A version of a WW2 Russian Petty Officer Rigger knife was adopted by the Polish People's Republic (1945-1989). When Stalin died in 1953 the Gerlach bonsun's scyzoryk (pocketknife) started to be made from stainless steel Type 420 "Stainlesr 3H13" in Drzewica, Poland. The blade is marked:
GERLACH
" PN "
The maker name over the Polish abbreviation for the new metal used:
"Polski Nierdzewne"
"Poland Stainless"
At first many of these knives were made unofficially from surplus parts by factory workers during the Provisional Government of National Unity. Later the (PZPR) Polish United Workers Party improved production to make more design models like the 385 and the 508.
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| GERLACH #385 1975-1985 |
Some were contracted out to Bulgaria in the 1950's and have a "BS" mark for "Bulgarian Stainless" and "GERLACH" over it. Some say "RGM" too designating where the metal came from.
Early types were carbon steel until the standards changed to Molybdenum-Vanadium blades with steel liners and fittings. Enlisted troops in the Navy or Sapper combat engineers.
Gerlach Co. was also under German occupation in 1942 and continued to make the sapper unit type knives for it's Wehrmacht Pioneers which say "STAHL" meaning "steel" in Polish.
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| 1965 |
The WZ69 Polish Sapper Knife was in 1960 designed as a multi-purpose knife at Zielonce Military Institute by Henry Adamczyk and issued to military personnel in 1969. Gerlach brand is also offshored made under their second trade name "OSKARD" since 2010.
Currently the Polmag 506 Electrician Knife is the brand most popular in Poland too.
The steel used for the blade is sometimes changing so look for the abbreviations under the trade name "GERLACH". The knives made in Lódz for paratroopers in the 1990's are of HSA-50 steel.
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