Claim: From 1915, soldiers on both sides routinely sharpened the edges of entrenching shovels for use as weapons; and in WW II, entrenching shovels were used in the brutal hand-to-hand fighting during the Battle of Stalingrad (from August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943).
Evidence: From 1915, soldiers on both sides routinely sharpened the edges of entrenching shovels for use as weapons. During the Second World War, entrenchment tools were used in close quarters combat between German and Soviet forces, notably in the brutal hand-to-hand fighting during the Battle of Stalingrad. In the Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943), Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in Southern Russia.