# Decapitation by Shovel?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decapitation-by-shovel/623467>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 29, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decapitation-by-shovel/623467 "2012-05-29T18:55:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decapitation-by-shovel/623467/21 "2012-05-31T13:05:41Z")

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Gosh- I did read about this many years ago in a book about prisoners of war. AFAIK the prisoners were working in some underground mine and one of the prisoners had a violent disagreement with another and hit him with a shovel and chopped his head off. He was being moved to a different camp- not for beheading the other guy, but because he did not want to then remove the head.

I can’t recall the book but it may strike a chord with someone.

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**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decapitation-by-shovel/623467/22 "2012-05-31T15:50:01Z")

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> [@coremelt](#):
>
> Wait, aren’t we talking about placing the blade of a full size shovel with a long handle carefully on the throat and then jumping on the lips of the shovel with both feet? Thats how I understand the OP, not hacking at it like a meat cleaver with a hand shovel.

Yes, I was thinking of that type of action. Maybe not both feet, since you would need to steady yourself…

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**Author:** ![benbo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@benbo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benbo1)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decapitation-by-shovel/623467/23 "2012-06-02T08:40:35Z")

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I have an army surplus folding shovel in my car trunk - 1st thing I noticed when buying is the blade - not only tapered with an edge, but _serrated_! They Army definitely intends for dual use as a weapon - the little tag says it’s also good for chopping thru wire.  
I could swear remembering reading a story of Charles Durning, who is a WW2 vet, that he was in hand-to-hand combat, and took (or almost took) a German soldier’s head off by swinging his shovel.

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