the pike was briefly reconsidered as a weapon by european armies in the late 18th and early 19th century as protection for riflemen, whose slower rate of fire made them vulnerable. a collapsible pike was invented but never issued. it was also reconsidered by the confederate army at the time of the american civil war and some were even manufactured but these were probably never issued. pikes were again manufactured for a short time during world war ii, and became known as "croft's pikes".