us-005578-irn521519-irn514400
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1944-01-01
history: The pouch was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by Knud Dyby.
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn521519-irn514400/acquisitions/1
scope and content: Leather pouch used to hold a German military dog tag acquired by Knud Dyby while he was a member in several Danish underground resistance organizations during World War II. The dog tag and pouch originally belonged to one of five German Wehrmacht soldiers who surrendered their uniforms, weapons, and identification tags to Dyby in 1944 or early 1945. These men were originally international circus artists who wished to become refugees in Sweden rather than fight the Soviets during the winter along the Eastern Front. They and Dyby agreed that the uniforms could be useful to the resistance movement. Dyby worked with the Danish underground during the German occupation of Denmark. He used knowledge and skills gained from his prewar printing and advertising business, sailing expertise, and King’s Royal Guard service as well as his wartime position with the Danish police force to transmit intelligence data and arrange for boats to ferry refugees, including Jewish families, from Denmark to Sweden. He immigrated to the United States after the war.
has record set type: Item
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn521519-irn514400/alternateIDs/1
record resource extent: overall: Height: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm) | Width: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm) | Depth: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm)
history: Knud Dyring Olsen (later Knud Dyby, 1915-2011) was born in Vorup, Denmark, and raised in Randers. Knud’s father was a typographer and ran his own printing and advertising shop. Knud’s mother was a homemaker, and he had one younger brother. The Olsen family were part of a traditional community and valued strong morals, though they were not particularly religious. After finishing school, Knud became an apprentice at his father’s print shop. In his free time, Knud became a skilled sailor, piloting his small sailboat around local waters. When Knud turned 18, he reported to the Danish military to serve his compulsory year in the army or navy. During his initial review, he was selected as one of two men from his county to serve in the guard regiment for King Christian X. Knud served in the King’s guard for one year before returning to his position at the printshop. In 1938, when Germany invaded the Sudetenland (a northern region of Czechoslovakia), Knud and many others were called back to military service to ensure the Danish military was at full strength. Eventually, he returned to the printing trade, though there was less and less work for him because access to paper dwindled as Germany continued to spread its influence in Europe. In September 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union started World War II (1939-1945) by invading Poland. Germany invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, but allowed the Danish government to remain in control and signed a non-aggression treaty. This shift resulted in even less work for Knud, so when the Danish State offered former royal guardsmen positions in the Danish police force he joined eagerly. He briefly attended the police academy before being assigned to a station in Copenhagen. Many Danish people, including Knud, did not enjoy living in an occupied country, and a robust resistance and sabotage network developed throughout the nation, especially in Copenhagen. Even while serving as a police officer, Knud would support resistance efforts as ofte…
identifier: irn514400
type: RecordSet
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Small, stiff, dark brown leather pouch with a rectangular body and rounded bottom corners. The front panel is stitched to the back one with thick, brown thread, and both have an extension sewn along the top edge. The back extension forms a flap, which has rounded corners and folds over the top of the pouch, covering the upper quarter. The flap is fastened by a snap closure with a brown painted, silver-colored metal snap socket set into the flap and a corresponding, corroded metal snap stud in the front panel extension. Two small, oblong holes flank the snap stud, each close to the edge of the pouch, and there is third, elongated hole with irregular edges cut into the center of the curved top of the flap. The holes were likely used to suspend the pouch. The interior is unfinished leather. The exterior is worn, with impressions outlining an oval-shaped object that was stored within. The leather is discolored throughout, and there is white discoloration on the front body and the interior.
title: Leather pouch for a dog tag given to a Danish resistance member
has or had holder: us-005578
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
is or was included in: us-005578-irn521519
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1945-12-31