'Klappspaten' Folding Shovel

**BrodieBartfast** · 05-23-2019, 11:27 AM

Hello folks.

Very pleased with this one! Another eBay snag, and at only £70 to boot. Most dealers want double that for these.

This is an example of the 'Klappspaten 38', introduced in 1938 as the name suggests. It was issued alongside regular entrenching tools with fixed handles, and was attached to the soldier's equipment belt via a leather carrier. The carrier for this one was unfortunately missing, but acquiring a replacement should not be too difficult.

Most of the bluing remains to the blade, as well as most of the paint on the metal end of the handle. The wood is in good shape, with no evidence of cracking or rotting to be seen. Overall, it's in very good shape. Better than most I've seen on dealer websites. There is some evidence of paint on the metal parts, which looks suspiciously like the shade of green used on Yugoslavian equipment. It's possible that this shovel was reissued at some point, and has since been 'taken back' to its original condition.

The blade is maker marked 'B&Co Solingen' and is WaffenAmt marked. The WaffenAmt is too soft to be able to read the number, but it is of wartime style, with the straight-winged eagle and swastika design as opposed to the 'Imperial' style used on prewar equipment. Note the remnants of green paint in both the WaffenAmt and the maker's mark. The overpaint is probably the reason the bluing is still in such good shape!

As already said, I'm very happy with this one. It's not often that German field gear pops up at such an affordable price anywhere, let alone on eBay. A leather carrier will be on the cards for War & Peace this year!

Regards, B.B.