The Corvo is a bladed weapon typically used in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

. It is a double-edged knife

Knife

A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...

 with a curved blade of approximately 12 inches. Initially a tool similar to a grape hook, it was widely used in combat during the War of the Pacific

War of the Pacific

The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...

. It was not standard issue, but rather a personal weapon or tool that the soldiers brought with them from home.

Per local legend, Chilean soldiers would consume chupilca del diablo

Chupilca del diablo

The Chupilca del diablo is a mix of black gunpowder with aguardiente. It was prepared by Chileans during the War of the Pacific. When consumed by a soldier, he would go berserk in battle and attack his enemies without fear or remorse....

 in order to drive themselves into a frenzy prior to close-combat, attacking the enemy with their corvos.

When fighting with a corvo, the wielder will not feint

Feint

Feint is a French term that entered English from the discipline of fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or even none, will...

 with the blade itself; traditionally it is used in conjunction with a rag, poncho or stick in the off-hand, which allows the bearer to parry an incoming attack. The corvo is then used to counterattack

Counterattack

A counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...

 with a swiping, slashing or stabbing motion.

Due to its popularity, the Chilean army

Chilean Army

The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....

 refined the weapon and added it to their arsenal. Today it is the traditional symbol of Chilean commandos and its use is encouraged in training.

Variants

There are a few different models of corvo, the modern versions are:

• Corvo curvo, with a nearly 90 degree bend that spans a third of the blade.
• Corvo atacameño, which has a very slight curve to the blade but is normally longer than the curvo.

See also

• Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife
  Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife
  The Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife is a double-edged fighting knife resembling a dagger or poignard with a foil grip developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in Shanghai based on concepts which the two men initiated before World War II while serving on the Shanghai Municipal...
  
  
• Chuchillo De Paracadaista
• Tantō
  Tanto
  A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...