Original Austro-Hungarian WWI Battle Damaged Trench Raiding Club - Featured in 'At Arms Length: Trench Clubs and Maces Volume II' by David F. Machnicki - Book Shows Sketch of Missing Handle

Item DescriptionOriginal Item. One-of-a-Kind. Purchased directly from David F. Machnicki, the author of At Arm's Length Trench Clubs and Maces (Vol. II), where this very club is featured on page 29! Please note that the attached page image from the book is copyrighted material and the use of the page is done by permission of the author. A printed copy of the page will accompany the purchase of this club. This is one of the most battle-torn examples of a WWI Trench Club we have ever offered, now missing the majority of its shaft. Thankfully the book provides us with a sketch showing a possible design for its handle.The entry reads:This is most likely a battle-damaged club. One's imagination can only provide the answers to what has happened to this now broken, burned, dented, bent, and rusty remnant that was at one time a complete Austrian trench club. Its remaining length measures 65 mm and its mass is 533 grams. The head of the club is constructed from either a piece of iron pipe or a piece of an unexploded Lakos grenade (190 mm long). The symmetrical 'bristly pattern' for the club's spiked head appears to be constructed from short sections of a thick wire cable (5.0 mm diameter) followed by anchoring the cut wire into its wooden handle through the drilled surface of the head's iron sleeve. Crowning the club's head is a 79 mm terminal spike. The last 21 mm at the apex of the terminal spike are fluted. The style or design for its wooden handle, grip and pommel cannot be determined. Therefore, a sketch is provide for the reader and offers an idea about the design for its missing handle.There are sixteen small spikes driven into the body with the top spike measuring 3 ⅛' long. This was designed to be very brutal and was certainly used for its intended purpose.The handle does show heavy fragility in the now-burned and torn wood. It should be properly cased with a fabricated handle addition added to show what it would have originally looked like, with a clear contract between the original and added pieces. This is one of the most devastating trench clubs we have offered, and its aura is truly frightening.A tremendous trench club fragment, ready to display as a centerpiece of any WWI collection.Trench raiding clubs were homemade melee weapons used by both the Allies and the Central Powers during World War I. Clubs were used during nighttime trench raiding expeditions as a quiet and effective way of killing or wounding enemy soldiers. The clubs were usually made out of wood. It was common practice to fix a metal object at the striking end (e.g. an empty Mills bomb) in order to maximize the injury inflicted. Another common design comprised a simple stave with the end drilled out and a lead weight inserted, with rows of large hobnails hammered in around its circumference. Most designs had some form of cord or leather strap at the end to wrap around the user's wrist. Bosnian soldiers serving in the Austro-Hungarian army were fond of using maces. They were also used by officers to finish enemy soldiers wounded by poison gas attacks.Trench clubs were manufactured in bulk by units based behind the lines. Typically, regimental carpenters and metal workers would make large numbers of the same design of club. They were generally used along with other 'quiet' weapons such as trench knives, entrenching tools, bayonets, hatchets and pickaxe handles – backed up with revolvers and hand grenades.Shipping RestrictionsThis product is available for international shipping.Payment OptionsNot eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon