The novel "All quiet on the Western Front" was required reading back in high school. Even now, 30 years later, I still remember the trivial detail that the veteran sergeant preferred to use his trenching shovel as a melee weapon over the rifle bayonet, because it was less likely to get stuck in whomever he was attacking.
@@Nutellafuerst The M1898/05 'Butcher Blade' bayonet was made in the first model plain back and second model with a saw-toothed back intended for sawing wood, but which was seen as a war crime by Germany's opponents. I own one from 1917 which appears to have had the teeth removed.
I read that for a literature and film class in college as it was one of the only books and movies I could see without spending money. I remembered that detail and then snickered as the Made for TV adaptation I watched had the actors smacking people with the broad face of the shovel shortly after a scene where Kay explains to a new squad the benefits of a shovel because the budget didn’t allow for the accurate presentation for how they used shovels.
There was pretty epic backlash in the comments from that video(s) and I assume that’s why he’s doing that; for comedic purposes. It’s still the funniest one imo, and I have a couple pairs of them and didn’t disagree. It’s basically just juggling with broken sticks on a chain. lmao
It's endlessly entertaining to me how one of the first weapons humanity ever came up with is considered one of if not the best melee weapon, and it can be summed up as a long sharp pokey stick.
It really was one of those 'got it right on the first try' That and it helps that pretty much everything we've ever had to fight that wasn't human never had many (if any) ranged attacks, and even then we could always just throw the spears too
The Ames trifold e-tool is one of the greatest military inventions of all time. It's a shovel, a shield, a pick, a weapon, a stool, an axe, a saw.....right up there with the p-38 can opener
I remeber reading in high-school the war memories of a WWI veteran. He said that the soldiers in his company would grind the edges of their shovels between the many assaults. He made a case for grinding a shovel instead of crafting yourself a mace, stating that you'd always have a shovel with you and giving very graphic details about just how deep you can cut into someone with a sharpened shovel. He also explained that they quickly learned to ditch the bayonet, for they were too fragile and would break easily.
You're forgetting another important function of the shovel. You can kill the intruder with the shovel, and then you can use the shovel to burry the body.
that's kinda the idea of the Monk's Spade. one end was a crescent moon shape to push away animals and weapons, the other end for striking. But the reason it was a shovel at all, was so that monks could still give the bodies of fallen on the roadside a somewhat proper burial.
One other reason shovels weren’t used as weapons as much historically is that a lot of historical shovels were made entirely of wood. Wood headed shovel makes for a much worse weapon than sharp metal head.
Huh...odd they had wooden heads for their shovels. I would think they would have metal ones by the time metal was commonly used...or at least iron was more commonly used. I can see Bronze being kind of problematic.
@@mkdemigodzillawarrior might have been for one of the reasons Shad mentioned in the video. Structural integrity. I have broken one myself with a good quality modern steel shovel. There is a lot of force at the end of a shovel when digging so they need to be made really durable. With lower quality steel and worse equipment they probably couldn't make good shovels with easy that were made in metal. Lots of stress on the entire blade so any fault would probably see it bend or brake rather quickly. Never thought about it before but it is probably the reason picks were more common back then. You had a metal pick to loosen the earth and then you used the shovel for shoveling rather than digging. If you mostly just moved already loose earth, a cheap and simple wooden shovel would be enough I suppose. Then you could use the metal for more useful stuff. Making a pick looks to be much easier to make than a shovel as durable as we are used to in the modern world.
Medieval shovels were generally all wood and the digging edge was capped in a slightly sharpened metal, the idea being that as you sharpen it and wear away the metal you just had to replace the metal and not the whole shovel
i was tired of wood handle shovels breaking and splinters getting in my hands so i made my own shovel with some pipe and welding its a great shovel but a bit heavy ...not so much that you cant use it but if i ever use it as a melee weapon would be like a sledge hammer
Shad should do an episode that covered the medieval-esque melee weapons used during WW1, since that was brought up. The trench clubs, maces, daggers, swords, lances, etc. of medieval origin used in modern combat.
@@felwinterslie8223 consider what a shovel goes through already when digging, when carried through foul weather, when used around cooking fires--might not be a noticeable difference Ever hear of hoe cakes?
and for cqc like urban warfare....the edge is always sharpend...one of the first things learn plus how to fight with them....the wounds those cause are realy messy
Example, Operation Market Garden. The American soldiers were supposed to cross a river in folding boats, but they didn't have anywhere near enough paddles, so they used everything they could grab, including rifle stocks and shovels
I feel like the shovel is kind of a Jack of All Trades, it has a large, heavy head that can be used as a club, it has TWO sharp or sharpen-able edges, so it can be used as an axe, it has a sharp tip so it can be used for jabbing. It was also historically used in WW1 (and possibly two) during trench raids or hand to hand combat.
our army also told it can be used as last resort weapon, we had a picture and bit of text in our soldier manual but 0 combat training, we only dag with it
No but seriously, the shovel was an almost essential weapon during ww1 and 2, simply because of its utility. Shovels were used for everything from digging trenches to sapping enemy minefields, to digging out stuck tanks. Truly, the mightiest weapon ever made is the tank, and the shovel helps keep the tank from sinking into the mud.
@@retroarktv9865 true that but question is how high would the kill count of a ICBM be if ever fired? Especially if it hit a city with millions of people in it. But i see your point and as long as the ICBM isn't fired it's a lot of "what if?" while the M1 Sherman is based on real facts.
@@retroarktv9865 M1 Sherman? Now I'm imagining a Sherman with a M1 Abram Turret, hmm maybe a M1 Abram with a Sherman turret. I need to see something like that
The Death Korps of Krieg have taught us that the shovel is the mightiest of weapon. It serves us well on Vrask, and is one of the most vital pieces of equipment to fight the heresy.
The most unexpected aspect, that in WW1 trench warfare, in melee combat most german soldier prefered to fight with the the trench shovel instead of their combat knife. There are even reports that the trench shovel was strong enough to behead someone. The advantage was higher reach, easier to access/carry, the shovel blade could be used as club or as a blade. In most part it was just more effective than the combat knife.....the trench coat and helmet offer some protection againt knives, but not much against a trench shovel.
The newer version of All Quiet on the Western Front has a scene where the veteran sergeant is explaining the effectiveness of the entrenching tool. Pointing out, among other things, that if you stab someone with a bayoneted rifle, the blade could be lodged in the body, dragging the weapon down with the body, Struggling to yank a bayonet clear of a body is not something you want to be doing in the middle of a trench melee.
The Klappspaten is kinda the official melee weapon of the Bundeswehr...just cut down a tree with it last week. When you sharpen it up its a pretty good hatchet.
The same thing that makes the etool useful on the battlefield, is why the Bowie knife has stuck around so long: It's a very weight-efficient multitool weapon.
Hypothetically how viable would a shovel be while flying through the air(possibly propelled by a rocket launcher) Edit: to clarify, the shovel is being use as a melee weapon while flying through the air, a shovel launcher is it's own beast
if it's balanced enough, shouldn't be any worse than an odd-shaped unfletched ballista. I imagine it would be kinda terrible as a shovel, a little bit like how the kunai is: just a flat cut sheet of metal with a handle you can shovel dirt with.
Funfact: In certain editions of Warhammer 40k, a relatively compact folding shovel in the hands of an imperial guardsmen will do more damage to an enemy then an actual laser rifle that is objectively superior to the vast majority of real world firearms aimed at the exact same enemy. Why? Because it doesn't matter if your enemy is a human chaos cultist, a power armored superhuman space marine, a sentient fungoid ork, or even an armor insect lizard thing like a Tyranid, or even a weebo space communist. Cold steel and a gaping hole where someone used to have a throat, major artery ect is generally lethal.
@@Robert-vk7je lead pipe only work if you have a proper gloves. Vibration from holding a pipe and smacking someone with it make it not such a good weapon
Just a note before I've watched this. Yes. The trenching shovel was actually made for it. Combination of digging trenches quickly during the two World Wars, and self defence up close. EDIT: the thing about the trenching shovel though is that for combat, it's most effective at arms length. As well as the fact that it's best target would be lightly armored or completely unarmored, consequently perfect against most modern infantry. You'd be more likely to use it's flat side to parry and bash, while it's sharp edges would be to slice heavily and start bleed out and nick vital veins and arteries.
Yes, obviously, it's a club, improvised axe, entrenching tool, broad dagger, walking stick, improvised pick, and shovel all in one. These are just the things I've used it for this week. And may all you Kriegers in the comments find the redemption you seek. Maybe try your luck in Eastern Europe at the moment. Also, I just got that exact shovel a few days ago. Weird coincidence.
It's actually quite well-documented that soldiers during the world wars frequently sharpened their entrenching tools to use against trench raiders, in which state it became a bit like a makeshift axe.
Years ago I read a book about WW1 which included an account of a British soldier involved in trench fighting. He described coming upon a dejected British soldier sat with his head bowed and a bloody shovel in his hands. Around him lay the dead bodies of seven or eight Germans, all killed with the shovel.
When i was an infantryman we used e-tools in everything from mixing a big pot to melee weapons. We called it the everything tool, " e-tool actually stands for entrenchment tool." but its just a danger shovel
As someone who played and beat shovel knight I think shovel is amazing and I really like how you dug deep down about the shovel this video was ground-breaking.
My brother plays a Grave Domain cleric in our 5e D&D game, and his weapon of choice is an enchanted combat shovel. We run it as a battle axe for combat mechanics, and he uses it as a weapon, a staff of office, and as a tool for digging graves. This video is actually amazing because I want to draw it, so I'm gonna use your suggestions for it!
@@gromaxe Do you mean use a shovel as the *Spiritual Weapon* spell? Then yes you could, though he would likely summon a scythe with that particular spell.
