is a cultural landmark, still used ceremonially today.

With this book, we want to introduce you to the basics of Dutch military fencing with the combined klewang and carbine, and with the bayonet, as taught in the KNIL, the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. For this we have transcribed and translated an original 1937 fencing manual, the Dutch Voorschrift voor de Opleiding in het Vechten met de Blanke Wapens (VOVBW), which in English could be called the Regulation for the Training in Fighting with Bladed Weapons (RTFBW).

The book you hold includes not only the text, but all the images of the original, as well as an introduction to the klewang, its historical context, and its application in modern HEMA training. This volume is suitable for martial artists, reenactors, and people with a more general interest in Dutch military history.