Srbosjek

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 (NDH).^[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] ^[3]

The Srbosjek knife was designed to kill people as fast as possible and with as little fatigue as possible.^[4]

In Jasenovac concentration camp competitions in speedy slaughter were organised by the Ustashas. The winner of one such competition, Petar Brzica reportedly cut throat of 1360 prisoners and won the competition.^[5]

References

^ David M. Kennedy, Margaret E. Wagner, Linda Barrett Osborne, Susan Reyburn, The Library of Congress World War II Companion (Simon and Schuster, 2007), pages 640, 646-47, page 683:
At Jasenovac, a series of camps in Croatia, the ultranationalist, right-wing Ustasha murdered Serbs, Jews, Gypsies, Muslims, and political opponents not by gassing, but with hand tools or the infamous graviso or srbosjek (literally, "Serb cutter") - a long, curved knife attached to a partial glove and designed for rapid, easy killing.
^ ^a ^b Vladimir Dedijer (Editor), Harvey L. Kendall (Translator), The Yugoslav Auschwitz and the Vatican: The Croatian Massacre of the Serbs During World War II (Prometheus Books. July 1992)
^ Taborišče smrti--Jasenovac by Nikola Nikolić (author), Jože Zupančić (translator) Published 1969 Založba "Borec"
The knife described on page 72: 'Na koncu noža, tik bakrene ploščice, je bilo z vdolbnimi črkami napisano "Grafrath gebr. Solingen", na usnju pa reliefno vtisnjena nemška tvrtka "Graeviso" '
Picture of the knife with description on page 73: 'Posebej izdelan nož, ki so ga ustaši uporabljali pri množičnih klanjih. Pravili so mu "kotač" - kolo - in ga je izdelovala nemška tvrtka "Graeviso" '
^ Dr Mladen Colic, Takozvana NDH, (Deltapres, Beograd 1973)
^ Wanted ! : The Search for Nazis in America, Howard Blum, Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co. 1977

Srbosjek

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