12:05 Full sized shovels like that are regularly issued as standard, but they are carried in your transport vehichles apc:s, ifv:s whatever for use in entrenchment, building camps or just getting your vehicle unstuck. Together with things like axes and saws. An e-tool would be the largest thing you would actually carry as a part of your own kit.
Shovels are great. Shovels are the quintessence of civilization. With a shovel, you can dig a hole just deep enough to hide yourself. Or if you gather a bunch of people with them, you can dig a fine trench. If you change your viewpoint a little, you can even dig a tunnel. You can smash a sturdy enemy trench with mining tactics (not that they get used often). A shovel is a good friend to any and every type of soldier. And a shovel is the best gear for a close-quarters fight in a trench. Longer than a bayonet, simpler to handle than a rifle, sturdier than any other tool. Not only that, but they are extremely cheap and easy to make, so they're perfect for mass-producing. This is it. The ideal piece of equipment. This is the point humanity was meant to reach. Civilization has developed the shovel as its implement. "The shovel is truly an implement born of civilization"
I actually have several shovels here at my house that I use for various purposes in homesteading. One of them I inherited from the previous homeowner (and let me tell you they don't make em now like they used to). I refer to it as my 'War Shovel', because it's ridiculously durable and can cut through the hard clay soil on our property like butter. After much use, the tip lost it's main point, but developed two points with a small valley between them. This surprisingly made it an even more versatile tool for removing large rocks, etc. As a life long martial artist, I've found myself instinctively applying stances and postures with the shovel when using it. It's the perfect length to serve as a spear (for me) and it can be used as a blunt or sharp instrument, as well as a traditional staff (not as long as my preferred bo length but longer than a quarterstaff, and great for two handed use). Personally, I prefer a single combat weapon with a solid non-lethal option. My 'War Shovel' gives me that range. One could easily kill with the weapon in either a stab or a slice, but one could just as easily disarm or knock out an opponent without shedding blood or causing permanent damage. Options. The War Shovel has them in spades! (pun intended). :)
My grandfather had a shovel like that. I was 6 years old and could dig the ground with one foot. The shape and weight of the shovel did most of the work.
You can get a forged shovel is you're willing to shell out the much higher cost for one. Some old tools are from when the cost of labour was low enough that you didn't spend that much more to buy a shovel from a smith rather than a factory, and the combination of much tougher metal and slightly better shape makes them way better tools. They also last nearly forever if properly maintained.
Spent an afternoon with my uncle in the 90's throwing a couple weapons at a tree. One a tomahawk. The other a folding tactical shovel that was balanced for throwing, and about the same size. The tomahawk was marginally better. I'm surprised out of all the comparisons, Shad never made any comparison to an axe.
Me too, I was surprised Shad never made the comparison considering the mechanism of using an axe and a shovel as weapons are the same. And in "All Quiet on the Western Front" the German narrator describes using their trenching shovels as war-axes, because their bayonets and knives were actually less effective in trench CQB. Ever since I read that I've never been able to look at an E-tool and not think of it as an axe that you can dig with.
15:30 the difference between spades and shovels is interesting. In the UK, a spade is quite different to a shovel, with the term applying to a tool designed to break into and lift up pieces of ground material. As for a shovel, those are tools designed for transporting loose materials from one place to another (into a wheelbarrow for instance). In the US, a shovel is a more blanket term for “a tool that breaks up or moves dirt.”
When Americans came over, they came with the best weapon for trench warfare: the Shotgun and 1911 .45 ACP. Both weapons have stopping power and knockout potential, and are great in close quarters. My father would use both as a tunnel rat in Vietnam. We used them for inside the ship security, as not only is the stopping power great, but because of the slowness of the rounds, they don't penetrate such things as a ship's inner bulkheads, hitting things inside the skin of a ship that are sensitive to bullets.
It's not really surprising that the shovel wasn't used much as a weapon in medieval warfare, since most people would have been carrying a better melee weapon anyway.
Tanya's shovel monologue "Shovels are great. Shovels are the quintessence of civilization. With a shovel, you can dig a hole just deep enough to hide yourself. Or if you gather a bunch of people with them, you can dig a fine trench. If you change your viewpoint a little, you can even dig a tunnel. You can smash a sturdy enemy trench with mining tactics (not that they get used often). A shovel is a good friend to any and every type of soldier. And a shovel is the best gear for a close-quarters fight in a trench. Longer than a bayonet, simpler to handle than a rifle, sturdier than any other tool. Not only that, but they are extremely cheap and easy to make, so they're perfect for mass-producing. Plus, I don't have to worry much about damaging my mind. This is it. The ideal piece of equipment. This is the point humanity was meant to reach. Civilization has developed the shovel as its implement. Above all, it doesn't rely on magic, so it's optimal for stealth kills. With a shovel, it's possible to educate numbskulls who are dependent on magic scanning - Klang! We can say it's an indispensable item for nighttime raids. Of course, it's an excellent general-purpose tool at any time of day. "The shovel is truly an implement born of civilization", Tanya murmurs, leading a unit to wish good evening to the enemy with their shovels." Volume 2 Chapter 5, page 256-257 The Saga of Tanya the Evil
One of my favorite weapons in Bloodborne is the Church Pick. Of course, it's a transformable/fantasy weapon, but the idea is incredibly practical. You can dig a trench, you can smack beasts with it, and you can also cut or thrust it like a sword.
Admittedly, I only wish that you actually had a few physical examples of shovel-like weapons that did have use in previous ages, past WWI. Beyond that... yet another lovely video! Also, I sincerely hope that your next novel comes out before WWIII! I'm oh-so desperate to see how the story will continue!
The entrenching tool was last ditch for digging when I was in the army. We had full sized picks and shovels on the truck which hauled c-wire. If you are really digging fighting positions a full sized purpose built shovel is far superior to an etool. I never actually carried my e-tool. I carried a tomahawk, which is a better weapon and better for breaching. I also carried a 7” ka-bar or similar knife.
We did use them in the US Army in training back in the late '80s, but we only actually dug a hole deep and wide enough for 6 of us to take cover in, and just the one time, as we weren't going to destroy the forest on the base just for practice. I think the logs were brought in by the Engineers. So more bunker than trench.
These are spades. Spades are for digging, they are "heavy gauge" and (mostly) in line with the handle. A shovel is for scooping lose material, it's thin gauge metal, and angled with the handle.
@@myfaceismyshield5963 All spades are not shovels they are different things a spade is generally narrower and flatter a shovel is wider and has raised edges to make a scoop. Spades are for digging shovels are for shovelling. Go on amazon and search spade and then search shovel and you'll see the difference.
I had a long thought after this episode, about how the logistics implications of a weapon might - and generally does - make a more general purpose weapon "better" than one which is inarguably more effective at causing damage to an enemy, simply because the extra effort of consistently getting the more effective weapons in the hands of combatants at the time, place and in the numbers needed on the battlefield outways the increase in effectiveness at sheer violence. This is my only major concern with Shad's definition for what constitutes a good/better/worse weapon: it ignores the importance of the logistics neccessary to actually turn something from a potentially good weapon which makes a cool discussion piece on a lord's wall above the fireplace into an effective tool of war.
Logistically, shovels are amazing. They can be quickly made with minimal tooling and in large numbers. They have a lot of utility overall; besides the obvious uses like digging and prying, you can easily sharpen the edges to increase lethality when used as a weapon, and you can strike with the flat of the shovel as a 'less-lethal' blunt attack. Honestly I want to get an e-tool for my shtf loadout because of how much utility they have. And I may have particularly enjoyed Tanya's shovel monologue in Volume 2 of the Youjo Senki light novel...
I think a fun application for a weaponized shovel in a medieval setting would be the idea of a treasure hunter or treasure hunter guild using their shovels as weapons to save weight for the treasure they have to haul back.
In one of my settings, common tools like shovels are justified to actually exist becuase self deffence is a high precedence. Not nessisarly that you need to learn how to use a blade like a sword, but if you are constently needing to worry about attacks from monsters, having your tool double as a weapon really helps.
Military shovel is a multifunction tool, with one particular function as melee weapon. In the grim darkness of far future, the shovel used by death korps of krieg is fearful weapon against the xeno scums.
When I was in BCT some 17 years ago now, we used a tri-fold e-tool and were trained for combat with them. We also were trained with the bayonette. The thing we were taught is the e-tool was for if you were caught out at the latrine or digging a foxhole or v camp because it was better than nothing and was a force multiplier that you would always have on you. If you had your weapon but were out of ammo, the bayonette was the right choice. Though, considering we went everywhere with our M-16 and a spare clip, not having ammo was never an issue until you got into an actual combat situation.
"When I was in BCT some 17 years ago now...considering we went everywhere with our M-16 and a spare clip" I think it has been a *lot* longer than 17 years ago... 😄
@@wallaroo1295 I have many friends who joined several different branches and all of them at some point were handed a M16. They're still in inventory because they're still viable weapons.
@@md_vandenberg Technically the magazine is the outer shell with no ammunition loaded. So I figured it would be easier to just use "clip" rather than "full magazine" because, I am lazy when typing and didn't feel like typing more at the time.
Finally, the video I've been waiting for, besides of Shad reconsidering lizardmen of course. I love shovels, they are just beautiful, and the tools as weapons aesthetic is always great. But I think humanoids with an offensive tail, that can possibly be regrown even, and eyes placed more on the sides so that different stances make sense for them, would make a great fantasy Rearmed.
Anyone who's spent as much time on the blister end of a shovel as myself, knows its a weapon. Hours of battle have proven the divine purpose of the humble shovel. Planetary Siege Weapon, Mk.1.
