Today on Gus’ Gear I am presenting my small selection of pioneer tools. Nearly every soldier was issued some sort of tool to be used for entrenching or construction of shelter. The Linnemann shovel was one of the most common tools used by many of the European armies. It had a square spade that works well in clay soils. I have excluded wire cutters from this post as they were covered in a previous post.
Here are two different German Linneman shovels, which were adopted in 1874. The shovel on the bottom is a model 1898, with a reinforcing band where the handle attaches to the spade. The top shovel is an experimental model that has a sliding tube on the handle that allows the spade to rotate and lock in place for use as either a shovel or a pick mattock. The first reference to this shovel I can find is in the 1911 ALFA Catalogue on page 68, listed as the latest patent that can be used as a spade or a pick-axe. The leather carrier is standard issue and can also be found constructed of paper cloth, due to leather shortages late in the war. This would be worn on the left hip with the bayonet scabbard.
Shown here is a German saw back bayonet, it was designed to be used as a saw and works well to cut wood. It was demonized by the British press as a weapon designed to inflict terrible wounds, in spite of the fact that the British Army also used this type of bayonet, as well as the Swiss and Belgian armies. As a weapon, it was no more terrible than any other type of bayonet as most bayonet wounds were fatal.
This is a Russian Linnemann shovel dated 1915, it lacks the reinforcing ring found on most Russian shovels and the construction is a simple folded socket with two rivets to connect to the handle. The lessor quality of construction could probably be attributed to the massive losses of equipment at the Battle of Tannenberg. The cloth carrier is a later construction of the same design used in the First World War.
This is an example of a French Linnemann shovel, this type was also used by the Belgians. The leather carrier is designed to attach to the backpack, but could also be worn on the belt.
This is an Austrian shovel, it is different from the Linnemann shovel in that it has a pointed spade. The pointed spade works better for digging in rocky soil. It is referred to as the new style shovel, differing from the previous in not having a serrated edge which was intended to cut through roots. Often shovels will be encountered with one edge sharpened, many attribute it to being used as a trench club, but I believe that the reason was to allow it to be used to hack through roots encountered while digging. The leather carrier was worn on the left hip along with the bayonet scabbard.
This is the standard issue Italian shovel and pick. The shovel has the same pointed spade as the Austrian shovel, for use in rocky soil, the two holes allow it to be strapped to the bed roll, back pack or secured in the bayonet frog. The pick is very much like the one issued to German troops, it was also carried on a special bayonet frog.
Here is the standard issue British entrenching tool, it is a pick mattock that breaks down and the head is carried in a pouch on the right hip and the helve is strapped to the bayonet frog and scabbard.
This is the U.S. M1910 shovel and M1910 carrier. It was attached to the backpack on the flap under the meat can pouch. It could also be attached to the belt. This shovel remained in service well into the Second World War.
Here are the M1910 pick mattock and M1910 carrier, the M1910 hand axe and M1910 carrier and the M1917 Bolo knife with M1910 scabbard. The M1917 Bolo knife differed from the M1910 by not having a catch to hold it in the scabbard. Most soldiers in a company would be issued a shovel.
The manual specifies a company would be issued 110 shovels, 55 pick mattocks, 35 M1910 wire cutters, 14 M1910 hand axes and 14 Bolo knives. Wire cutters were also a part of the pioneer tools. I have not shown them in this post as they were covered in a previous post.
I am sure that this post will not be as popular as the one on field caps, Joe still refuses to double my compensation unless I can maintain the number of likes set by the previous post. So in desperation I have added a photo of a kitten to boost the “likability” of this post. This is kitten’s name is Nine.