Stainless steel table knife with a Reichsadler found by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 8.250 inches (20.955 cm) | Width: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm) | Depth: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm)
Creator(s)
- Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik (Manufacturer)
- Bernard M. Fishman (Subject)
Biographical History
Bernard M. Fishman was born on May 18, 1920, in Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents, Frank and Jennie Gordon Fishman. He had a younger sister, Elaine. He grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father owned a dress factory where Bernard worked. He enlisted in the United States Army on March 21, 1942 and was assigned to the Warrant Officer Corps. He was deployed to the European Theater and was stationed in May 1945 in Ulm, Germany. He attained the rank of Lieutenant. Bernard married Mollie Moshen and the couple had two children. He passed away, age 87, on May 12, 2008.
Archival History
The table knife was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007 by Bernard Fishman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Bernard M. Fishman
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Stainless steel butter knife found by twenty-five year old Lieutenant Bernard M. Fishman in a German Army Engineers Officers Club in Ulm, Germany, circa May 1945. The handle is engraved with the club name followed by a Reichsadler, an Imperial eagle holsing a swastika. Fishman enlisted in the United States Army in March 1942 and was assigned to the Warrant Officer's Corps.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Cast stainless steel table knife with a solid rounded handle that tapers toward the joint. The front and back side borders have a pressed indent which flattens the side edges. The blade has a rounded tip, a dull cutting edge, and an incised groove on the other edge. The blade heel has the following marks stamped vertically: WMF, the maker's mark for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik; NIROSTA within an oval, the stainless steel trademark of ThyssenKrupp;and a pyramid with a cross inside, the logo of Hammesfahr Nirosta-Werk. The reverse side of the blade has a triangular backstamp with WMF Cromargan, the trademark for stainless steel, near the joint; near the butt are 2 horizontal lines of German text and a Reichsadler, a dexter facing eagle holding a wreath with a swastika in its talons.
front, blade, trademarks, stamped : NIROSTA / W MF reverse, handle, within triangle, stamped : W MF / CROMARGAN reverse, handle, engraved : PIONIER / OFFIZIERHEIM ULM [Army Engineer Officer's Club ULM]
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Jewish.
- Jewish soldiers--United States.
Genre
- Object
- Household Utensils