Original Austro-Hungarian WWI Trench Raiding Mace Club – Personal Collection David Machnicki Author of At Arm’s Length Series Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Purchased directly from David F. Machnicki, the author of At Arm’s Length Trench Club book Series. We were told that this club will be featured in the upcoming Volume three of the series

This is a gruesome example of a Great War Austrian Trench Club comprised of a simple yet effective design. It measures 16 inches in overall length and weighs just under 1 lb. It is of all wooden construction, shaped somewhat like a baseball bag, and 14 pyramidal shaped spikes have been hammered in place around the circumference. We can see that originally there were 20 spikes, so 6 are missing, and they were originally in in a concentric pattern of two’s and three’s. The design is similar to others in the book series, as shown in the pictures (book pages are not included).

The wood haft tapers gradually towards a grooved grip area, with a wide groove near the bottom where a carrying strap / thong was probably attached originally. This well-designed example must have been quite easy to hold, and with the relatively low weight, would be more maneuverable than the heavier types. This is a fantastic well-made trench mace from the Austrian-Hungarian forces during World War One!

Total Length: 16 inches
Diameter at top: 2 inches (not counting spikes)
Weight: 1 lb

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.