Bayonet practice at Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, Texas, 1918. Camp Bowie was established by the United States War Department to give training to the 36th Infantry Division. It was opened officially on August 24, 1917. The experience of World War I saw a complete reversal in opinion on the relative value of long rifles and bayonets in typical infantry combat operations. It required a strong arm and wrist, was very slow to recover if the initial thrust missed its mark, and was easily parried by a soldier who was trained to expect it. Instead of longer bayonets, infantry forces on both sides began experimenting with other weapons as auxiliary close-quarter arms, including the trench knife, pistol, hand grenade, and entrenching tool.