Coinage of the Third Reich

The coinage of Germany during World War II is almost an exact mirror image of events from the previous world war. However, during World War I, the people of Germany did not have the ideals of Nazism radiating from everywhere, every loudspeaker, every signpost, even from their own pocket change.

Two versions of the 5 Reichsmark coin
with President Hindenburg on the reverse

In 1933, when Hitler rose to power in Germany, the obverse, or front, of all German coinage were changed to show the German eagle holding in its talons the Nazi swastika. This would be the norm for the rest of the war, when it was removed of its swastika during Allied occupation. In the shift of power, there also were changes in the actual mintage of coins as well. For example, there was a short-lived push to replace 5 Reichspfennig coins with 4 Reichspfennig coins (a pfennig being the equivalent of a penny to the dollar, 100 Reichspfennigs to 1 Reichsmark). Also, the composition of the 1 Reichsmark coin was changed from silver to aluminum, while silver Reichsmarks were those of 2 Reichsmarks and 5 Reichsmarks, and the 3 Reichsmark coin being discontinued altogether.

Pre-war 2 Reichspfennig coin

Aluminum 50 Reichspfennig coin

As the war wore on, as in the first world war, the composition of German coins changed according to war materiel shortages. Similar to the United States in World War II, where their pennies were minted from steel in 1943 due to copper shortages, the lower denomination Reichspfennigs were changed from bronze-plated aluminum to zinc and aluminum, which is why German coins from this time period look black today, because the aluminum is corroded. Also, the 50 Reichspfennig coin, once silver, was now aluminum, as was the other Riechsmark coins.

Wartime 5 Reichspfennig coin

At the end of the war, under Allied occupation, German coins were minted virtually unchanged from their wartime design, save for the removal of the swastikas. It was not until 1948 that two separate German coinages would define the new East and West Germany's. Until next time, take care, and thank you.

Stars and Stripes Review: December 2, 1944

The front page of this issue of The Stars and Stripes, the US Army's daily newspaper,details the newest exploits of General George S. Patton's Third Army. The Third Army is battling in and around the Saar Basin, the land previously renewed to Germany before the war. German resistance seemed to be mounting the closer the Allies got to the German border. Further south, French troops were only ten miles from the German border, and near the Ruhr, the industrial heartland of Germany.

Other newsworthy articles in this issue include the testing of a new model of P-51 fighter, the most famous American fighter of the war, though not the most produced (that honor went to the Republic P-47). Also, there is an article warning American soldiers of German soldiers disguised as GIs. These were English-speaking Germans who would infiltrate Allied lines and sever communications, ambush supply columns, and gather intelligence prior to major Allied offensives. This led to GIs asking 'security questions', such as 'If Betty Grable walked out of the woods, what part of her body would you be looking at?', or 'Who scored the most home runs for the Dodgers last season?'. If the German gave the wrong answer, the GIs would know him to be an enemy.

There are also articles of propaganda against Germans, presumably intended for Germans who might capture an American with this paper. There is one column about how silly Hitler and Nazism really are, portraying the Fuhrer in a tantrum. Also, a series of pictures of German cities and the title 'Hitler has doomed these cities' send a clear message to the enlisted men of the German Army: that Germany has lost because of Hitler.

Besides articles relating to the war, there are also features talking about domestic issues. There is a mention of the death of the Secretary of the Interior under Harding who participated in the Teapot Dome Scandal. Also, there is an article about the upcoming Army-Navy game in Baltimore. Finally, there is a Li'l Abner comic strip, showing hi jinks worthy of Wile E. Coyote himself.

This feature, and others like it, will act as a supplement to my other articles as period coverage. Until next time, take care, and thank you.

The Battle of Britain



Contrails from German and British planes during a dogfight

 August, 1940. France and the Low Countries have fallen. The British have performed nothing short of a miracle by evacuating their expeditionary forces from Dunkirk beach. Now, it seems that these troops aren't out of the woods. In fact, Hitler now sets his eyes on knocking Britain out of the war. First, though, Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering assures Hitler that his Luftwaffe will be able to destroy the Royal Air Force and achieve air superiority in time for the invasion, Operation Sea Lion. These months would see the heroism and tenacity of the RAF play out against the veteran pilots of the Luftwaffe in what would come to be known as the Battle of Britain.

The first dedicated attacks on the RAF occurred on August 12. Previous months had seen Luftwaffe attacks on Channel shipping, to which the RAF had to respond to. It was in these attacks that RAF pilots began to see weaknesses in the German planes. This is why whenever the RAF intercepted German bombers, there was massive carnage. However, this did not mean the Germans weren't having any success. Indeed, when Goering released the Bf109s (Germany's most produced fighter-interceptor) to free-roam instead of escorting the bombers, the Luftwaffe inflicted many British casualties on planes when they were returning to base low on fuel or ammunition.

