MPL-50

It has been used by rank and file military personnel in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and its successor states since the late 19th century.

The next year it was adopted by the much bigger Austrian Army, and Linnemann founded a factory in Vienna to produce his spade.

The wooden handle is not painted, but polished with sandpaper and fire singed to create a smooth surface that doesn't slide off the user's hand.

It can serve as an oar for paddling on improvised rafts, as a frying pan for cooking food,[1] and as a measuring device, as its length and width are standardized.

[4] In March 2023, the UK's Ministry of Defence reported that Russian military reservists fighting in Ukraine had resorted to using MPL-50s in hand-to-hand combat, due to a shortage of ammunition.