Bardiche invented by King Jan III Sobieski). Another use of the bardiche was for execution. Bardiche A bardiche , berdiche, bardische, bardeche,("long pollaxe") or berdish is a type of axe/pole weapon known in the 14th through 17th centuries in Europe. Ultimately a descendant of the medieval sparth (Danish axe), the bardiche proper appears around 1400, but there are numerous medieval manuscripts that depict very similar weapons beginning . The bardiche differs from the halberd in having neither a hook at the back nor a spear point at the top. Use of bardiches started in early 14th century Austria and in Scandinavia
Operation Halberd vessels to be scuttled. The rest of the convoy arrived at Malta and discharged their cargo. Operation Halberd was at the time the largest Malta resupply effort of the war. Nine merchant ships carrying 81,000 tons of military equipment and supplies sailed from Liverpool on 16 September and from the Clyde on 17 September as part of convoy WS (Winston Specials) 11X, passing Gibraltar on 24 September 1941, with a close escort under the command of Rear-Admiral Harold Burrough. The nine ships were: Force H, under the command of Admiral James Somerville, accompanied the convoy as defence against Italian surface