I was thinking of sending you a “KLAS” for this. It’s the Swedish combat shovel. KLAS is an Swedish acronym for Short Combat Shovel. It’s one seriously heavy duty yet reasonably light tool, which also if treated right serves as one helluva melee weapon! In old infantry manuals there are even manoeuvres illustrated as to how to use the KLAS as a melee weapon. The blade is 3mm Swedish carbon steel, which puts it almost at the same thickness as the Swedish bayonet or mora-knife. So imagine a slightly above 2kg all steel bladed chopping weapon with the edge of a well sharpened carving knife. Put that in the hands of a well trained infantryman. Then you have something that would make a Kriegsman giggle.
It's short, light, attack spade ;) And it's 1.5mm steel thickness in the blade, but yes, it's very versatile and I keep a surplus one with the rare aluminium, clip-on, snow blade in my car.
thats a good comparison. a shovel (spade) can cut really well when slashing. it can cut througj sod pretty easily, it also will leave a decent cut into wood. i wouldnt want to get hit by one
A military grade shovel is deadly because it usually has a point and and edge so getting hit with it in the face means game over And on top of that a lot of people have mentioned you can dig the person's grave with it
Spades are best for digging, while shovels excel at scooping or moving loads. For this reason, spades have flat or almost flat blades, while shovel blades are wider and more concave. There are a huge number of different designs some make much better weapons than others. My personal picks would be The sharpshooter "long narrow blade used to dig the hard ground and cut tree roots," or long handled nursery spade. both make much better weapons than the square shovel you demonstrated. you can also get collapsing or segmented handles of different lengths.
Agree on the sharpshooter, although in my experience it can be difficult to find ones with a longer handle, which I think would be more beneficial. Also, a trench shovel is almost always perfectly flat for a one handed approach with the reach of a dagger
@@tannerchaffin9235 long handle sharpshooter wile not in every hardware are not to hard to order. I have 2 from harbor freight there are much better ones out there. they call them Drain Spades.
Ya I saw that shovel and right away knew he had made the wrong choice. As someone who has been in excavation for almost 40 years I can attest that a spade is indeed a weapon. sharpened up it is basically a Dane axe.
I still remember your Spiked Pavisse video. I love it, and have been working it into my Combat Bard build for Dungeons and Dragons. Please keep up the great work!
In the modern setting, at least, every soldier will have one with them, so at least they are very readily available and handy. I owned one, a WW2 Soviet fixed E-tool, and it has quite some weight in it between the wood handle and the metal shovel blade. Handles a bit like a hatchet, so there's that for emergencies
I just had the new Bundeswehr one with aluminum handle and steel blade. Digging trenches on the training ground cost me two of them just due to broken hinges...
The reason it hadnles like a hatchet is because it is supposed to be one! Look up the "Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel" that looks probaly very simmilar! Grab a mill file and sharpen the edges! Its the best camping tool i have! In general, sharpen your shovels folks! It saves you so much effort when digging!
@@AYellowPepper I have one and I use it whenever I can. I also drilled two holes on each side of the foot ledge and rolled up some inner tube and lashed it on. It deadens the ring instantly so now it is also a stealth shovel.
Hey Shad, as a mexican who loves your channel I really wish you cover the Macuahuilt. By some spanish accounts it was a fearsome weapon, even able to behead a horse in one blow. That imo is an exageration but it would be very interesting to hear you discuss how efective it would actually be vs XVI century armor. Also is a mighty stick with obsidian blades, how cool is that?
Hi Shad. In the category of common tools and farming implements (unmodified to lightly modified) being used as an improvised weapon, I would say the (full size) shovel is top tier. A pick (actual mining/digging pick not a war pick) is short, heavy and slow with very limited attack options. The one-handed hammer (carpenter's/blacksmith's/mason's) is better but very short. The two-handed hammer/maul is similar to the pick but has more reach and is less unwieldy. Scythes are unwieldy, very limited attack options and possibly not durable enough to survive a solid impact(a scythe blade is thin to reduce weight(worker fatigue) and cutting resistance. The pitchfork is a geat option as its basically a spear with its long reach and thrusting abillity. NOW, the (full-size) shovel is in my mind a two-handed club or mace with moderate cutting ability, a farm tool thats also a A-Tier Polearm. It has good range, its a bit slow but much better than several of the above options, is generally extremely durable(sturdy hardwood handle), it grants you a wide variety of attack and defense options(any shorter polearm techniques should work. Thrust, parry, slash, smash, chop, it can perform all of these to a degree), it can easily incapacitate a opponent in one hit in several ways especially if properly sharpened(beheading with a strong swing seems reasonable). The handle is crafted from THE ALMIGHTY STICK! If I had to defend myself with anything in the garden shed, I would not take a baseball bat, I would not take the axe, I would take the highly versatile... ''The Ultimate Poor Man's Polearm'' .............. ''THE SHARPENED(fullsize)SHOVEL!!!'' This has been my thoughts on the topic, hope you see this. Love your channel, keep it up.
and with the shovel, you could probably get the same versatility as an axe with certain moves such as hooking shields and those kinds of tricks you see done with axes and similar polearm.
I hear and agree, though personally I don’t know why I’d pick. My shovel in one hand, my hatchet at my belt loop, machete in another, my string and knife, with my full sized axe on my other hip. Of course with backup walking stock on back. Anyone that doesn’t get me at range is gonna have a bad day. Best of all, all these garden tools are light and seem non lethal to most people.
...when world-building for tt-rpg i designed s.k.o. 'samurai-dwarfs' - just think of battle-axe-hype instead of katana-hype - following the way of the 'Nan-Shido' (way of the axe) 😉 ...and their commanding officers have war-shovels instead of a 'Tessen' or 'Gunbai'*...! ...highly decorated they are less useful for digging, but still very effective as a weapon to hit your enemy...! ...it started many centuries ago, dwaren generals used very elaborated marshal-batons, but in one fight against orcs, the King lost it... ...so he used a spade as a replacement to command the troops - and the dwars won... ...and so it stuck...! ...i think it makes some sense, having the connection between dwarfs and mining in mind...! *P.S. ...had to 'google' for the correct name...! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_fan
I remember being told by my friends in the marines and army that there's some percentage of the day where they are mostly doing menial labor, and some slim percentage of doing actual combat... if they are actually expected to do any combat in the place they are deployed. And of course, if it's wartime, that percentage increases, but they still tell me that menial labor (and PT drills and whatnot) still becomes a huge chunk of the daily agenda. That being said, having a tool that can double as a decent weapon is actually pretty realistic depending on the job you have in the military (again, context matters). Because if you're expected to do both combat and non-combat tasks, you might as well have a multitasker on hand.
As the only survivor of a krieg assault once told me, shovels are indeed a mighty weapon, and they cut through the ranks of the enemy like a chainsword through ships biscuit. It would have been more believable if he had any of his krieg friends left alive, but the enemy was throughly routed so he can't have been that wrong.
Edgy teens that fell for the nazi-fascist aesthetic be like: Explanation here below: i hope you have enought brain to notice "krieger" and a lot of other german terms are a reference to the whermact, also a lot of use of the latin language that signifies affinity with the concepts of fascism that draws a parallel with classical antiquity and the "greatness of the white race" that they hail as a model and the base of the "civilezed" western world. Now that you make me think about it i notice that all humans i have seen depicted in 40k are white... And then there's the tell-tale sign of fascist tendency, xenophobia, nationalism and gloryfication of militarysm and war. Almost forgot the spiritualism they tend to have just like the nazis were looking for artifacts and doing wacky stuff in 40k you have magic and the warp (hell) with caos gods and demons.
@@desideriusfelicia6811 why are you assuming i'm a woman, especially considering what channel this is and since it's mostly man that are interested in warfare. Also It doesn't change much, you trying to say that the german empire wasn't nationalist, militaristic and racist? The fact that i don't know all the exact inspirations for 40k doesn't mean my points aren't valid nonetheless.
@@untraceablefgc-9mkii251 it doesn’t run that deep bud. It’s a story we’re everyone sucks and they all fight eachother, it’s not meant to be taken seriously
It could be argued that shovels can be seen as a specialist variant of axe. I'm pretty sure that's the logic behind the Krieg usage, as well as their expertise in trench warfare allowing plenty of them to be around.
Say what you will about the e-tool, but the sharpened edge also helped it act as a decent makeshift axe in combat. I remember either hearing or reading about some soldiers during WW1 using their e-tools to catch enemies descending into their trenches under the chin, taking their heads off using their own gravity against them. Give me an e-tool over a "Coiling Dragon Staff" any day. Also loved the Krieg callout. For the Emperor!
I watched a youtube vid once of someone that used one to build a complete shelter in the rain. Everything from digging a water runoff ditch to chopping and cutting up trees for shelter and firewood as well as lighting the fire.
In the military we were taught, and shown, that the combat shovel was indeed an effective weapon BUT only to rely on it as a last resort. In fact I remember a story of an Army engineer using one to dispatch an insurgent in Basra in 2008, though the feat was never verified.
Soldiers will use whatever they have available in a last resort. My platoon sergeant when I was in the Army was in Vietnam and told a story of having to beat someone to death with his helmet.
Back in ww1 they used shovels and other improvised weapons in trench fighting. Anything to gain a close quarters advantage in a tight space and come out alive. Large ww1 era bayonets were effectively a short sword though, when removed from a rifle, which then sort of became a spear.
Shad Facts: Shad has created a plane of existence where he can test how weapons would perform on the medieval battlefield in relative safety (and without breaking the timeline).
Please remember that the best weapon for self-defense is always the weapon closest to hand. So if the chips are down a shovel can be quite a good weapon indeed.
