Bendo

[Pangeran Datu]

Originally Posted by Henk

Hi Ferrylaki,

MILSCO is the mark of the american klewangs "adopted" by the Dutch. MILSCO means Military Supply Company, a US supplier of the M1941 cutlass. (Thanks to Ian) Those klewangs where left behind by the US army after WWII.

HEMBRUG is 100% Dutch and made in Holland in the Hembrug factories.

VINCE I've never seen. Maybe someone can tell us more about this mark?

The unmarked one could be a dutch fabricate, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be an american product.

G'day all,
My two bobs' worth:

Klewangs were produced in the US for the Netherlands during WWII. Model M1941 ( a variation on the Dutch model M1911, issued to KNIL).
Much of the klewangs were not yet produced/shipped when the Dutch lost the East Indies and were consequently purchased by the US military for secondary use. Companies which had managed to produce/ship/sell them had them lying unclaimed in warehouses and at the docks. The klewangs were manufactured in the US by MILSCO and VINCE Fencing Co. (not to be confused with VINCE Forge). They continued to manufacture for the Dutch until 1960, when it was made obsolete.

BTW ... re: BENDO mark 'UKI'

It may be that it is not an acronym at all. It is a common Sunda male name (perhaps even common throughout Indo). It may be as well-known as the trade-mark 'UDIN' on the underside of horse-feed tubs at the back of horse-drawn carts in Bandung,

Cheers.