German Prisoner of War Camp general issue currency, kriegsgefangenen lagergeld, 1 Reichspfennig

Identifier
irn524874
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2003.413.43
Dates
1 Jan 1939 - 31 Dec 1944
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm)

Archival History

The currency was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Joel Forman.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Joel Forman

Scope and Content

German prisoner of war (POW) currency, called kriegsgfangenen lagergeld (war cash), valued at 1 Reichspfennig, distributed to prisoners held in German POW camps from 1939 to 1944. The currency was issued in seven denominations: 1, 10, and 50 Reichspfennig and 1, 2, 5, and 10 Reichsmark. After the beginning of World War II in September, 1939, Nazi Germany established a network of approximately 75 POW camps to house the enemy soldiers they captured across Europe. A prisoner’s treatment inside the camps varied depending on their nationality. Due to the Nazi belief that Soviet prisoners were racially and politically inferior, they were starved and treated brutally, resulting in millions of deaths. However, for Western Allied prisoners, life inside the camps was tough but generally fair, as Germany, with some exceptions, usually followed the Geneva Convention Rules for ethical treatment of POWs. Prisoners received meager rations supplemented with Red Cross food parcels and, with the exception of officers, were required to work, often performing hard labor. To compensate the prisoners for their work, Germany distributed currency that was to be used in the POW camps. The notes only held value in the POW camps and their official use was for the purchase of goods from the canteens. However, the canteens were poorly stocked, which rendered the notes essentially worthless. Many prisoners used the notes for gambling among themselves to combat boredom. The notes were discontinued in 1944. In response, prisoners in Polish camps created their own currency for internal use.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

German Prisoner of War (POW) camp currency printed on lightweight, rectangular, brown, paper. The paper is watermarked with a trellis of quatrefoils. A thin rectangular border, composed ofovals attached to eachother vie small squares. Inside, is a large, centered, red triangle overlaid with several lines of black, German text in fraktur font. A serial number is printed in the upper right corner. In the lower left corner, printed in black, is a Reichsadler, a heraldic eagle with a left turned head, open wings, holding a wreath with a canted swastika in the center.

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.