Great stuff and in 40K it's a great weapon as they have mono shovels so they cut at the molecular level as well as chain shovels so it works plus the standard intrenching tools.
After seeing James Garner bash baddies with a shovel on many occasions during the run of the TV program _The Rockford Files_ we started using "Rockford" at my house as a verb for whenever we saw somebody use a shovel to strike someone. "Oh man I bet that guy is going to Rockford that zombie in the face!"
The Cold Steel "Spetnatz" shovel is a brilliant tool. It's a shovel, axe, knife, hammer and most axe fighting techniques work with it. I can even throw and stick mine accurately.
And it happens to be based on the actual Etool carried by Russian FSB Spetzgruppa Alfa. It was a folding shovel with pick, the shovel is sharpened on one side to be used as an axe to fell a small tree and I believe had a small mora style knife that screwed into the end of the shovel.
The question was answered in both world wars, they often sharpened one or both sides of the shovel head and then all they need to do is wack the enemy with the edge
There's a type of weapon from eastern cultures, iirc it's called a Shaolin Spade or Monk's Spade. It was basically a shovel reimagined for combat, so they could defend themselves against attackers while on pilgrimages and bury the bodies if needed.
@@indrickboreale7381 i'm surprised the kriegsmen haven't made E-tool bayonets for their las guns, aside from the weight problem it seems functional and deadly
Fun fact about shovel - both modern Russian spetznaz as well as WW1 and WW2 veterans said one thing - if you're caught unaware a shovel is an excellent thrown weapon. Sure, it's not that lethal as it likely hits not with the blade but it has a different excellent quality - if somebody ambushes you you have minimum amount of time to draw your own gun and even should you by a miracle draw first you'll most likely just shoot each other but if you rapidly throw a shovel enemy almost always either ducks or dodges allowing you to actually grab your gun and reclaim the advantage.
@@montithered4741 even if he did he should have brought it up at the end when he was talking about militarized tools. I think he might just have not played tabletop RPGs with fantasy orient regions enough.
The Monk's Spade wasn't really a weapon. It was rarely sharpened and designed to push or swat away animals rather than fighting. I'm sure it was occasionally used for defense, but not with intention. Most Xiaolin arts were hyper stylized and incorporated peasant travel implements into dances designed to look like plausible martial arts.
Still gonna watch the video but before I start imma just assume that yes, it is a good weapon. It is a stick, relatively long (which isn’t broken in half and connected with a chain). It has a heavy and hard head at the end of the stick, which also has a sharp edge. It’s basically a worse handaxe-machete hybrid, but it also can dig things (and also do other stuff if it’s one of those army shovels)
Have you ever heard of the lobo from the “World War Z” book? It’s a weapon that was invented during the war in the book called the “standard infantry intrenchment tool”. It’s described as being a fusion of shovel and double bladed battle axe. In the book people use it for zombie killing satisfaction more so than efficacy. But it’s still clearly an effective tool as they make millions during the war. Though I haven’t played it, I think in the video game the lobo is a weapon you can use. A lot of the points from this video may translate over, but I’m curious what you’d think of the lobo from a tactical perspective.
The shovel is an S tier weapon, the detail you missed is that it's made to fight planets, not people
It's a weapon of mass displacement
Lmao I've never thought of a shovel that way before.
@@SonsOfLorgar Lmao
@@Gohka So shovels are Vladimir Putin?
@@vgman94 No since God-Emperor Putin has the power to remove COVID from the Headlines and that's only 1.666% of his power!
The novel "All quiet on the Western Front" was required reading back in high school. Even now, 30 years later, I still remember the trivial detail that the veteran sergeant preferred to use his trenching shovel as a melee weapon over the rifle bayonet, because it was less likely to get stuck in whomever he was attacking.
I think they also mentioned that using bayonets was generally frowned upon and meant that you wouldnt be given pardon.
@@Nutellafuerst The M1898/05 'Butcher Blade' bayonet was made in the first model plain back and second model with a saw-toothed back intended for sawing wood, but which was seen as a war crime by Germany's opponents. I own one from 1917 which appears to have had the teeth removed.
@@Nutellafuerst I thought it was about bayonetts with saw-tooth?
I read that for a literature and film class in college as it was one of the only books and movies I could see without spending money. I remembered that detail and then snickered as the Made for TV adaptation I watched had the actors smacking people with the broad face of the shovel shortly after a scene where Kay explains to a new squad the benefits of a shovel because the budget didn’t allow for the accurate presentation for how they used shovels.
@@946towguy2 And despite that Germany still offended by Americans using shotguns.
There was once a legendary warrior called the Shovel Knight. The spade of his shovel had bladed edges.
S H O V E L K N I G H T
I am very surprised how long I had to scroll through the comments to find even one mention of Shovel Knight.
FOR SHOVELRY
Steel thy shovel
@@DrMemeD302 same
I love how Shad somehow manages to incorporate his pure hatred of nunchucks in every single video he makes, even when its not about nunchucks at all.
Somehow I wonder if it's him trying to hide the fact of him going into a dark, hidden basement and spend hours a week practicing nunchuck skills.
Pity he didn't mention the Monk's Spade, though.
@@Grandwigg pp
Granted I have my opinion on nunchakus but Shad bashing nunchaku was pretty predictable.
There was pretty epic backlash in the comments from that video(s) and I assume that’s why he’s doing that; for comedic purposes.
It’s still the funniest one imo, and I have a couple pairs of them and didn’t disagree. It’s basically just juggling with broken sticks on a chain. lmao
It's endlessly entertaining to me how one of the first weapons humanity ever came up with is considered one of if not the best melee weapon, and it can be summed up as a long sharp pokey stick.
It really was one of those 'got it right on the first try'
That and it helps that pretty much everything we've ever had to fight that wasn't human never had many (if any) ranged attacks, and even then we could always just throw the spears too
All weapons are pointy sticks, with variations.
When you're jumping with rockets, if you have the right shovel, you'll get a crit.
But you can't touch the ground first.
7 out of 9 people won't survive such an attack!
you gotta have a gardening shovel i believe
I can't wait for 26 May #SaveTF2
You can, but it requires frame perfect bunny hops.
The Ames trifold e-tool is one of the greatest military inventions of all time. It's a shovel, a shield, a pick, a weapon, a stool, an axe, a saw.....right up there with the p-38 can opener
You sir are a saint. I love my p-38, and will be seeking an Ames trifold E-tool immediately
@@samwhary5498 some of them have telescoping handles too so the handle can be extended by and extra 30 odd centimetres.
And let’s not forget the bottle opener bipod housing on the Galil!
Still have mine on my "oh shit" belt in my trunk for this reason. A bit of everything on demand
@@maxibillion2885 Yep I would buy an ARM just to be a bottle opener.
The shovel was truly ground breaking technology
Get out.
Shut up dad
You are legend. Never change.
I see what you did there...
Ba-dum tiss
I remeber reading in high-school the war memories of a WWI veteran. He said that the soldiers in his company would grind the edges of their shovels between the many assaults. He made a case for grinding a shovel instead of crafting yourself a mace, stating that you'd always have a shovel with you and giving very graphic details about just how deep you can cut into someone with a sharpened shovel. He also explained that they quickly learned to ditch the bayonet, for they were too fragile and would break easily.
Where can I find this?
@@KattalystFr Im Westen nichts neues for example.
@@methanbreather Oh nice I bought that book a bit ago, haven't read it yet as I'm still reading Storm of Steel.
You're forgetting another important function of the shovel. You can kill the intruder with the shovel, and then you can use the shovel to burry the body.
Fucking inflation, thanks Joe
You’ve never tried to dig a six foot hole by hand have you?
Still point dully noted.
@@hitandruncommentor I've also never killed anyone before to my knowledge, but I have dug a three foot hole, so that'll have to do.
Smart, managed to get away with animal abuse with a shovel. Great comment!
that's kinda the idea of the Monk's Spade. one end was a crescent moon shape to push away animals and weapons, the other end for striking. But the reason it was a shovel at all, was so that monks could still give the bodies of fallen on the roadside a somewhat proper burial.
One other reason shovels weren’t used as weapons as much historically is that a lot of historical shovels were made entirely of wood. Wood headed shovel makes for a much worse weapon than sharp metal head.
Huh...odd they had wooden heads for their shovels. I would think they would have metal ones by the time metal was commonly used...or at least iron was more commonly used. I can see Bronze being kind of problematic.
@@mkdemigodzillawarrior might have been for one of the reasons Shad mentioned in the video. Structural integrity.
I have broken one myself with a good quality modern steel shovel. There is a lot of force at the end of a shovel when digging so they need to be made really durable. With lower quality steel and worse equipment they probably couldn't make good shovels with easy that were made in metal. Lots of stress on the entire blade so any fault would probably see it bend or brake rather quickly.
Never thought about it before but it is probably the reason picks were more common back then. You had a metal pick to loosen the earth and then you used the shovel for shoveling rather than digging. If you mostly just moved already loose earth, a cheap and simple wooden shovel would be enough I suppose. Then you could use the metal for more useful stuff. Making a pick looks to be much easier to make than a shovel as durable as we are used to in the modern world.
Medieval shovels were generally all wood and the digging edge was capped in a slightly sharpened metal, the idea being that as you sharpen it and wear away the metal you just had to replace the metal and not the whole shovel
@@mkdemigodzillawarrior you can still buy wooden snow shovels today
i was tired of wood handle shovels breaking and splinters getting in my hands
so i made my own shovel with some pipe and welding
its a great shovel but a bit heavy ...not so much that you cant use it
but if i ever use it as a melee weapon would be like a sledge hammer
Shad should do an episode that covered the medieval-esque melee weapons used during WW1, since that was brought up. The trench clubs, maces, daggers, swords, lances, etc. of medieval origin used in modern combat.
