Original Item: Acquired in IMA’s the recent exclusive purchase from the Finnish Army. These WWII Soviet Russian shovels, or trench spades, were a surprise. Imported from Finland we expected Finish shovels and while these do bear SA (Finnish Army) markings they also bear WWII Russian markings, ranging from makers codes to WWII dates!
The shovel heads have a distinctive nine-rivet configuration, with wood shaft, steel wishbone handle and wood grip. The heads have the distinctive hole in the upper corner, a classic attribute of the Finnish army to allow the shovel to be attached to a backpack while troops were on the move.
Styles vary slightly, as does appearance, paint, finish, but all are in sound usable condition. All measure approximately 26 inches in length (varies slightly). Please see photos for style variations. All shovels will be Russian marked with dates ranging from the mid 1930’s to the early 1940’s (some very faint), but for clear WWII dates please choose special hand select and be sure to write your request.