ChiCom Shovel
| Factions | Weapon | Icon | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Attack | Secondary Attack | |||
 VC |
 ChiCom Shovel |
 |
30 45 Sprinting |
60 charged 90 Sprinting charged |
| Full name | Weapon Type | Place of Origin | Date | Manufacturer | Blade Length | Total Length | Weapon Script Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FN | Melee | China | D8 | Arm | in ( mm) | in ( mm) | weapon_shovel_vc |
The “ChiCom Shovel” is a colloquial name for Chinese-made and Chinese-pattern entrenching tools commonly encountered with North Vietnamese and Viet Cong field gear during the Vietnam War. It is primarily a compact digging implement used for building fighting positions, bunkers, and field works, and it could also serve as an improvised close-quarters melee weapon. In MCV, it represents the kind of simple, rugged field tool that was widely available and often carried in the field.
HISTORY
Entrenching tools were essential equipment for Communist forces in Vietnam, where defensive positions, bunkers, and extensive earthworks were routinely constructed under combat conditions. Chinese support to North Vietnam included not only weapons and ammunition, but also a wide range of field equipment, and Chinese-pattern shovels and similar tools became a recognizable part of that kit in period collections and later reference works.
In-theater, these shovels were used constantly for digging and maintaining positions, improving cover, and supporting field construction—especially in terrain where concealment and rapid fortification mattered. U.S. military photography from the war includes documented examples of captured North Vietnamese equipment that explicitly mentions an entrenching tool among the items recovered after an enemy position was overrun. As with many compact digging tools, it could be used as an emergency hand weapon in close combat when other options were unavailable.
Sources
- Weapons and Field Gear of the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong (Edward J. Emering, Schiffer Military History)
- U.S. Marine Corps History Division (Archives Branch) – “Captured Gear” photo description mentioning a North Vietnamese entrenching tool
- National Museum of the Marine Corps – “The E-tool Smith Story” (historical note on entrenching tools in close combat)