SPECIAL STAMP IN MEMORY OF THE FIRST DAY OF INVASION - a special souvenir leaf with two fake stamps issued by Jews during the "Water Waves" operation in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
A souvenir sheet with two stamps issued in "Operation Bernhard": a British stamp issued in 1937 in honor of the coronation of George VI in its forged version in which the Queen (wife of George VI) was replaced with the likeness of Stalin and the coronation date May 12, 1937 was changed For the date November 28, 1943 when the Tehran Conference convened. And a Stalin stamp with the inscription: "This is a Jewish war" and stars of David.
Similar to the famous money bills that were forged in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp ['Operation Bernhard' to undermine the British economy] stamps were also forged. In 1943, Jewish prisoners in Blocks 18/19 were forced to forge British stamps on Himmler's orders in an operation called "waves of water" in which about nine million stamps were forged. The purpose of the forgery was mainly propaganda: "In this way we are sowing hatred in England against Jews and Russians", stated one of the SS men involved in the forgery. The fake stamps resembled British stamps with identical values but the inscription and design were changed in a trendy way. The quality of the forged stamps was poor due to the use of coarse and thick paper that was originally used to print German food ration stamps. At the same time, the postmarks stamped on the stamps were also forged and included anti-Semitic inscriptions such as "World Judaism", Star of David signs or inscriptions intended to demoralize the public such as "England Has Lost the War", and more. The fake stamps were distributed in Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Turkey and Sweden.
Before us is a rare souvenir page issued by the Jewish prisoners as part of that operation, similar to the souvenir pages issued for real stamps.
[1] leaf. Two stamps affixed to it (unsigned). Very good condition.
