Srbosjek (knife)

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Srbosjek was worn over the hand and was used by the Ustasa militia for the quick slaughter of inmates in concentration camps
Srbosjek was worn over the hand and was used by the Ustasa militia for the quick slaughter of inmates in concentration camps

Srbosjek (literally serb-cutter in Croatian, often mentioned as cutthroat) was a specially designed knife, used mostly for speedy slaughter of Serbs and other victims by the Croatian Ustaše fascists during World War II in the Independent State of Croatia.[1]

This knife was manufactured during World War II by German factory Gebrüder Gräfrath from Solingen-Widderit (which is still in existence today, albeit under another name) under a special order from the NDH government, and was used for slaughter of Serbs, Jews, Roma and Croats opposed to the regime in organized mass murders at the concentration camp Jasenovac and other places.[2]

The upper part of serb cutter is made of leather, as a sort of a glove, designed to be worn so that the thumb goes through the hole, so that only the silver blade protrudes from the hand. It was bowed, 12 cm long knife which blade was on its concave side. The knife was fastened to a bowed oval copper plate and the plate (fastened) to thick leather bangle. There was inscription "Gräwiso" on the leather part of the knife, and it was sometimes called "graviso knife" because of this. The blade is curved in order to make it easier to slit the throat of the victim, following the curvature of the neck.[2]

The Srbosjek knife was designed after Ante Pavelic held a session of his government, where one of the items on the agenda was what kind of a knife should be designed to make it possible for the executioners to kill people as fast as possible and with as little fatigue as possible.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Library of Congress World War II Companion by David M. Kennedy, Margaret E. Wagner, Linda Barrett Osborne, Susan Reyburn; Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 2007 pages 640, 646-47
  2. ^ a b The Yugoslav Auschwitz and the Vatican: The Croatian Massacre of the Serbs During World War II by Vladimir Dedijer (Editor), Harvey L. Kendall (Translator) Prometheus Books (July 1992)
  3. ^ Takozvana NDH, dr Mladen Colic, Deltapres, Beograd 1973