He knows his military history.
During World War I, the entrenching spade was also pressed into service as a melee weapon. In the close confines of a trench, rifles and fixed bayonets were often too long for effective use, and entrenching tools were often used as auxiliary arms for close-quarter fighting.[8] From 1915, soldiers on both sides routinely sharpened the edges of entrenching shovels for use as weapons.
Interesting. Never thought about it, but makes sense.
Thanks for that post. As a pretty serious Great War buff, I was going to basically write what you did, but you saved me the trouble, lazy guy that I am ...