I was interested to see that the Vietnam Tomahawk is seeing wider issue.
The original Vietnam Tomahawk was created by Peter LaGana and saw some
use in the Vietnam war. According to some sources its use was officially
discouraged for political reasons, a decision made by individuals who
regarded carpet bombing, napalm, flamethrowers and Agent Orange as
acceptable. Troops that needed to fight at close range had to use
machetes, entrenching tools and hand axes rather than the LaGana’s
tomahawk. No, doesn’t make any sense to me either!
Decades pass, and about ten years ago I heard the US Army engineers had
approved the LaGana as an "Obstacle Removal Tool”, a term that rather
amused me. It seems the idea has caught on with issue now being more
widespread. The current version is called the VTAC (Vietnam Tactical)
and the main difference appears to be a synthetic handle with some
moulded cross-hatching to improve grip. From reports these are mainly
being used for general utility tasks such as breaking down doors and
part of me wonders if a mass-produced standard hatchet with a lower
price tag might have served as well?
A good ten years or more ago I brought myself a replica of a Vietnam
Tomahawk. I don’t recall what company I brought it from but I am fairly
certain it was not Cold Steel. As soon as I had unpacked it, I decided
to try it out with some figure-eight combat moves.
No sooner had I
started when there was a clunk. The clunk was the backspike of the
tomahawk hitting me in the temple. Luckily only the side of the spike
had hit me otherwise I would not be writing this now. A slight variation
in angle and I would probably have killed myself in a very embarrassing
manner.
My feelings about the LaGana are therefore rather mixed. While
it has great potential I am obviously wary about a weapon that can so
easily injure its user when making what is a fairly fundamental combat
move. Well, remember that handling or throwing an axe
requires safety precautions.
I would be much happier if the LaGana was offered with the option
of a longer handle than the 13" one it has. The handle itself could do
with some redesign. It is oval in cross-section, which is very good.
While there is some contouring it is very shallow and less than one
would see on a typical hardware store hammer. A tomahawk is a head-heavy
weapon so swinging it tends to naturally pull it from your grasp. There
seems to be a reasonable chance you could lose grip on such a
straight-sided and smooth handle, particularly once your hands got
sweaty or blood got on them. The synthetic-handled VTAC has some
mouldings intended to improve grip but still looks rather
straight-sided. An increase in diameter at the butt would be a welcome
feature. One good addition on the newer models is the provision of a
hole for a retention loop. The VTAC has a 14" handle that appears to be
secured with a hex-bolt, so perhaps there is a possibility of
replacement alternate handles?
If you use a LaGana or VTAC, wrapping the handle for increased grip will probably be a prudent move.
While
in the process of making your tomahawk combat ready, you might consider
painting it. Original Vietnam Tomahawks were green, which was fine for
South East Asian jungles. Other examples and the VTAC appear to be black
or dark green, and these really stand out against a desert camouflage
combat dress. Spraying it flat-earth or coyote-brown will improve its
camouflage abilities in most environments, not just desert.
The
most distinctive part of the Vietnam Tomahawk and VTAC is its head. The
most obvious part is the backspike that so nearly caused my accidental
demise. Most hatchets, hand axes and tomahawks have a face intended for
hammering. The LaGana has a spike that was probably intended to
penetrate skulls or steel helmets but is often used these days to
ventilate fuel drums.
The axe bit is also unconventional in that it is
also sharpened for part of its lower edge. On my example the thickness
of the blade gives this quite a broad bevel so this is not particularly
sharp and I suspect is unlikely to ever be that sharp. This feature
might give the tomahawk some added capability if used to clear
undergrowth and will improve the penetration of the lower point of the
edge. Should the main edge slightly miss the intended target, which is
always possible in combat, this lower edge should increase the
likelihood of still causing damage.
The
Vietnam tomahawk is a good tool, but could easily be better. The handle
needs to be redesigned for better grip and retention and needs to be
longer so the head is less likely to injure the user in the heat of
combat. As some of you may know, my benchmark in close combat weapons is the kukri.
The kukri can handle many of the cutting tasks a tomahawk
can. It is easier to bring into action if it starts sheathed. It is more likely to
stay in my hand when swung and not likely to injure me.