However, these shot down planes did not mean that the RAF was losing. One key advantage the RAF had when fighting over Britain was that when an RAF pilot had to bail out, he could do so over his home soil and return to the fight relatively quickly. The Germans, on the other hand, were losing planes and pilots to the British. It was these losses that prompted a change of tactics in the Luftwaffe, to what Londoners would call "the Blitz".



St. Paul's Cathedral during the Blitz



It was on August 25, 1940 that British Bomber Command sent 81 planes to destroy industry centers in Berlin, in response to an accidental bombing of London by a lost German bomber. Up until this time, Hitler himself had declared that air raids against Britain would be restricted to targets of industry and air force targets. Now, with this raid against German soil all bets were off. Hitler ordered Goering to begin large-scale terror bombings of major British cities, especially London, to bring them to their knees, as it were. While many square bocks of London were leveled and many more London residents were killed, Britain held firm. It was during the Blitz that Winston Churchill gave his famous 'Finest Hour' speech to the nation, praising the deeds of the RAF and declaring that Britain shall not fall.

Churchill's words would come true. By the beginning of 1941 the Luftwaffe had sustained heavy losses from ground antiaircraft guns and RAF fighters. This, coupled with the postponement of Operation Sea Lion, spelled the end of the Battle of Britain. Outnumbered almost 3 to 1, the RAF was able to keep air superiority over Britain, defying the will of Germany, and signaling the fist major defeat of Germany, the first of many to come. Also, the Battle of Britain stirred sympathy across the Atlantic. It was during this time that the United States approved the Lend-Lease Act of war materiel to Britain, in addition to the formation of the volunteer RAF Eagle squadron. It was a foreshadow of things to come.

However, it must not be forgotten that the Battle of Britain could have ended much differently. Had the Germans not pulled their planes from military strikes, the RAF would not have lasted as long as it did. Furthermore, had the Luftwaffe not discounted the importance of Britain's radar, the priorities of the German planners might have been different, poised to rob Britain of its technological superiority rather than its planes. Finally, had there been no sustained bombardment of London, the resolve of the British people might not have been so solid when the invasion came. Ultimately, it was Hitler's impatience to deal with Russia and acquire his 'lebensraum' before knocking out Britain that would spell the doom of the Third Reich. Today, every September 15, in memory of Churchill's words, "never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few", the Imperial War Museum stages an air show with restored and refurbished period aircraft, reenacting the finest hour of the RAF. Until next time, take care, and thank you.

The Saar Plebiscite

A 1934 campaign button for the reunification of the Saar

In March of 1935, Germany made one of its many prewar land acquisitions, land under the protection of the League of Nations. This time, it was the territory of the Saar basin. The Saar is located on the French-German border. It was taken as a League protectorate in 1920 under French rule, but by 1933, with the rise of Hitler to power, Germany wanted the Saar back. Germany waged a voting campaign throughout Germany and in the Saar itself for absorbing the Saar into Germany. The vote revealed in the Saar that 90% of those who voted favored aligning with Germany. In January of 1935, the action was approved by the League of Nations, with the Saar becoming part of Germany in March of that year.

By the end of the war, however, the Saar was once again under French rule, and remained that way until 1955, when the Saar once again rejoined Germany. Today, the modern German state of the Saarland has similar borders as the Saar once did back in 1935, and where once the population was about 800,000 it is now over 1 million. Until next time, take care, and thank you.

Messerschmitt Me-262: Birth of the Jet

On July 26 1944, the Allied powers got their first brief taste of a new kind of airplane. Germany had beaten all the other Allied powers to the successful development and deployment of the world's first operational jet fighter: the Me-262 Schwalbe (German for 'sparrow'). While the Allies would deploy their first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, just one day later, the Germans are credited for revolutionizing the air war for the next seven decades and beyond.

The Me-262 was originally drawn up in 1939. The design process might've gone on much faster had there not been significant delays due to the lack of reliable jet engines.The first test flight of the plane wasn't until 1941, but this was only the most basic problem. Hitler wanted the 262 to be a high-speed bomber (Shnellbomber), rather than a defensive interceptor as initially designed. While it is not known how badly this delayed production of the 262, it certainly put the Allies that much closer to Germany while their jet was still grounded.

The Me-262 is easily recognized by its swept wing design (the wings taper backward instead of going strait out from the body of the plane). This gave the 262 improved airflow over the wings at high speeds. However, the issue of the engine still plagued the plane's development. It wasn't that jet engines didn't exist, but there was a severe shortage of materials that could withstand the high temperatures inside the engine. Without these materials, the engines were prohibitively unreliable.

