Box of razor blades issued to a US soldier while held as a POW in a German Stalag
Extent and Medium
Height: 1.060 inches (2.692 cm) | Width: 1.890 inches (4.801 cm) | Depth: 0.240 inches (0.61 cm)
Creator(s)
- Rolland G. Pearce (Subject)
Archival History
The razor blades were donated to United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1997 by Rolland Pearce.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Rolland Pearce
Scope and Content
Box of razor blades issued to 23 year old Rolland Pearce, an US airman, while held as a prisoner of war by the Germans in Stalag Luft IV in Tychowo, Poland. On February 6, the camp was evacuated due to approaching Soviet forces. Rolland and the other prisoners were sent on a forced march that came to be known as the Black March, because of the brutal conditions and treatment. The march lasted 86 days, until early April, when they reached Fallingbostel, Germany, and Stalag 357, about forty miles away.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Box, orange cardboard, preprinted inscription on top and bottom, "Olinda/Rasierklingen/Starke 0.10"; on side, "Das Stuck 6 Pfg." and on one side, "10 Klingen"; contains eight razor blades
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, German.
- Prisoners of war--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Peronal narratives, American.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
Genre
- Personal Equipment and Supplies
- Object