Catalog
50 Reichspfennig P.O.W. Camps
| Issuer | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939-1944 |
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| Value | 50 Pfennigs (0.50 RM) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Kriegsgefangenen Lagergeld Gutschein über 50 Reichspfennig Dieser Gutschein gilt nur als Zahlungsmittel für Kriegsgefangene und darf von ihnen nur innerhalb der Kriegsgefangenenlager oder bei Arbeitskommandos in den ausdrücklich hierfür bezeichneten Verkaufsstellen verausgabt und entgegengenommen werden. Der Umtausch dieses Gutscheines in gesetzliche Zahlungsmittel darf nur bei der zuständigen Kasse der Lagerverwaltung erfolgen. Zuwiderhandlungen, Nachahmungen und Fälschungen werden bestraft. Der Chef des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht Im Auftrage: (Translation: Prisoner of War Camp Money. Voucher for 50 reichspfennig. This voucher is valid only as a means of payment for prisoners of war and may only be issued and received by them within prisoner-of-war camps or at work details in the expressly designated sales outlets. This voucher may only be exchanged for legal tender at the responsible camp administration office. Violations, counterfeits, and forgeries will be punished. The Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces. By order:) |
| Reverse description | Reverse is entirely unprinted green paper, blank of any text, vignette, or ornamentation, consistent with the utilitarian, camp-issue nature of this wartime voucher. |
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| Comments |
The OKW issued a tiered series of Lagergeld — camp money — for Allied prisoners held under German military jurisdiction, with denominations color-coded to restrict purchasing power by rank and nationality. This 50 Reichspfennig piece in green sat in the middle of that hierarchy. The notes were redeemable only at designated canteens within specific camp types, preventing any accumulation of currency that could fund escape attempts or black-market trade with guards.
The Geneva Convention of 1929 actually obligated Germany to pay working enlisted prisoners, and Lagergeld was the mechanism used to technically comply while keeping real currency out of camp circulation entirely. Whether that satisfied the Convention's intent was, and remains, contested.