InRangeTV did a video on WW1 Trench wepaons
The entrenching tool makes an effective boat paddle, too. That's important when crossing water barriers.
Shovels generally can be used as paddles and more durable paddles can be used as shovels. -_-
But wouldn't that rust the metal?
@@felwinterslie8223 consider what a shovel goes through already when digging, when carried through foul weather, when used around cooking fires--might not be a noticeable difference
Ever hear of hoe cakes?
and for cqc like urban warfare....the edge is always sharpend...one of the first things learn plus how to fight with them....the wounds those cause are realy messy
Example, Operation Market Garden. The American soldiers were supposed to cross a river in folding boats, but they didn't have anywhere near enough paddles, so they used everything they could grab, including rifle stocks and shovels
I feel like the shovel is kind of a Jack of All Trades, it has a large, heavy head that can be used as a club, it has TWO sharp or sharpen-able edges, so it can be used as an axe, it has a sharp tip so it can be used for jabbing. It was also historically used in WW1 (and possibly two) during trench raids or hand to hand combat.
our army also told it can be used as last resort weapon, we had a picture and bit of text in our soldier manual but 0 combat training, we only dag with it
And the russians still issue and use it like a axe/throwing axe
A spade of all trades
Um, Actually, "Sharpenable" isn't hyphenated.
carry on
Its a good idea, why issue a heavy shovel and a heavy melee weapon when you can combine them. Its a similar idea with bayonets
No but seriously, the shovel was an almost essential weapon during ww1 and 2, simply because of its utility. Shovels were used for everything from digging trenches to sapping enemy minefields, to digging out stuck tanks. Truly, the mightiest weapon ever made is the tank, and the shovel helps keep the tank from sinking into the mud.
*Looks at the nuclear tipped ICBM* 🤣
@@candleman2123 Guarantee you the kill count of the M1 sherman is higher than an ICBM that has never been fired.
@@retroarktv9865 true that but question is how high would the kill count of a ICBM be if ever fired? Especially if it hit a city with millions of people in it. But i see your point and as long as the ICBM isn't fired it's a lot of "what if?" while the M1 Sherman is based on real facts.
@@Suchsdirhaltaus yeah.
@@retroarktv9865 M1 Sherman? Now I'm imagining a Sherman with a M1 Abram Turret, hmm maybe a M1 Abram with a Sherman turret. I need to see something like that
The Death Korps of Krieg have taught us that the shovel is the mightiest of weapon.
It serves us well on Vrask, and is one of the most vital pieces of equipment to fight the heresy.
Ok for a moment I thought I was the only one who heard happy people in gas masks.
Just to be clear, I was scrolling through the comments looking for fellow Krieger enjoyers. The emperor protects!
The emperor protects!
Commissars assigned to other regiments: Get out there and fight !
Commissars assigned to Krieg regiments: Guys, calm down !
Hans......get ze shovel.
The most unexpected aspect, that in WW1 trench warfare, in melee combat most german soldier prefered to fight with the the trench shovel instead of their combat knife. There are even reports that the trench shovel was strong enough to behead someone. The advantage was higher reach, easier to access/carry, the shovel blade could be used as club or as a blade. In most part it was just more effective than the combat knife.....the trench coat and helmet offer some protection againt knives, but not much against a trench shovel.
Similarly, in the GTA San Andreas game, the shovel is often easier to find than other melee weapons.
If I had to guess, I’d say the beheading reports were probably a case of the Germans trying to sound more powerful to hurt enemy morale
The newer version of All Quiet on the Western Front has a scene where the veteran sergeant is explaining the effectiveness of the entrenching tool. Pointing out, among other things, that if you stab someone with a bayoneted rifle, the blade could be lodged in the body, dragging the weapon down with the body, Struggling to yank a bayonet clear of a body is not something you want to be doing in the middle of a trench melee.
The Klappspaten is kinda the official melee weapon of the Bundeswehr...just cut down a tree with it last week. When you sharpen it up its a pretty good hatchet.
And of course, you can also dig trenches with it. Or use it as a frying pan!
The same thing that makes the etool useful on the battlefield, is why the Bowie knife has stuck around so long: It's a very weight-efficient multitool weapon.
It's a good weapon no question ask. It also comes with a feature of a tool you can use to bury your Victim
It is a weapon and a flex
Tanya von Degurechaff would agree
A most honorable feature!
Huh theirs something wrong with this comment I like it
one thing that would improve the shovel is a pommel that can be unscrewed and thrown
Hypothetically how viable would a shovel be while flying through the air(possibly propelled by a rocket launcher)
Edit: to clarify, the shovel is being use as a melee weapon while flying through the air, a shovel launcher is it's own beast
Godspeed you magnificent bastard
Happy gas mask noises*
if it's balanced enough, shouldn't be any worse than an odd-shaped unfletched ballista. I imagine it would be kinda terrible as a shovel, a little bit like how the kunai is: just a flat cut sheet of metal with a handle you can shovel dirt with.
Depends in what boots (and over what) you're treading
I’d love it, but it would only really be good at shooting around corners lol
I can imagine combat shovels to fit very well with fantasy dwarves.
Funfact: In certain editions of Warhammer 40k, a relatively compact folding shovel in the hands of an imperial guardsmen will do more damage to an enemy then an actual laser rifle that is objectively superior to the vast majority of real world firearms aimed at the exact same enemy. Why?
Because it doesn't matter if your enemy is a human chaos cultist, a power armored superhuman space marine, a sentient fungoid ork, or even an armor insect lizard thing like a Tyranid, or even a weebo space communist. Cold steel and a gaping hole where someone used to have a throat, major artery ect is generally lethal.
That makes sense. Most living things don't like gaping holes where our throats should be.
Kriegsmen Approved
Dark heresy you say?
Good thing I brought my... flashlight
😎🔦
@@maxpowers9129 that is until you encounter slanessh forces then you got bigger problems
@@WolfHreda Funnily enough, Cadians used to actually get the better stat aligned shovel attacks then Kriegers.
It worked pretty well for me during my “Triple H” run of Fallout: New Vegas.
I guess it was TIME TO PLAY THE GAAAAAMEEEE then?
Lead pipe and shovel superiority. Last thing we need is a folding chair to throw.
I was expecting a Shovel Knight comment at the top.
@@Robert-vk7je lead pipe only work if you have a proper gloves. Vibration from holding a pipe and smacking someone with it make it not such a good weapon
What does that mean?
I think the e-tool could be closer related to an axe rather than a war-pick/ standard polearm
they are axes they have a bladed side as foliage branch removal is part of thier function
The e-tool can also be used as a club.
Just a note before I've watched this. Yes. The trenching shovel was actually made for it. Combination of digging trenches quickly during the two World Wars, and self defence up close.
EDIT: the thing about the trenching shovel though is that for combat, it's most effective at arms length. As well as the fact that it's best target would be lightly armored or completely unarmored, consequently perfect against most modern infantry. You'd be more likely to use it's flat side to parry and bash, while it's sharp edges would be to slice heavily and start bleed out and nick vital veins and arteries.
"the first two WWs"?
@@sunil_de6856 🤣Thats ominous.
@@sunil_de6856 fixed
@@fawlkire5072 nice
@@sunil_de6856 spoiler dude!
Yes, obviously, it's a club, improvised axe, entrenching tool, broad dagger, walking stick, improvised pick, and shovel all in one. These are just the things I've used it for this week.
And may all you Kriegers in the comments find the redemption you seek. Maybe try your luck in Eastern Europe at the moment.
Also, I just got that exact shovel a few days ago. Weird coincidence.
Very handy chopper if you sharpen one edge.
@@untraceablefgc-9mkii251 It's WWI aesthetic, rube.
Ah yes, a fellow Krieger
@@untraceablefgc-9mkii251 trench warfare aesthetic is considered alt-right? Well then I'm a hardcore Nazi then
A fellow krieger
It's actually quite well-documented that soldiers during the world wars frequently sharpened their entrenching tools to use against trench raiders, in which state it became a bit like a makeshift axe.
Years ago I read a book about WW1 which included an account of a British soldier involved in trench fighting. He described coming upon a dejected British soldier sat with his head bowed and a bloody shovel in his hands. Around him lay the dead bodies of seven or eight Germans, all killed with the shovel.
Oh. Oh dear.
When i was an infantryman we used e-tools in everything from mixing a big pot to melee weapons. We called it the everything tool, " e-tool actually stands for entrenchment tool." but its just a danger shovel
As someone who played and beat shovel knight I think shovel is amazing and I really like how you dug deep down about the shovel this video was ground-breaking.
Man, I've been thinking about this question for years. Good on you Shad for finally covering it!
My brother plays a Grave Domain cleric in our 5e D&D game, and his weapon of choice is an enchanted combat shovel. We run it as a battle axe for combat mechanics, and he uses it as a weapon, a staff of office, and as a tool for digging graves. This video is actually amazing because I want to draw it, so I'm gonna use your suggestions for it!
This is amazing!
Is it possible to also use shovel as Spiritual wrapping appearance?
Your comment is meaningless your profile pic however that's mint
Dyslexic vox * 😟
@@gromaxe Do you mean use a shovel as the *Spiritual Weapon* spell? Then yes you could, though he would likely summon a scythe with that particular spell.
@@er1cdoom yeah, autocorrect changed weapon to wrapping and I haven't noticed.
12:05 Full sized shovels like that are regularly issued as standard, but they are carried in your transport vehichles apc:s, ifv:s whatever for use in entrenchment, building camps or just getting your vehicle unstuck. Together with things like axes and saws. An e-tool would be the largest thing you would actually carry as a part of your own kit.
Shovels are great. Shovels are the quintessence of civilization.
