There were also forms of the ahlspiess which lacked a rondel guard and these were known as breach pikes.

The Ahlspiess (or awl pike) was a thrusting spear developed and used primarily in Germany and Austria from the 15th to 16th centuries.

The ahlspiess was used in other countries as well, including England, and was a popular weapon along with the pollaxe in tournament foot combat among armoured knights.

The ahlspiess is depicted in numerous pieces of medieval art, including a scene from the Très Belles Heures, a French religious Book of Hours of around 1400.

The ahlspiess consisted of a long thin spike of square cross section measuring a metre (39 inches) or more in length, mounted to a round wooden shaft and secured with a pair of langets extending from the socket.

Another is portrayed in a woodcut from the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493, depicting the Red Sea drowning Pharaoh's army which is shown carrying a variety of staff weapons including halberds, flails and military forks as well as an ahlspiess.