At short range the Spartans preferred a short stabbing spear as did the Zulu tribes. I know the Spartans were real killers but part of that was the support they got from their fellow soldiers.
The ancient Greeks said that man to man they were not that much better than other soldiers.
I remember reading in “All Quiet on the Western Front” that the German soldiers in fierce hand to hand combat preferred their sharpened spades to bayonets.
When I was a kid growing up in DeFuniak Springs, Fl. the local library had a huge collection of armor and weapons from Scotland.
It had been collected by the U.S. ambassador to Scotland (there was actually such a position at one time)
I was always fascinated by the huge swords which I know know were Claymores. They looked so large and unwieldy, I could not imagine using one, but then again we all know just how effective the Scots were with them beating English Armies time and again.
>>I remember reading in “All Quiet on the Western Front” that the German soldiers in fierce hand to hand combat preferred their sharpened spades to bayonets.
MG Ray L. Smith, USMC, apparently got the nickname E-tool for some work he did against VC/NVA in Vietnam. I see from his Wiki page that his company is E-tool Enterprises. Heh!
He and Bing West wrote a great war correspondent book about the taking of Baghdad in 2003 called The March Up. Highly recommended.
http://www.amazon.com/The-March-Up-Baghdad-Division/dp/055380376X
Actually, the Spartans (and other hoplites) used a 7 to 9 foot spear. While not nearly as long as the later Macedonian sarissa, this is certainly not short.
Their short range secondary weapon was a short sword, the xiphos, somewhat similar to the Roman gladius.