With a shovel, you can dig a hole just deep enough to hide yourself. Or if you gather a bunch of people with them, you can dig a fine trench.
If you change your viewpoint a little, you can even dig a tunnel. You can smash a sturdy enemy trench with mining tactics (not that they get used often).
A shovel is a good friend to any and every type of soldier. And a shovel is the best gear for a close-quarters fight in a trench.
Longer than a bayonet, simpler to handle than a rifle, sturdier than any other tool. Not only that, but they are extremely cheap and easy to make, so they're perfect for mass-producing.
This is it. The ideal piece of equipment. This is the point humanity was meant to reach. Civilization has developed the shovel as its implement.
"The shovel is truly an implement born of civilization"
Saga of tanya the evil vol 2 page 257 if I'm correct
Why did I know I would find this here?
Western Civilization?
Ah It's always nice to see a Youjo Senki reference that isn't just "lol loli nazi girl"
-Soldier TF2
I actually have several shovels here at my house that I use for various purposes in homesteading. One of them I inherited from the previous homeowner (and let me tell you they don't make em now like they used to). I refer to it as my 'War Shovel', because it's ridiculously durable and can cut through the hard clay soil on our property like butter. After much use, the tip lost it's main point, but developed two points with a small valley between them. This surprisingly made it an even more versatile tool for removing large rocks, etc. As a life long martial artist, I've found myself instinctively applying stances and postures with the shovel when using it. It's the perfect length to serve as a spear (for me) and it can be used as a blunt or sharp instrument, as well as a traditional staff (not as long as my preferred bo length but longer than a quarterstaff, and great for two handed use).
Personally, I prefer a single combat weapon with a solid non-lethal option. My 'War Shovel' gives me that range. One could easily kill with the weapon in either a stab or a slice, but one could just as easily disarm or knock out an opponent without shedding blood or causing permanent damage. Options. The War Shovel has them in spades! (pun intended). :)
Dude is training to become an irl Shovel Knight. Gotta respect the grind
My grandfather had a shovel like that. I was 6 years old and could dig the ground with one foot. The shape and weight of the shovel did most of the work.
You can get a forged shovel is you're willing to shell out the much higher cost for one. Some old tools are from when the cost of labour was low enough that you didn't spend that much more to buy a shovel from a smith rather than a factory, and the combination of much tougher metal and slightly better shape makes them way better tools. They also last nearly forever if properly maintained.
I'm very surprised Shad never mentioned the Monk's Spade, a historical weapon that was specifically developed from a shovel.
Spent an afternoon with my uncle in the 90's throwing a couple weapons at a tree. One a tomahawk. The other a folding tactical shovel that was balanced for throwing, and about the same size. The tomahawk was marginally better. I'm surprised out of all the comparisons, Shad never made any comparison to an axe.
especielly as the british design and im sure others is actually bladed on the side to be used as an axe fot chopping branches or you know some mofo
US Etool has some teeth on the side, not especially sharp but it works
If i remember right the German Klappspaten had one sharp side.
Me too, I was surprised Shad never made the comparison considering the mechanism of using an axe and a shovel as weapons are the same. And in "All Quiet on the Western Front" the German narrator describes using their trenching shovels as war-axes, because their bayonets and knives were actually less effective in trench CQB. Ever since I read that I've never been able to look at an E-tool and not think of it as an axe that you can dig with.
15:30 the difference between spades and shovels is interesting. In the UK, a spade is quite different to a shovel, with the term applying to a tool designed to break into and lift up pieces of ground material. As for a shovel, those are tools designed for transporting loose materials from one place to another (into a wheelbarrow for instance).
In the US, a shovel is a more blanket term for “a tool that breaks up or moves dirt.”
No, we still use spade and shovel.
Where Im at Shovel is the blanket term and we have the sub categories Spade and Flat for breaking earth and moving material respectively.
I was taught spade is a one handed shovel used for gardening.
@@jacobbarlow6098 I was told that was a trowel. I guess there are some inconsistencies 😂
@@jacobbarlow6098 I was told its called a hand spade as opposed to a spade shovel
When Americans came over, they came with the best weapon for trench warfare:
the Shotgun and 1911 .45 ACP.
Both weapons have stopping power and knockout potential, and are great in close quarters. My father would use both as a tunnel rat in Vietnam. We used them for inside the ship security, as not only is the stopping power great, but because of the slowness of the rounds, they don't penetrate such things as a ship's inner bulkheads, hitting things inside the skin of a ship that are sensitive to bullets.
The MP18 would like a word.
It's not really surprising that the shovel wasn't used much as a weapon in medieval warfare, since most people would have been carrying a better melee weapon anyway.
Or a big stick!
Tanya's shovel monologue
"Shovels are great. Shovels are the quintessence of civilization.
With a shovel, you can dig a hole just deep enough to hide yourself. Or if you gather a bunch of people with them, you can dig a fine trench.
If you change your viewpoint a little, you can even dig a tunnel. You can smash a sturdy enemy trench with mining tactics (not that they get used often).
A shovel is a good friend to any and every type of soldier. And a shovel is the best gear for a close-quarters fight in a trench.
Longer than a bayonet, simpler to handle than a rifle, sturdier than any other tool. Not only that, but they are extremely cheap and easy to make, so they're perfect for mass-producing. Plus, I don't have to worry much about damaging my mind.
This is it. The ideal piece of equipment. This is the point humanity was meant to reach. Civilization has developed the shovel as its implement.
Above all, it doesn't rely on magic, so it's optimal for stealth kills. With a shovel, it's possible to educate numbskulls who are dependent on magic scanning - Klang! We can say it's an indispensable item for nighttime raids. Of course, it's an excellent general-purpose tool at any time of day.
"The shovel is truly an implement born of civilization", Tanya murmurs, leading a unit to wish good evening to the enemy with their shovels."
Volume 2 Chapter 5, page 256-257
The Saga of Tanya the Evil
Nice, where can you read these translations?
@@odinsrensen7460 buy the books of Amazon.
I was looking for exactly this comment
Glad you did some digging into this idea, I hope TH-cam doesn't bury this video.
Steel thy shovel good Knight.
I got that reference. But I'm more of a "BOOM!" guy, you know?
Special forces are taught to fight with shovels. Properly designed and built for multipurpose role shovels.
In basic training in Germany I was told 'You know why the Bundeswehr doesn't use bayonetts? Because we have folding spades.
british commandos used their utility rope toggle as well....
One of my favorite weapons in Bloodborne is the Church Pick. Of course, it's a transformable/fantasy weapon, but the idea is incredibly practical.
You can dig a trench, you can smack beasts with it, and you can also cut or thrust it like a sword.
Admittedly, I only wish that you actually had a few physical examples of shovel-like weapons that did have use in previous ages, past WWI. Beyond that... yet another lovely video! Also, I sincerely hope that your next novel comes out before WWIII! I'm oh-so desperate to see how the story will continue!
The entrenching tool was last ditch for digging when I was in the army. We had full sized picks and shovels on the truck which hauled c-wire. If you are really digging fighting positions a full sized purpose built shovel is far superior to an etool. I never actually carried my e-tool. I carried a tomahawk, which is a better weapon and better for breaching. I also carried a 7” ka-bar or similar knife.
Last ditch? Entremching? I think a pun burrowed in your sentence.
Second world war German army soldiers were fond of going up against allied forces in assault situations using entrenching tools
We did use them in the US Army in training back in the late '80s, but we only actually dug a hole deep and wide enough for 6 of us to take cover in, and just the one time, as we weren't going to destroy the forest on the base just for practice. I think the logs were brought in by the Engineers. So more bunker than trench.
I was thinking I'd rather have a wood hatchet than that little shovel.lol
@@Tfin I'm guessing you were neither 11 series nor 12 series? The wood was only for overhead cover that every fighting position is supposed to have.
These are spades. Spades are for digging, they are "heavy gauge" and (mostly) in line with the handle. A shovel is for scooping lose material, it's thin gauge metal, and angled with the handle.
All spades are shovels. Shovel is the general loose term for a digging tool that isn't a spike or drill
probably can't put spade in a title
And many entrenching tools are both, especially those that have folding blades that can be locked at 0-90 and ~180 degree angles to the handle.
@@myfaceismyshield5963 All spades are not shovels they are different things a spade is generally narrower and flatter a shovel is wider and has raised edges to make a scoop. Spades are for digging shovels are for shovelling. Go on amazon and search spade and then search shovel and you'll see the difference.
@@matthewtalbot-paine7977 you accidentally said shovel twice.
I had a long thought after this episode, about how the logistics implications of a weapon might - and generally does - make a more general purpose weapon "better" than one which is inarguably more effective at causing damage to an enemy, simply because the extra effort of consistently getting the more effective weapons in the hands of combatants at the time, place and in the numbers needed on the battlefield outways the increase in effectiveness at sheer violence. This is my only major concern with Shad's definition for what constitutes a good/better/worse weapon: it ignores the importance of the logistics neccessary to actually turn something from a potentially good weapon which makes a cool discussion piece on a lord's wall above the fireplace into an effective tool of war.
Logistically, shovels are amazing. They can be quickly made with minimal tooling and in large numbers. They have a lot of utility overall; besides the obvious uses like digging and prying, you can easily sharpen the edges to increase lethality when used as a weapon, and you can strike with the flat of the shovel as a 'less-lethal' blunt attack.
Honestly I want to get an e-tool for my shtf loadout because of how much utility they have. And I may have particularly enjoyed Tanya's shovel monologue in Volume 2 of the Youjo Senki light novel...
Sending this to my Death Korps friend at once!
I think a fun application for a weaponized shovel in a medieval setting would be the idea of a treasure hunter or treasure hunter guild using their shovels as weapons to save weight for the treasure they have to haul back.
