3 Mark Torgau; PoW Camp

Torgau's officer prisoner-of-war camp operated under the 1907 Hague Convention framework, which obligated detaining powers to pay captured officers their standard salary — creating a genuine need for internal scrip that could circulate within the camp without leaking into the German civilian economy. The Offizier-Gefangenenlager at Torgau on the Elbe held primarily Allied officers, and its camp currency was issued by the local Kommandantur rather than any central German authority, meaning denominations, print quality, and paper stock varied considerably across camps and even across issue runs within the same camp.

The 3 Mark denomination is an awkward one — neither the small-change end nor a high-value note — which suggests it was filling a gap in an existing series rather than serving as an anchor denomination.