Hand Weapons of Trench Raiders, WWI
Knives, Clubs, and Sharpened Shovels for Close Quarters Combat
Sep 8, 2008 Nicholas Efstathiou
Once the front lines of the First World War settled into the positions they would hold for years, thousands of miles of trenches were dug on both sides of no-man’s-land. Soldiers adjusted to life in the trenches, leading staff officers to fear the onset of complacency and the atrophying martial energies.
Trench Raiding as a Tool
With the dual fears of atrophy and complacency heavy amongst the general staffs of all of the militaries involved, the idea of trench raiding took hold. Staff officers believed that a successful trench raid would accomplish two goals: first, energizing the warrior spirit amongst the troops; second, the gathering of pertinent military intelligence.
In regards to military intelligence, staff officers desired either hard evidence – in the form of maps, documents, orders, etc. – or prisoners whom they could interrogate. Trench weaponry such as knives, clubs, and shovels came into play when prisoners were being sought.
Personal Weapons of the Trench Raiders
Silent weapons of the trench raiders fell into two basic categories, either edged or blunt weapons. Blunt weapons were made from a variety of items:
· axe, pick, or shovel handles
· steel and iron bars
· heavy wooden staves
Iron or steel bars remained fairly effective without any additions, but they did not inspire the fear which the other blunt weapons could. To add to the frightfulness as well as its effectiveness, wooden weapons could have barbed wire wrapped around the tops; steel studs or spikes driven through; or the club could simply be wrapped in available waste metals.
Edged weapons also revealed the killing creativity found within trench raiders. Bayonets were often cut down to a size easier to handle with one hand in the confines of the trench. Spiked brass knuckles were also added to the handles of some theater made knives, and then were a permanent addition to government issued blades. Other men removed the blade completely, using the handle as a base for a push-knife, the blade more of an elongated pick supported between the ring and middle fingers.
The entrench tool issued to the soldiers also served as a weapon on trench raids. The shovel was short and easy to swing in the confines of a trench. To help increase the wounding power of the tool as a weapon, the trench raiders often ground the edges of the shovel’s head to razor sharpness. This gave the weapon greater power in forward and reverse strokes, as well as thrusts, without causing the raider to wastefully shift his grip.
Silent and Effective: Power and Terror in the Raid
The trench raiders used the weapons of hand to hand combat with deadly effectiveness to ensure that their presence was unknown to the bulk of the enemy, and to acquire the desired prisoners. The effectiveness of the weapons was due not only to the aggressive nature of the raiders themselves, but of the design of the weapons themselves.
Men who were awoken by a group of trench raiders often found it difficult to resist the persuasive nature of the weapons the raiders employed. Those who resisted often served as valuable, if bloody, examples of the effects of resistance. With the thousands of horrific ways to die, men still found it difficult to face the idea of a death by stabbing or bludgeoning.
Sources
Bull, Stephen. Battle Tactics: Trench Warfare. Haverton, PA: Casemate.
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