"First i dig for treasure, then i dig your grave."
In one of my settings, common tools like shovels are justified to actually exist becuase self deffence is a high precedence. Not nessisarly that you need to learn how to use a blade like a sword, but if you are constently needing to worry about attacks from monsters, having your tool double as a weapon really helps.
Military shovel is a multifunction tool, with one particular function as melee weapon.
In the grim darkness of far future, the shovel used by death korps of krieg is fearful weapon against the xeno scums.
Fun fact, there is an entire order of knights dedicated to using shovels as their primary weapon. Just google "Shovel Knight."
FOR SHOVELRY! :D
Mystery Men, The Shoveler.
I have found my bretheren. STEEL THY SHOVEL!
A weapon so difficult to master, only three knights were able to wield it effectively, they were: Shovel Knight, Black Knight and Polar Knight
As someone who played and beat shovel knight I think shovel is amazing
When I was in BCT some 17 years ago now, we used a tri-fold e-tool and were trained for combat with them. We also were trained with the bayonette. The thing we were taught is the e-tool was for if you were caught out at the latrine or digging a foxhole or v camp because it was better than nothing and was a force multiplier that you would always have on you. If you had your weapon but were out of ammo, the bayonette was the right choice. Though, considering we went everywhere with our M-16 and a spare clip, not having ammo was never an issue until you got into an actual combat situation.
"When I was in BCT some 17 years ago now...considering we went everywhere with our M-16 and a spare clip"
I think it has been a *lot* longer than 17 years ago... 😄
"Spare clip"? I find it doubtful that someone in a modern army would call a magazine "a clip". Clips are used for the Garand not the M16.
@@wallaroo1295 I have many friends who joined several different branches and all of them at some point were handed a M16. They're still in inventory because they're still viable weapons.
@@md_vandenberg Technically the magazine is the outer shell with no ammunition loaded. So I figured it would be easier to just use "clip" rather than "full magazine" because, I am lazy when typing and didn't feel like typing more at the time.
@@ravencrovax Perfectly reasonable. And you got to set off the pedants, so bonus.
Finally, the video I've been waiting for, besides of Shad reconsidering lizardmen of course.
I love shovels, they are just beautiful, and the tools as weapons aesthetic is always great.
But I think humanoids with an offensive tail, that can possibly be regrown even, and eyes placed more on the sides so that different stances make sense for them, would make a great fantasy Rearmed.
if someone ever tells you "i love shovels", just run
Having used a full sized shovel to great effect defending myself, I can confidently say a folding shovel is a very handy weapon.
Anyone who's spent as much time on the blister end of a shovel as myself, knows its a weapon. Hours of battle have proven the divine purpose of the humble shovel. Planetary Siege Weapon, Mk.1.
Ha! Planetary Siege Weapon should be the new name.
I was thinking of sending you a “KLAS” for this. It’s the Swedish combat shovel.
KLAS is an Swedish acronym for Short Combat Shovel.
It’s one seriously heavy duty yet reasonably light tool, which also if treated right serves as one helluva melee weapon!
In old infantry manuals there are even manoeuvres illustrated as to how to use the KLAS as a melee weapon.
The blade is 3mm Swedish carbon steel, which puts it almost at the same thickness as the Swedish bayonet or mora-knife. So imagine a slightly above 2kg all steel bladed chopping weapon with the edge of a well sharpened carving knife. Put that in the hands of a well trained infantryman. Then you have something that would make a Kriegsman giggle.
It's short, light, attack spade ;)
And it's 1.5mm steel thickness in the blade, but yes, it's very versatile and I keep a surplus one with the rare aluminium, clip-on, snow blade in my car.
The closest comparison to other weapons would be an axe. Shafted weapon, top-heavy, striking blade well ahead of the primary axis.
thats a good comparison. a shovel (spade) can cut really well when slashing. it can cut througj sod pretty easily, it also will leave a decent cut into wood. i wouldnt want to get hit by one
Medieval warrior: “Why would I bring a shovel anywhere near a battlefield?”
Modern warrior: **BONK**
Lol but still true
Used properly, a shovel fight can lead to someone getting spade.
A military grade shovel is deadly because it usually has a point and and edge so getting hit with it in the face means game over
And on top of that a lot of people have mentioned you can dig the person's grave with it
Spades are best for digging, while shovels excel at scooping or moving loads. For this reason, spades have flat or almost flat blades, while shovel blades are wider and more concave. There are a huge number of different designs some make much better weapons than others.
My personal picks would be The sharpshooter "long narrow blade used to dig the hard ground and cut tree roots," or long handled nursery spade. both make much better weapons than the square shovel you demonstrated. you can also get collapsing or segmented handles of different lengths.
Agree on the sharpshooter, although in my experience it can be difficult to find ones with a longer handle, which I think would be more beneficial.
Also, a trench shovel is almost always perfectly flat for a one handed approach with the reach of a dagger
@@tannerchaffin9235 long handle sharpshooter wile not in every hardware are not to hard to order. I have 2 from harbor freight there are much better ones out there. they call them Drain Spades.
Ya I saw that shovel and right away knew he had made the wrong choice. As someone who has been in excavation for almost 40 years I can attest that a spade is indeed a weapon. sharpened up it is basically a Dane axe.
And of course let‘s not forget the shovels greatest advantage compared to any other weapon:
the triple damage while rocket-jumping
its only the market gardener that has this stat, not any of soldier’s other shovels
@@gibbous_silver Soldier has other shovels?
*meme spoon noises*
As a Marine, I can tell you that there is a record for confirmed kills with an E Tool
Your a Marine, you should know there is confirmed kills with EVERYTHING!!! 😂😂😂
I still remember your Spiked Pavisse video. I love it, and have been working it into my Combat Bard build for Dungeons and Dragons. Please keep up the great work!
In the modern setting, at least, every soldier will have one with them, so at least they are very readily available and handy. I owned one, a WW2 Soviet fixed E-tool, and it has quite some weight in it between the wood handle and the metal shovel blade. Handles a bit like a hatchet, so there's that for emergencies
I just had the new Bundeswehr one with aluminum handle and steel blade. Digging trenches on the training ground cost me two of them just due to broken hinges...
@@robertnett9793 Oh yeah, the folding part isn't very sturdy compared to fixed ones.
The reason it hadnles like a hatchet is because it is supposed to be one! Look up the "Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel" that looks probaly very simmilar! Grab a mill file and sharpen the edges! Its the best camping tool i have!
In general, sharpen your shovels folks! It saves you so much effort when digging!
@@AYellowPepper I have one and I use it whenever I can. I also drilled two holes on each side of the foot ledge and rolled up some inner tube and lashed it on. It deadens the ring instantly so now it is also a stealth shovel.
@@robertnett9793 Swedish KLAS infantry spades won't break on you unless you sit on them in the 90° position.
Hey Shad, as a mexican who loves your channel I really wish you cover the Macuahuilt. By some spanish accounts it was a fearsome weapon, even able to behead a horse in one blow. That imo is an exageration but it would be very interesting to hear you discuss how efective it would actually be vs XVI century armor.
Also is a mighty stick with obsidian blades, how cool is that?
Hi Shad. In the category of common tools and farming implements (unmodified to lightly modified) being used as an improvised weapon, I would say the (full size) shovel is top tier. A pick (actual mining/digging pick not a war pick) is short, heavy and slow with very limited attack options. The one-handed hammer (carpenter's/blacksmith's/mason's) is better but very short. The two-handed hammer/maul is similar to the pick but has more reach and is less unwieldy. Scythes are unwieldy, very limited attack options and possibly not durable enough to survive a solid impact(a scythe blade is thin to reduce weight(worker fatigue) and cutting resistance. The pitchfork is a geat option as its basically a spear with its long reach and thrusting abillity. NOW, the (full-size) shovel is in my mind a two-handed club or mace with moderate cutting ability, a farm tool thats also a A-Tier Polearm. It has good range, its a bit slow but much better than several of the above options, is generally extremely durable(sturdy hardwood handle), it grants you a wide variety of attack and defense options(any shorter polearm techniques should work. Thrust, parry, slash, smash, chop, it can perform all of these to a degree), it can easily incapacitate a opponent in one hit in several ways especially if properly sharpened(beheading with a strong swing seems reasonable). The handle is crafted from THE ALMIGHTY STICK! If I had to defend myself with anything in the garden shed, I would not take a baseball bat, I would not take the axe, I would take the highly versatile... ''The Ultimate Poor Man's Polearm'' .............. ''THE SHARPENED(fullsize)SHOVEL!!!'' This has been my thoughts on the topic, hope you see this. Love your channel, keep it up.
If you have a full array of farm tools to pick from, just go for the billhook.
If you swing hard enough, a Shovel if functionally identical to an Axe.
and with the shovel, you could probably get the same versatility as an axe with certain moves such as hooking shields and those kinds of tricks you see done with axes and similar polearm.
I hear and agree, though personally I don’t know why I’d pick. My shovel in one hand, my hatchet at my belt loop, machete in another, my string and knife, with my full sized axe on my other hip. Of course with backup walking stock on back. Anyone that doesn’t get me at range is gonna have a bad day.
Best of all, all these garden tools are light and seem non lethal to most people.
@@hitandruncommentor what universe do you live in that "most people" see knives, hachets, machetes, and axes as "non lethal"?
**gasmask noises intensify**
For the emperor!
*FÜR DEN KAISER!!*
Shovel: 1d4 slashing damage, improvised weapon, Two-handed(Polearm), Special action: Dig
...when world-building for tt-rpg i designed s.k.o. 'samurai-dwarfs' - just think of battle-axe-hype instead of katana-hype - following the way of the 'Nan-Shido' (way of the axe) 😉
...and their commanding officers have war-shovels instead of a 'Tessen' or 'Gunbai'*...!
