I suppose it is also worth considering that with the amount of Jeeps rolling around, most units would have access to a proper full-size axe (if one had been mounted on the Jeep)
I still have one made in 1943, I bought it as a Cub Scout back in 1963 for camping it has had about three handles but still works, no chips and sharpen good.
Wish the modern army stuff was more available, surplus gear used to be a budget option for camping but now is impossible to find and way more expensive.
For the infantryman, the axe is a tool not needed very often, but can be invaluable on those infrequent occasions. It seems having one axe per squad would have been sufficient as that would have also freed up other soldiers in the squad to carry other sometimes used equipment.
You are correct this axe was rare during World War 2 because of the amount of Steel needed to create it hence why they produced less the Steel needed to go elsewhere for the war effort
The machete was used in the ETO, and shows up in pictures taken after the Normandy landings. One reason the M1910 axe may not have been used very much was that it simply wasn't a very effective axe. It was too small, basically a one-handed tool. Nothing like the full two-handed ones that were part of a vehicle pioneer tool set. Compared to those, the 1910 was a toy.
My father gave me a GI hand ax in 1962 when I joined Boy Scouts. I didn't like the feel of the handle so I put it in a drawer and never used it. I remember a local surplus store had several of them. The regular Plumb Scout Axes were much more comfortable and popular.
I seem to recall that Army Scouts carried at least one per squad. I know thier Jeeps carried a longer handled axe with a heavier head. Army Engineers would also be more prone to thier use than the Infantry. But it makes sense for these two specialized groups to have one given thier respective roles of identifying and clearing trails for larger units to follow or for construction purposes.
We were issued and axe, shovel and pickaxe for each jeep. One was strapped to the drivers side and passenger side. Digging our foxholes was so much easier then using our entrenching tool. We did use ours for downed trees, clearing areas for helos and for fighting fires. We mostly used our Etool for smaller work and occasional cooking off of. Veteran from 1979-2001. Later on with the humvees the trio came in a rack that could be load and unloaded complete and moved to where it would be needed.
Interesting study. Equipment often finds it's way to uses that the designer and commissioning body didn't expect, and often not the ones that they did. I was a winch driver on a gliding school. We used WW2 issue aircrew over gloves which were leather for handling cable, they were excellent for that, and an axe and an anvil for cutting cable. I don't know how old our axes were, but they stood an awful lot of punishment.
There is an interesting photo from Okinawa where this axe can be seen it is the picture of the two marines one with the Thompson and the other has a bar
Interesting info. I have a 1940s mountain tent I picked up at a sale several years ago. It's pretty rough shape. But completely original stakes and all. Haven't seen many of them.
My dad (a WW2 and Korea infentry Marine), said the axs they saw were disliked because of noise and not really useful in making emplacement. Saws were loaned out by the Engineers to build using what wood was available. He sald the entrancing tool was the most liked and carried but a couple of pick/mattox (?) were assigned to a squad. In Korea, he said picks were hunted down in winter.
My grand dad served in both the same, I’ve got his shovel, but I wish he was still around so I could ask about such things. Where did your dad live when enlisted? Mine was from Virginia
i have my great grandpa's e tool from WWII. it was the one he carried in germany, and he joked that he "killed 100 nazis" with it. that always cracked me up because he was a bubble gunner in an aircraft and rarely was deployed on ground. in fact, the e tool is in such perfect condition that i don't think he ever used it to dig in the ground lol
is frontline soldiers need something that they can wear which is meant to be used as both a tool and a weapon a knife or a machete will be more suitable in that time.
My god. That intro made me laugh. It ain't often i leave likes on vids, but go on and have a like from me. You've earned it bud. I mean even if the rest of the vid doesn't garner a like (yet to be seen.) You get a like for that part. Edit: and he throws it in again. I'd leave 2 likes if i can.
Full size axes became standard issue for mounted troops because of adverse terrain would call for some sort of novel ideas that would take care of the situation. An E-tool is not the best axe but it is better for Entrenchment of oneself.
