MPL-50 - what is hidden under this abbreviation, most of the people who serve or once served in the army know, for the rest it is just a set of letters. But the phrase "sapper shovel" is probably known to everyone. And they mean by this name, without knowing it, exactly the MPL-50.
"Sapper" shovel for infantry
MPL - M-small, P-infantry, L-shovel, and the number 50 implies a total tool length of 50 cm. It is an infantry shovel, and not at all a sapper, as it is mistakenly called by the people. In this regard, it is worth noting that the Russian army has a BSL-110 shovel as a entrenching tool - a sapper shovel, only a large one. The small sapper shovel simply does not exist.
The small infantry shovel has served in the Russian army for almost a century and a half and has become such a familiar attribute for a soldier that many are sure that she was born in Russia, but this is not so.
When the MPL appeared
In the middle of the 19th century, progress in the development of firearms made people think about the protection of infantry soldiers. Solution to this problemturned out to be simple and reliable. And it consisted in a small shovel, invented by the Danish military, infantry captain Linnemann. The military received a patent for the invention in 1869, and in 1870 the Danes already adopted it in their army.
The novelty soon found its place in other European armies. But before it was subjected to all sorts of tests, which it passed with dignity, and in terms of efficiency it lost only one third to a large sapper shovel, while far surpassing it in compactness and versatility.
The Linnemann shovel was adopted in the Russian army in 1874. Over time, it was refined, the material of manufacture and dimensions changed, but in general the design remained almost identical to the original. In this form, the shovel has survived to this day as an individual wearable engineering tool for soldiers.
MPL design
A steel bayonet and a wooden handle are the two components of the MPL-50. Everything is extremely simple, but even these two details are thought out to the smallest detail.
The handle (handle, handle, handle) is machined from hardwood. Carefully processed and not painted. After processing, the surface of the handle remains slightly rough, after which it is fired and treated with a sandpaper. The result is a grip that does not slip in the hands and, with skillful handling, does not rub blisters.
The shape of the MPL bayonet can be 4- and 5-angled, sometimes oval. The MPL-50 shovel has a pentagonal steel bayonet 15 cm wide, 18 cm long, coated with anti-reflectivepaint. The blade is sharpened on one side. This method of sharpening helps to easily cut the roots and, in general, makes it easier to work when digging a trench.
A small infantry shovel is worn in a special case, usually made of thick canvas. On its back surface there are two loops for attaching the tool to the waist belt.
Use of MPL-50
Naturally, the main purpose of the MPL is to dig trenches. The length of the shovel of 50 cm was not chosen by chance. Thanks to such dimensions and design, it becomes possible for a fighter to self-dig in from various positions: lying down, sitting or kneeling, depending on the evolving combat situation. A soldier who has the skill of working with a shovel digs a trench for shooting from a prone position in 8-12 minutes. A rookie copes with such a task in an average of half an hour. These results highlight the importance of teaching young soldiers how to use the MPL, as in real combat, even a slight delay in time can cost them their lives.
The use of MPLs as edged weapons has been known since the First World War. Especially for hand-to-hand combat, the spade bayonet was sharpened from all sides, turning an engineering tool into a dangerous, double-edged and at the same time compact ax.
Moreover, the MPL-50 is balanced in such a way that it is perfect for throwing. Since the shovel exceeds the throwing knife in weight and size, after hitting a live target, it leaves the most serious consequences.
Soldier'singenuity found a small infantry shovel and quite peaceful use. In the field, it is often used as a camp pan for heating food. And when overcoming water obstacles on improvised watercraft (logs, rafts, etc.) - as a paddle.
New-old "sapper"
To this day, the "sapper" has survived almost unchanged, however, NPO Special Materials, formed on the basis of the laboratory of the Central Research Institute of Materials of the USSR Ministry of Defense Industry in 1991, released a new model MPL-50, called "Azart-M "".
When looking at this shovel, one gets the impression that the manufacturer has tried to make it the most versatile tool out of it.
The spade bayonet made of armored steel was additionally equipped with a saw, a ruler, a nail puller and even a protractor. In addition, the bayonet of the new shovel now has the property of self-sharpening in the course of work. Otherwise, the new "Azart-M" remained the old model MPL-50.
