Who did this belong to

[Blackpowder44]

This is an aluminium sided knife, as you can see someone engraved it with their name,Alekca Khejcobuth? on the other side his No. 59592 date 1944. On the knife blade, at its base is the makers stamp, a seated King holding an upright sword, the other side is marked solinger metallwaren fabrik. The knife has main blade, spike aul and a screwdriver =file blade. It has been suggested to me that it is not a German name but more likly a Polish one. Any help would be much appreciated. John

[Dimas]

That looks to me the Soviet POW knife, both wooden handles has been repaired/replaced with a piece of aluminium. With the woman's name Aleksa Knezhowitch or rare man's name

[Blackpowder44]

Thank you both for your ideas on this knife. German made knife, Russian P.O.W. I know that Many Russian soldiers were dragooned into the German army, but I am not quite convinced by your replies. John.

[Blackpowder44]

i love mysteries, do you have any info at all on it, where did you buy it?

I bought it on ebay about4 years ago, nothing known as to its previous owners, John.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi John, I would strongly believe that the number would represent the owners Feldpost number, however, this number was only used during 1943:

59592

(12.3.1943-7.9.1943) Regimentsstab u. Stabsbatterie Artillerie-Regiment 265.

But I include it here for interests sake.

Cheers, Ade.

[Jan]

Prisoner of war from 1943. Poland I believe too, the name sounds Polish.

[3mk]

I think its either Russian or Ukrainian not Polish

[Jan]

TRue now that I think about it, maker marks on the blade says something like fabrik!!

[PROF DR IVAN MILOVIC]

Do not search any more: Serbian POW, Alexa Knezovich. Regular Army of The Kingdom of Yugoslavia that collapsed after 11 days. They were treated as regular POWs,
were in the same camps with the French, British, Poles. All returned safely home, some of them brought German widows with them. The best was in countryside where they worked in fields (male population was fighting worldwide and German women often had children with POWs who worked for them). This is life: sometimes it pays off to be a POW. Those who worked in factories were in more difficult position (less food, no German hostess). The British hated their shifts to clean the toilets and other filthy jobs in the camp, so they paid others to do it (bars of chocolate and cigarettes were common currency). The British had it through Red Cross regularly sent in packets from UK.There is a true story of two RAF pilots that escaped and were almost caught waiting for the train in a German town (they ate chocolate and the whole waiting room stared at them because the Germans have not seen chocolate for years). This is war, that is why we collect the items, because there is always a human destiny behind every single piece.

[PROF DR IVAN MILOVIC]

See my post: very common Serbian name.