June 21, 1914 – July 14, 1998
- Learned marksmanship from his uncle Gus Peret
- 1940 graduated from the University of Oregon with a Business Degree
- 1940 join US Army
- developed armed and unarmed close quarter combat courses for the US Army
- 1941 recruited by Wild Bill Donovan for the OSS
- close-combat coordinator for all clandestine missions in WWII
- personal bodyguard to President Franklin D Roosevelt
- 1943 he wrote Kill or Get Killed
- 1980s designed the Applegate-Fairbairn fighting knife
- 1994 inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame
About Rex Applegate
Rex Applegate (1914-1998) was one of the most influential close-combat and combat pistol instructors of the twentieth century. Born in Yoncalla, Oregon, he learned to shoot from his uncle, exhibition shooter Gus Peret, earned a business degree from the University of Oregon in 1940, and was commissioned in the U.S. Army. In 1941, while developing close-combat courses at Camp Ritchie, he was recruited by William Donovan to train agents for the Office of Strategic Services.
His 1943 book Kill or Get Killed became a classic; the Marine Corps reissued it in 1976 as FMFRP 12-80. Applegate championed fast, close-range point shooting, a method distinct from Jeff Cooper’s later Modern Technique, and spent his final years promoting it to police agencies. In the early 1980s he released the Applegate-Fairbairn fighting knife, a refinement of the Fairbairn-Sykes design, and he was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame in 1994. He died in 1998.
Key Facts
- June 21, 1914: Born in Yoncalla, Oregon
- 1940: Graduated from the University of Oregon
- 1941: Recruited by William Donovan to train OSS personnel
- 1943: Published Kill or Get Killed
- 1976: Marine Corps issued Kill or Get Killed as FMFRP 12-80
- 1994: Inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame
Learn More
Sources
Across the Gun Websites Network
- Rex Applegate on After Action.net After Action.net
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