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Stainless steel table knife with a Reichsadler found by a US soldier

Object | Accession Number: 2007.518.1

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    Stainless steel table knife with a Reichsadler found by a US soldier
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    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    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.
    Date
    found:  after 1945 May
    Geography
    found: German Army Engineer's Officer Club; Ulm (Germany)
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Bernard M. Fishman
    Contributor
    Subject: Bernard M. Fishman
    Manufacturer: Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik
    Biography
    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.

    Physical Details

    Language
    German
    Classification
    Household Utensils
    Category
    Flatware
    Object Type
    Table knives (aat)
    Physical Description
    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.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 8.250 inches (20.955 cm) | Width: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm) | Depth: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm)
    Materials
    overall : stainless steel
    Inscription
    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]

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    No restrictions on access
    Conditions on Use
    No restrictions on use

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Provenance
    The table knife was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007 by Bernard Fishman.
    Funding Note
    The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
    Record last modified:
    2022-07-28 21:51:03
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn43239

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