Dagger with a serrated edge and sheath acquired by a US soldier from German troops

Identifier
irn822
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1989.10.3 a-d
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 15.500 inches (39.37 cm) | Width: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Depth: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Robert Alden was born on August 4, 1922, in Huntington on Long Island in New York. His father was a physician and his mother was a teacher. He attended City College from 1938-1942, then obtained a job as a messenger boy in the advertising department of the New York Times. He entered the United States Army on October 31, 1942. He earned the rank of captain as a platoon leader in the Corps of Engineers, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. He saw action in Europe during the Battle of the Bulge and during the continued advance through France, Germany, and Austria. Divisions of the Third Army liberated several concentration camp, including Dora-Mittelbau, Buchenwald and Dachau and several subcamps. When the war in Europe ended on May 7, 1945, Alden went to the Philippines and was stationed in Japan during the US military occupation. After his return stateside, he resumed his position as a copy editor and make-up man at the New York Times, and then became a local reporter. In 1969, Alden married Dion Imerman, with whom raised three stepdaughters. He held a number of different positions with the Times, including a stint as a war correspondent during the Korean War. In 1972, Alden became the United Nations bureau chief. He died, age 51, of a heart attack in 1973 in New York.

Archival History

The knife was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by Dion Alden Holt, the widow of Robert Alden.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Dion Alden Holt

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

Serrated fighting knife and sheath retrieved by Robert Alden, an American soldier, from German soldiers as he helped to liberate concentration camps in Germany in April-May 1945. The 22 year old Alden was a captain in the Corps of Engineers in the Third Army under General Patton. Divisions of the Third Army liberated several concentration camp, including Dora-Mittelbau, Buchenwald, Dachau and several subcamps. When the war in Europe ended on May 7, 1945, Alden went to the Philippines and was stationed in Japan during the US military occupation.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

a. Knife with black plastic on the middle of the handle and a jagged blade: .2-5/8 x 1-1/2 x 13-16" (6.7 x 3.8 x 3342.6 cm) [knife handle] ;15" (38.1 cm) [unsheathed knife] b. Black sheath. c. Black leather holster d. Detached handle piece

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.