...highly decorated they are less useful for digging, but still very effective as a weapon to hit your enemy...!
...it started many centuries ago, dwaren generals used very elaborated marshal-batons, but in one fight against orcs, the King lost it...
...so he used a spade as a replacement to command the troops - and the dwars won...
...and so it stuck...!
...i think it makes some sense, having the connection between dwarfs and mining in mind...!
*P.S.
...had to 'google' for the correct name...!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_fan
I remember being told by my friends in the marines and army that there's some percentage of the day where they are mostly doing menial labor, and some slim percentage of doing actual combat... if they are actually expected to do any combat in the place they are deployed. And of course, if it's wartime, that percentage increases, but they still tell me that menial labor (and PT drills and whatnot) still becomes a huge chunk of the daily agenda. That being said, having a tool that can double as a decent weapon is actually pretty realistic depending on the job you have in the military (again, context matters). Because if you're expected to do both combat and non-combat tasks, you might as well have a multitasker on hand.
Military personnel spend much more time digging holes than pulling triggers.
@@patrickkenyon2326 and as my friends also said, "shining shoes" XD
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight " If I can't see my smiling face, your boots are filthy!"
"But Sarge, you never smile"
As the only survivor of a krieg assault once told me, shovels are indeed a mighty weapon, and they cut through the ranks of the enemy like a chainsword through ships biscuit. It would have been more believable if he had any of his krieg friends left alive, but the enemy was throughly routed so he can't have been that wrong.
Edgy teens that fell for the nazi-fascist aesthetic be like:
Explanation here below:
i hope you have enought brain to notice "krieger" and a lot of other german terms are a reference to the whermact, also a lot of use of the latin language that signifies affinity with the concepts of fascism that draws a parallel with classical antiquity and the "greatness of the white race" that they hail as a model and the base of the "civilezed" western world.
Now that you make me think about it i notice that all humans i have seen depicted in 40k are white...
And then there's the tell-tale sign of fascist tendency, xenophobia, nationalism and gloryfication of militarysm and war.
Almost forgot the spiritualism they tend to have just like the nazis were looking for artifacts and doing wacky stuff in 40k you have magic and the warp (hell) with caos gods and demons.
@@untraceablefgc-9mkii251 No Ma'am the Stahlhelm, gasmask, trenches, and attrition warfare represents World war 1, not in world war 2.
@@desideriusfelicia6811 why are you assuming i'm a woman, especially considering what channel this is and since it's mostly man that are interested in warfare.
Also It doesn't change much, you trying to say that the german empire wasn't nationalist, militaristic and racist? The fact that i don't know all the exact inspirations for 40k doesn't mean my points aren't valid nonetheless.
@@untraceablefgc-9mkii251 it doesn’t run that deep bud. It’s a story we’re everyone sucks and they all fight eachother, it’s not meant to be taken seriously
@@untraceablefgc-9mkii251 No Ma'am, the Kaiserreich is not nazi.
It could be argued that shovels can be seen as a specialist variant of axe. I'm pretty sure that's the logic behind the Krieg usage, as well as their expertise in trench warfare allowing plenty of them to be around.
Say what you will about the e-tool, but the sharpened edge also helped it act as a decent makeshift axe in combat. I remember either hearing or reading about some soldiers during WW1 using their e-tools to catch enemies descending into their trenches under the chin, taking their heads off using their own gravity against them. Give me an e-tool over a "Coiling Dragon Staff" any day.
Also loved the Krieg callout. For the Emperor!
*Muffled gas mask cheering*
I watched a youtube vid once of someone that used one to build a complete shelter in the rain. Everything from digging a water runoff ditch to chopping and cutting up trees for shelter and firewood as well as lighting the fire.
In the military we were taught, and shown, that the combat shovel was indeed an effective weapon BUT only to rely on it as a last resort. In fact I remember a story of an Army engineer using one to dispatch an insurgent in Basra in 2008, though the feat was never verified.
I remember reading a report when I was in Victory in '08/09. Pretty sure it was legit.
Soldiers will use whatever they have available in a last resort. My platoon sergeant when I was in the Army was in Vietnam and told a story of having to beat someone to death with his helmet.
@@PitFriend1 Anyone who thinks you cannot stab someone with a helmet is lacking imagination.
@@Deridus Right, look at the pikel haube! It's a leather helmet with a spike, it's just begging to be used as a stabbing weapon!
A friend of mine used it dispatch a boar in afghanistan lol (or wild pig, not sure) He didn't want to write up a report of discharging his weapon.
I started using audible because of your videos.
Currently listening to the Horus Heresy after here Oz liked it. I’m loving it so far.
Back in ww1 they used shovels and other improvised weapons in trench fighting. Anything to gain a close quarters advantage in a tight space and come out alive. Large ww1 era bayonets were effectively a short sword though, when removed from a rifle, which then sort of became a spear.
Shad Facts: Shad has created a plane of existence where he can test how weapons would perform on the medieval battlefield in relative safety (and without breaking the timeline).
And in this case, without breaking the soul of Shovel Knight fans.
My friends and I have discussed this theory in length. We call this theory ‘The Quantum Shad’
“If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight”-Tsun Tzu
Sun Tzu said that, and I think he knows a little more about fighting than you do pal, because he invented it!
Please remember that the best weapon for self-defense is always the weapon closest to hand. So if the chips are down a shovel can be quite a good weapon indeed.
Great stuff and in 40K it's a great weapon as they have mono shovels so they cut at the molecular level as well as chain shovels so it works plus the standard intrenching tools.
After seeing James Garner bash baddies with a shovel on many occasions during the run of the TV program _The Rockford Files_ we started using "Rockford" at my house as a verb for whenever we saw somebody use a shovel to strike someone. "Oh man I bet that guy is going to Rockford that zombie in the face!"
The Cold Steel "Spetnatz" shovel is a brilliant tool. It's a shovel, axe, knife, hammer and most axe fighting techniques work with it. I can even throw and stick mine accurately.
And it happens to be based on the actual Etool carried by Russian FSB Spetzgruppa Alfa. It was a folding shovel with pick, the shovel is sharpened on one side to be used as an axe to fell a small tree and I believe had a small mora style knife that screwed into the end of the shovel.
the nastiest throwing weapon I have ever seen.
Death korp of Krieg say yes. Especially chainsaw shovels.
*heavy gasmask noises
The question was answered in both world wars, they often sharpened one or both sides of the shovel head and then all they need to do is wack the enemy with the edge
There's a type of weapon from eastern cultures, iirc it's called a Shaolin Spade or Monk's Spade. It was basically a shovel reimagined for combat, so they could defend themselves against attackers while on pilgrimages and bury the bodies if needed.
Was hope'n some would bring up that weapon
Which east?
@@tompatterson1548 asia
@@bondrewdthelordofdawn3744 do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?
The death korps of krieg is well documented to make good use of it
Bayonets are for Cadians
@@indrickboreale7381 i'm surprised the kriegsmen haven't made E-tool bayonets for their las guns, aside from the weight problem it seems functional and deadly
I have never been more happy to see one off Shad's videos in my recommendations.
Fun fact about shovel - both modern Russian spetznaz as well as WW1 and WW2 veterans said one thing - if you're caught unaware a shovel is an excellent thrown weapon.
Sure, it's not that lethal as it likely hits not with the blade but it has a different excellent quality - if somebody ambushes you you have minimum amount of time to draw your own gun and even should you by a miracle draw first you'll most likely just shoot each other but if you rapidly throw a shovel enemy almost always either ducks or dodges allowing you to actually grab your gun and reclaim the advantage.
If the Death Korps like them, then so do we!
Deathcore of Krieg: Heavy gas mask noises....
As we used to say in the army: Don't bring a bayonet to an entrenching tool fight! :)
But what about an E-tool and a gladius?
All I hear is Rick May's maniacal chuckle.
is it a good weapon? death corps of kreig: yes but actually yes
I'm a little surprised you didn't talk more about the military spade, sometimes called a 'monk spade'.
Glad Someone brought that up.
I wonder if Shad considered a monk’s spade more specialized as a weapon first and shovel second. 🤷♂️
@@montithered4741 even if he did he should have brought it up at the end when he was talking about militarized tools. I think he might just have not played tabletop RPGs with fantasy orient regions enough.
The Monk's Spade wasn't really a weapon. It was rarely sharpened and designed to push or swat away animals rather than fighting. I'm sure it was occasionally used for defense, but not with intention.
Most Xiaolin arts were hyper stylized and incorporated peasant travel implements into dances designed to look like plausible martial arts.
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 It still would have made a good talking point, in the interest of being thorough.
Never heard it called a military spade before. Cool weapon though, both parts tool, weapon, and religious rite.
Monk’s spade! Think about the monk’s spade! The first tactical shovel!
Still gonna watch the video but before I start imma just assume that yes, it is a good weapon. It is a stick, relatively long (which isn’t broken in half and connected with a chain). It has a heavy and hard head at the end of the stick, which also has a sharp edge. It’s basically a worse handaxe-machete hybrid, but it also can dig things (and also do other stuff if it’s one of those army shovels)
Have you ever heard of the lobo from the “World War Z” book? It’s a weapon that was invented during the war in the book called the “standard infantry intrenchment tool”. It’s described as being a fusion of shovel and double bladed battle axe. In the book people use it for zombie killing satisfaction more so than efficacy. But it’s still clearly an effective tool as they make millions during the war. Though I haven’t played it, I think in the video game the lobo is a weapon you can use. A lot of the points from this video may translate over, but I’m curious what you’d think of the lobo from a tactical perspective.