Agree but some did carry til the end of the war anyway. They also reissued WW1 axes. I picked up one believing it was a WW2 model with the curved handle but upon further inspection it had a straight handle (WW1 version) and has been repainted OD7 (WW1 ones where not painted) and had a 1945 second Pat cover
As someone who never served in a foxhole in Europe, my own guess would be that it may have been carried; just not on the belt. If the axe was meant for setting up a shelter or procuring firewood, it wouldn't really be one of those things you need instant access to. I think soldiers who did carry one might have carried it in their rucks to cut down on bulk and help eliminate some of that excess noise you were talking about.
I've got one I've had since I was a kid I had the shovel too but it's long gone they came off of a paratrooper that was killed on D-Day his blood is still on the case and handle
Was that the ax Steve McQueen used in the movie Sand Pebbles to cut a bamboo boom in the Yantze river, then turned the ax on a Chinese nationalist who turned out to be a friend.
Shame we can't see a date on this paper.. my guess is "automatic carbine proving no match to their M1 Rifles" .. was actually the German "Gewehr 43" carbine. With semi automatic fire, it probably sounded automatic compared to the standard "Kar 98k". And those were known to be inaccurate. However, that's just my speculation. It was reported from an Airborne soldier, so the "Gewehr 43" or "StG 44" are possible. I just put my money on the Gewehr since he said "automatic carbine" instead of "automatic rifle". Both weapons were around mid to late war. The "FG 42" is slightly possible too. Based on this soldiers vague report.. I'm going with a "Gewehr 43". Excellent eye & time stamp ! All 3 reports were an interesting read, kudos to you ! Thank you !!
@@doejon9424 I doubt they are referring to the Gewehr 43. It may be a "Karabiner" to the Germans, but the overall length is almost exactly the same as an M1 Garand, and the barrel is only two and a half inches shorter. It fires full-power 8mm Mauser, so range wouldn't have been an issue. Remember that the Garand was *also* semi-auto, so I doubt that the Sgt the report was quoting would have been blown away by the rate of fire of a rifle with a 10-round magazine and stripper clip loading.
@@jic1 Yeah.. I don't know. A date & German Unit wouldn't be nice to know. I can't even imagine what they thought when they ran into either one of those weapons after being used to the Kar 98k & MP40. I know both lacked sufficient accuracy, reportedly. I've shot a vintage StG at a range once before & it really was all over the place. Super fun to shoot but seemed lacking. I think if Hitler had access to it earlier in the war & didn't deny the project.. it could have turned into a problem for the Allies. Especially with mobile Panzer units & his Airborne units (if he utilized them differently).
@@doejon9424 For me, the fact that he called it a "carbine" (and his frame-of-reference would have been the M1 Carbine), coupled with references to high rates of fire and low effective range, pretty much limits it to the StG 44 or one of its immediate predecessors. These could have been encountered either in Italy or after the Normandy landings, although my gut tells me the latter is a little more likely.
G'day At Ease, One has to ask why even bother issuing such a small axe, actually called a 'hatchet' these days. Given the 1.2 million plus Jeeps produced, all coming with a full size axe and god knows how many tanks rolled around,; also 'armed' with axes, if any GI needed a good sized axe, well, they were everywhere. Besides, if you urgently needed to cut wood the tool of choice would have been a .50 cal MG! Cheers, from one non-hot chick! BH
If anyone actually wanted to buy one of these, they should be sent to see a doctor. Do Americans also collect bandages and underpants? No wonder the world is getting madder and madder.
I found another one! I've never seen another M1910 Axe photographed in the ETO until today, check out the bottom right corner: flic.kr/p/2nAetGJ Edit: Found another. Carried by the Automatic Rifleman: flic.kr/p/2nDo8Dy
I suppose it is also worth considering that with the amount of Jeeps rolling around, most units would have access to a proper full-size axe (if one had been mounted on the Jeep)
I believe you may be correct, I spent 5 years in the army and never used an e-tool, we had proper tools in the vehicles.
I still have one made in 1943, I bought it as a Cub Scout back in 1963 for camping it has had about three handles but still works, no chips and sharpen good.
Wish the modern army stuff was more available, surplus gear used to be a budget option for camping but now is impossible to find and way more expensive.
For the infantryman, the axe is a tool not needed very often, but can be invaluable on those infrequent occasions. It seems having one axe per squad would have been sufficient as that would have also freed up other soldiers in the squad to carry other sometimes used equipment.
Rudy//// IT WOULD'VE MADE A WICKED HAND-TO-HAND WEAPON,JUST LIKE AN E-TOOL/SHOVEL!!!!!!