However, despite these setbacks, the Me-262 did eventually get deployed into combat. The Allies were at a loss in the beginning as to how to combat this new plane; the 262 could go at least 100mph faster than any plane the Allies had at the time. However, it was soon learned that when the 262 was either taking off or landing, it did not have excessive speed and could be taken down.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of Me-262s destroyed were not in the air. As the war progressed, it was seen that the 262 used up huge amounts of fuel. With the need to prioritize fuel allocation, the 262s were often grounded, and destroyed on the ground by Allied planes on strafing missions.

After the end of the war, with the mad dash to get any and all advanced German technology, the Allies acquired a number of Me-262s. By studying the design, the US was able to construct such planes as the B-47 bomber and the F-86 Sabre fighter, a plane which would make a name for itself in the Korean War. Also, the Me-262 continued to be made after the war. Since the main production facilities were in Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovak Air Force used Me-262s up until the 1950s, where they were replaced by Soviet-designed planes.

Today, surviving examples of the Me-262 can be found in many museums across the world. They are a fitting testament to a revolution in aerial warfare. Until next time, take care, and thank you.

Germany's Forgotten Aircraft Carrier

Graf Zeppelin docked in Stettin 1942

When one considers aircraft carriers in World War II, one usually thinks of the carriers of Britain, Japan, and the United States. However, did you know that Germany had an aircraft carrier too? She was named the Graf Zeppelin, after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. It was Germany's attempt to spread her naval arm outside the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic. Alas, it was not to be.

The Graf Zeppelin was ordered in 1935, as part of Germany's rearmament. It was an attempt to create a well-rounded navy, to fit in with the times where a biplane with a torpedo can sink the mightiest of battleships (much like Bismarck). Her hull was completed and launched in 1938. However, she was never officially commissioned.

Work to complete the Graf Zeppelin was on and off throughout the war. Work would only resume in 1942, when the power of aircraft carriers had been demonstrated numerous times before. However, other issues arose concerning the aircraft. It was initially thought that specially-designed carrier planes would be built. This was not possible, however, due to the already stretched aircraft industry in Germany building planes for ground-support and air superiority roles. The idea then came to modify existing planes to carrier duty. In the end, this did not work, and the Graf Zeppelin was an aircraft carrier without any planes.

The Graf Zeppelin was moved from port to port as needed when the Allies were advancing. Since she was never completed, she was not a big threat. There was only one air attack specifically against the Graf Zeppelin, but did not receive any confirmed damage. After the war, the Graf Zeppelin fell into the hands of the Soviets. For a time, there was a movement to finish the carrier and commission it in the Soviet Navy. However, this did not happen, and she ended up being towed out to sea and scuttled.

She was found, however, in 2006 by a Polish fishing ship. Subsequent dives to the wreck confirmed that it indeed is the Graf Zeppelin, sunk 264 feet down off the coast of Poland, where she remains today. Until next time, take care, and thank you.

Operation Bodenplatte: The Luftwaffe Falls

Battle plan for Operation Bodenplatte

In the morning hours of New Years Day 1945, Allied air bases in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands were attacked by a large force of German fighter planes. This was Germany's last attempt to regain air superiority in Europe, in support of their troops involved in the Battle of the Bulge. The name of the game: Operation Bodenplatte (German for 'baseplate').

The operation was originally scheduled for mid-December 1944. However, bad weather forced the plan to be postponed. Ironically, bad weather was the main reason the Germans attacked in mid-December, because the Allies wouldn't be able to get air support for their troops. The British code-breaking team intercepted intelligence reports of air assets massing in the area, but did not realize a major operation was afoot.

Indeed, there was so much secrecy placed around the operation that many German anti-aircraft units were not informed of any major Luftwaffe operation. Since by this time the Allies had virtual air supremacy, the Germans automatically assumed that any large formation of planes had to be Allied planes. Unfortunately for the Germans, this resulted in many squadrons suffering from friendly fire. Nevertheless, the attack commenced on New Years Day, since the Germans believed that the Allied pilots would've been relaxed from festivities the night before. At the first bases attacked, the Allies were taken almost completely by surprise.

One instance of the Allies being forewarned of an attack is documented in the Dogfights episode "Death of the Luftwaffe", where a patrol of American P-47 Thunderbolts spotted a large formation of German planes outside of their home base and engaged the enemy formation, startling the attackers.

It turned out that out of 34 German formations in the air, only 11 of them arrived on time and achieved any measure of surprise. When the battles were over, both sides had lost many planes. However, the key difference between the Allied losses and the German losses is that the Allied losses were replaced in a matter of weeks. The Germans, on the other hand, not only lost many valuable planes, but many more irreplaceable pilots, leaving the veteran population of the Luftwaffe virtually exhausted.

This operation would be the last major Luftwaffe operation of the war. Despite Germany's best efforts, they did not regain control of the skies and they did not hurt the Allied air forces badly enough to affect the tide of war turning against Germany. Until next time, take care, and thank you.