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. Adolf Hitler ‘FUTSCHES REICH’ (Ruined Empire)12pf red  Propaganda forgery Mini Sheet of 4: 

Fresh mint unhinged and imperf.  The then current Hitler German 12pf letter rate stamp design lampooned with smiling Hitler ‘Death Mask’.   Originals were part of the World War 2 USA Office Of Strategic Services (OSS) “Operation Cornflake” propaganda campaign to undermine the German public. 
 
Details of this wide ranging stamp propaganda campaign were not found until shortly after the death of wartime USA President Franklin D. Roosevelt - whose stamp collection was sold at auction and official letters outlining this issue were discovered among it.
 
The original "Skull" stamps were key part of a high level clandestine plan to undermine the morale of the average German citizen.  The Allies felt that if many German people started receiving Anti-Nazi propaganda in their morning mail delivered punctually at breakfast time by the mailman, they would feel that their "German Empire" was falling apart from within.
 
They were the brainchild of General "Wild Bill" Donovan, head of the OSS - the U.S. espionage agency during World War II (that later became the CIA) who ordered the original stamps printed by OSS operations in Switzerland.
 
The OSS decided that the best way to smuggle the mail into the regular German postal system was to bomb mail trains.  In addition to the bombs possibly destroying the trains, they dropped sacks of mail containing Anti-Nazi propaganda.  During the confusion of cleaning up the wreck, the false mail sacks were mixed with the damaged German mail. 
 
The OSS re-created all aspects of the German Postal system from real business return addresses to many thousands of names and addresses pulled from the telephone directories.  They even replicated the mail bags, postal markings and every other detail of the postal system.  Every letter was franked with the fake "Skull" stamps.  On opening the letter, they would find it filled with anti-Nazi propaganda often including the 12pf red "Futsches Reich" stamp.
 
"War is Hell" as we all know, and Donovan wrote to Roosevelt: "Every fortnight approximately 500 to 1200 copies of the Frankfurter Zeitung are likewise sent into Germany where they are mailed to individuals whose addresses appear in the death notices of soldiers who are reported to have died for the fatherland."
 
The original forgeries are fully catalogued in Michel, and of course are rare and expensive and seldom are offered on the market.  A huge amount of detailed info on this amazing propaganda campaign, and the Hitler forgeries and reprints can be found here:
 
 
I bought these mint reprint/forgery Miniature Sheets of 4 stamps over 25 years ago in my first year of stamp dealing, from an old dealer of Jewish background,  and have not seen them since until cleaning up this month!   I have no idea of their origin, but they are obviously well over 25 years old.  
 
Surely be a useful sideline addition for Judiaca or Germany or USA or forgery collectors?  One x  fresh imperforate MUH Miniature sheet exactly as shown in photo $A30 (very approx $US 22) or per 5 -  $A90
 
Air post anywhere in the world $A3.  (100% at your own risk)
 
Registered Post for one of 5 anywhere in the world $A10. (Australia $A4)
 
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glen@glenstephens.com is my PayPal address
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Full Time Stamp Dealer in Australia for over 25 years.

Life Member - American Stamp Dealers' Association.  (New York) 
Also Member of; Philatelic Traders' Society.  (London)     ANDA. (Melbourne)    American Philatelic Society, etc

 

 

Time and Temp in Sunny Sydney!

 

GLEN $TEPHEN$

Full Time Stamp Dealer in Australia for over 25 years.

Life Member - American Stamp Dealers' Association.  (New York) 
Also Member - Philatelic Traders' Society.  (London)  ANDA. (Melbourne)  American Philatelic Society, etc


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"Lothlórien," No. 4 The Tor Walk, CASTLECRAG (Sydney), N.S.W. 2068
Phone: (02) 9958-1333  Fax: (02) 9958-1444 (Both 25 Hours, 7 Days!)
E-Mail: glen@glenstephens.com
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