@@ezrabrooks12pickmattok would be a more terrifying option
You are correct this axe was rare during World War 2 because of the amount of Steel needed to create it hence why they produced less the Steel needed to go elsewhere for the war effort
The machete was used in the ETO, and shows up in pictures taken after the Normandy landings.
One reason the M1910 axe may not have been used very much was that it simply wasn't a very effective axe. It was too small, basically a one-handed tool. Nothing like the full two-handed ones that were part of a vehicle pioneer tool set. Compared to those, the 1910 was a toy.
My father gave me a GI hand ax in 1962 when I joined Boy Scouts. I didn't like the feel of the handle so I put it in a drawer and never used it. I remember a local surplus store had several of them. The regular Plumb Scout Axes were much more comfortable and popular.
I seem to recall that Army Scouts carried at least one per squad. I know thier Jeeps carried a longer handled axe with a heavier head. Army Engineers would also be more prone to thier use than the Infantry. But it makes sense for these two specialized groups to have one given thier respective roles of identifying and clearing trails for larger units to follow or for construction purposes.
A little axe might have come in handy during the trench warfare of WWI, but WWII was a war of movement, with little time to build elaborate shelters.
Always wanted to know more about this hatchet, keep up the content dude
We were issued and axe, shovel and pickaxe for each jeep. One was strapped to the drivers side and passenger side. Digging our foxholes was so much easier then using our entrenching tool. We did use ours for downed trees, clearing areas for helos and for fighting fires. We mostly used our Etool for smaller work and occasional cooking off of. Veteran from 1979-2001. Later on with the humvees the trio came in a rack that could be load and unloaded complete and moved to where it would be needed.
Great video hope to see alot more
Interesting study. Equipment often finds it's way to uses that the designer and commissioning body didn't expect, and often not the ones that they did. I was a winch driver on a gliding school. We used WW2 issue aircrew over gloves which were leather for handling cable, they were excellent for that, and an axe and an anvil for cutting cable. I don't know how old our axes were, but they stood an awful lot of punishment.
Now i want both axes!
There is an interesting photo from Okinawa where this axe can be seen it is the picture of the two marines one with the Thompson and the other has a bar
Rip the guy on the right in the barbed wire training video
Interesting info. I have a 1940s mountain tent I picked up at a sale several years ago. It's pretty rough shape. But completely original stakes and all. Haven't seen many of them.
As a guy, the entrenching tool shown in the upper left corner of the display photo appears to be an M56.
Your videos are funny, keep it coming!
My dad (a WW2 and Korea infentry Marine), said the axs they saw were disliked because of noise and not really useful in making emplacement. Saws were loaned out by the Engineers to build using what wood was available. He sald the entrancing tool was the most liked and carried but a couple of pick/mattox (?) were assigned to a squad. In Korea, he said picks were hunted down in winter.
My grand dad served in both the same, I’ve got his shovel, but I wish he was still around so I could ask about such things. Where did your dad live when enlisted? Mine was from Virginia
I have one because my grandfather came home with it.
I like the way you made this, not too slick.
I know this is about the axe but holy shit that guy sent it on top of that barbed wire
Good Video/Work.
i have my great grandpa's e tool from WWII. it was the one he carried in germany, and he joked that he "killed 100 nazis" with it. that always cracked me up because he was a bubble gunner in an aircraft and rarely was deployed on ground. in fact, the e tool is in such perfect condition that i don't think he ever used it to dig in the ground lol
is frontline soldiers need something that they can wear which is meant to be used as both a tool and a weapon a knife or a machete will be more suitable in that time.
My god. That intro made me laugh. It ain't often i leave likes on vids, but go on and have a like from me. You've earned it bud. I mean even if the rest of the vid doesn't garner a like (yet to be seen.) You get a like for that part.
Edit: and he throws it in again. I'd leave 2 likes if i can.
Full size axes became standard issue for mounted troops because of adverse terrain would call for some sort of novel ideas that would take care of the situation. An E-tool is not the best axe but it is better for Entrenchment of oneself.
Do you have a copy of the axe blueprint drawing that you could share?
