 Some other items of military equipment not primarily intended as weapons have been used as improvised ancillary weapons in close quarters combat, including utility knives or entrenching shovels.During World War I, the entrenching shovel was also pressed into service as a melee weapon.In the close confines of a trench, rifles and fixed bayonets were often too long for effective use, and entrenching tools were often used as auxiliary arms for close-quarter fighting.