Original Austro-Hungarian WWI Mushroom Shaped Trench Raiding Club – Featured in Book At Arm’s Length Page 31 Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Purchased directly from David F. Machnicki, the author of At Arm’s Length Trench Clubs and Knives (Vol. 1), where this very club is featured on page 31! 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 trench club exhibits a radically different approach to its design than most encountered on the collectors market today. And as one can see, the quality of the materials that were used was not sacrificed for the production of this weapon. The club’s length approximates 510 mm and has a mass of 912 grams. Its turned wood head appears “mushroom- shaped’ and is anchored at the top of the 11-millimeter diameter solid steel handle by a 19 mm locking nut. Two round-headed screws were used to attach an 18-millimeter wide cast iron ring bearing eight sharp pyramidal-shaped projections to the circumference of its head. The handle is a 510 mm long steel rod; the top of which projects through the center of the wood head and serves as its 40 mm diameter metal core. The club’s turned wood grip has 46 narrowly spaced grooves and was attached to the end of the steel handle by using two 19 mm nuts (positioned above and below the grip) and a 17 mm wide steel ferrule. Finally, the pommel nut was firmly affixed at the base of the grip by peening the end of the steel rod. In closing, this club was designed to have good balance, fits the hand well and exhibits an attractive profile.

Total length: 523 mm
Head dimensions: 81 x 91 x 91 mm
Grip diameter: 31 mm
Pommel diameter: 16 mm
Lanyard: N/A
Terminal spike: N/A
Spring dimensions: N/A
Mass 912 grams
Other: (8 Points) 13 x 13 x 15 mm

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.