Agree but some did carry til the end of the war anyway. They also reissued WW1 axes. I picked up one believing it was a WW2 model with the curved handle but upon further inspection it had a straight handle (WW1 version) and has been repainted OD7 (WW1 ones where not painted) and had a 1945 second Pat cover
im pretty sure it was given to engineers so they can cut down trees to build bridges for infantry
As someone who never served in a foxhole in Europe, my own guess would be that it may have been carried; just not on the belt.
If the axe was meant for setting up a shelter or procuring firewood, it wouldn't really be one of those things you need instant access to. I think soldiers who did carry one might have carried it in their rucks to cut down on bulk and help eliminate some of that excess noise you were talking about.
Is it a never dull axe?
I've got one I've had since I was a kid I had the shovel too but it's long gone they came off of a paratrooper that was killed on D-Day his blood is still on the case and handle
When will infantry get little lasers that chop a tank in half?
Everyone needs a an axe.
just buy the bolo it does the same job and even more
I like my 1917 bolo more
@0:47
I feel lime I should GO, or he will taunt me a SECOND TIMÆ!
Was that the ax Steve McQueen used in the movie Sand Pebbles to cut a bamboo boom in the Yantze river, then turned the ax on a Chinese nationalist who turned out to be a friend.
2:23 Just thought it was worth noting the incidental tidbit about US troops encountering the StG 44 for the first time.
Shame we can't see a date on this paper.. my guess is "automatic carbine proving no match to their M1 Rifles" .. was actually the German "Gewehr 43" carbine. With semi automatic fire, it probably sounded automatic compared to the standard "Kar 98k". And those were known to be inaccurate. However, that's just my speculation. It was reported from an Airborne soldier, so the "Gewehr 43" or "StG 44" are possible. I just put my money on the Gewehr since he said "automatic carbine" instead of "automatic rifle". Both weapons were around mid to late war. The "FG 42" is slightly possible too. Based on this soldiers vague report.. I'm going with a "Gewehr 43". Excellent eye & time stamp ! All 3 reports were an interesting read, kudos to you ! Thank you !!
@@doejon9424 I doubt they are referring to the Gewehr 43. It may be a "Karabiner" to the Germans, but the overall length is almost exactly the same as an M1 Garand, and the barrel is only two and a half inches shorter. It fires full-power 8mm Mauser, so range wouldn't have been an issue. Remember that the Garand was *also* semi-auto, so I doubt that the Sgt the report was quoting would have been blown away by the rate of fire of a rifle with a 10-round magazine and stripper clip loading.
@@jic1 Yeah.. I don't know. A date & German Unit wouldn't be nice to know. I can't even imagine what they thought when they ran into either one of those weapons after being used to the Kar 98k & MP40. I know both lacked sufficient accuracy, reportedly. I've shot a vintage StG at a range once before & it really was all over the place. Super fun to shoot but seemed lacking. I think if Hitler had access to it earlier in the war & didn't deny the project.. it could have turned into a problem for the Allies. Especially with mobile Panzer units & his Airborne units (if he utilized them differently).
@@doejon9424 For me, the fact that he called it a "carbine" (and his frame-of-reference would have been the M1 Carbine), coupled with references to high rates of fire and low effective range, pretty much limits it to the StG 44 or one of its immediate predecessors. These could have been encountered either in Italy or after the Normandy landings, although my gut tells me the latter is a little more likely.
I love how the allies shat all over the german equipment in all official missives, but shat themselves over how good it was off the books.
G'day At Ease, One has to ask why even bother issuing such a small axe, actually called a 'hatchet' these days. Given the 1.2 million plus Jeeps produced, all coming with a full size axe and god knows how many tanks rolled around,; also 'armed' with axes, if any GI needed a good sized axe, well, they were everywhere. Besides, if you urgently needed to cut wood the tool of choice would have been a .50 cal MG! Cheers, from one non-hot chick! BH
If anyone actually wanted to buy one of these, they should be sent to see a doctor. Do Americans also collect bandages and underpants? No wonder the world is getting madder and madder.
People collect all sorts of things, from ghostbusters memorabilia, to toenail clippings.
Maybe don't be such a petulant cretin?
I found another one! I've never seen another M1910 Axe photographed in the ETO until today, check out the bottom right corner:
flic.kr/p/2nAetGJ
Edit: Found another. Carried by the Automatic Rifleman:
flic.kr/p/2nDo8Dy