PROPAGANDA POSTCARDS
(1940)
This page was last updated
03-Nov-2024 06:30
TAG DER BRIEFMARKE
STAMP DAY
(7th Jan 1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate Stamp Day on 7th Jan 1940 and the 90th Anniversary of German Stamps sponsored by the Nürnberg Philatelic Club.
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OFFERING/SACRIFICE DAY
(20th/21st Jan 1940)
These postcards were issued to commemorate Offering Day/Sacrifice Day of the War Winterhilfswerk (W.H.W). The annual event had its roots in the early years of the First World War, when fundraising events would be held in many German towns and cities. The donations from the people were used to support the war effort as well as the German Red Cross and widows and orphans.
The card below left was issued was issued by the Border Gau of Baden 24th/25th Feb whereas the card on the right was issued 20th/21st Jan 1940.
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PP149-A-1 BLANK CARD
(6Rpf POSTHORN)
This postcard was issued throughout 1940 until 1945 and exists in several forms and text. The card measures 147 x 104 mm and has a single light green 6Rpf Post horn pre-printed stamp.
ABOVE: PP149-A-1 - 6Rpf POSTHORN
INTERNATIONAL LEIPZIG FAIR
(3rd Mar 1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate the annual International Leipzig Fair 1940.
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LEIPZIG STAMP SHOW
(6Rpf POSTHORN)
(10th Mar 1940)
This series of 4 postcards was a re-issue of the 1936 Olympic Postal Exhibition postcards. They have the same three-line text of the first set "Olympia - Postwertzeichen - Ausstellung | Dresden | 1.- 16. August 1936", but this has been crossed out with two diagonal lines and additional text inscribed "Briefmarken Werbeschau | der R.d.P Sammlergruppe Süd Leipzig | den 10. Marz 1940 " has been added.
There were two more of the set re-issued for the same show but this time with large oval shields on the reverse inscribed 'MEIN LEIPZIG LOB ICH MIR!'
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ABOVE: LEIPZIG STAMP SHOW - 6Rpf POSTHORN
THE DAY OF THE WEHRMACHT
(17th Mar 1940)
Published by Hermann Sonntag to commemorate the Day of the Armed Forces this postcard features a soldier looking back over his shoulder whilst carrying a rifle with bayonet fixed. There were also several other postcards published to commemorate the day.
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6th NATIONAL STREET COLLECTION
WINTER RELIEF FUND
(29th/31st Mar 1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate the 6th National Street Collection of the Winterhilfswerk (W.H.W). There are quite a number of variations in the colour of the card, from white to brown. The example below left shows the special cancel that was used in Berlin-Steglitz and Heilbronn (Neckar).
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5th NATIONAL CLUB DAY
PP122-C-110
(30th/31st Mar 1940)
This postcard was published to commemorate both the 5th National Club Day as well as the 46th German Philatelic Day 1940. There is only one basic design but there are at least seven possible variations.
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ABOVE: PP122-C-110/01 - 3Rpf HINDENBURG
BERLIN-MARIENFELDE STAMP EXHIBITION
PP126-C-26
(30th/31st Mar 1940)
This postcard was published to commemorate the Berlin-Marienfelde Postage Stamp Exhibition held in that city on 30th and 31st of Mar 1940. The show was sponsored by collecting employees of Siemens Apparate u. Maschinen GmbH and the card features an image of the pocket battleship 'Admiral Graf Spee' on the left-hand pane, and a 5Rpf Hindenburg Medallion pre-printed stamp on the right-hand pane.
The German Cruiser or Pocket Battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee had been scuttled in Montevideo Harbour, Uruguay, on 17th Dec 1939 and was the first major naval casualty of the war for the Germans. This card was published to raise funds for the families of those who served aboard the ship.
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ABOVE: PP126-C-26 - 5Rpf HINDENBURG
6. WHW STREET COLLECTION
31st Mar 1940
This postcard was a re-issue of the 1939 KWHW postcard issued by Wehrkreiskommando V Stuttgart.
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ADOLF HITLER'S BIRTHDAY
(20th Apr 1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate Adolf Hitler's birthday on 20th Apr 1940. The image depicts the house where Hitler was born in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn. The scene is surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves symbolising strength and longevity. The reverse of this example shows the special cancellation used in Vienna and depicts an Iron Cross medal flanked by a sword and a hammer with the inscription "Geburtstag des Führers". The image represents bravery, strength and hard work.
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100 YEARS of POSTAGE STAMPS
PP149-D-1
(20th/21st Apr 1940)
Published on 20th to 21st Apr 1940 to commemorate 100 years of the postage stamp and 70 years of postcards. There were two versions, the first in green and the second in yellow and green. These two cards were valid until the end of the war. The two examples below, both feature the special cancel used during the exhibition in Berlin.
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ABOVE LEFT: (1) PP149-D-1/01 - Green
ABOVE RIGHT: (2) PP149-D-1/02 i Green/Yellow
NOT WORTH a PFENNIG
(1st May 1940)
Published on 1st May 1940 and featuring either Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill or Joseph Stalin, these propaganda postcards were available at military canteens as well as civilian stationary stores. Their purpose was to deride the British Government (note this was 10 days before the invasion of France on 10th May 1940). They were designed by Heinz Fehling of Bremen and printed by Ferdinand Ashelm of Berlin-Lichterfelde. The two basic cards are shown below but there are other variations.
IMPORTANT NOTE: postcards inscribed 'Feldpostkarte' are considered to be forgeries.
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ABOVE LEFT: (1) NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN
ABOVE RIGHT: (2) WINSTON CHURCHILL
ABOVE LEFT: (3) JOSEPH STALIN - FORGERY - 'NACHDRUCK. Walter Dungs'
ABOVE RIGHT: (4) FELDPOST KARTE - FORGERY
1st SILESIAN POSTAGE STAMP SHOW
PP127-C-51
(22nd May/1st Jun 1940)
Published to commemorate the First Silesian Postage Stamp Show held in Breslau from 22nd May to 1st Jun 1940.
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ABOVE: PP127-C-51
DEUTSCHEN LUFTPOST VERBAND
GERMAN AIRMAIL ASSOCIATION
(Jun 1940?)
I don't know the exact publication date for the following postcard but I have it cancelled in Jun 1940 so I have placed it here until a more accurate date can be determined.
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KARL-MAY SPIELE
KARL-MAY GAMES
(Jun / Aug 1940)
Published to commemorate the 1940 Karl-May Games held in BERLIN from Jun to Aug 1940.
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100 YEARS of POSTAGE STAMPS
BOGEN-STRAUBING
(8th/9th Jun 1940)
There were four very similar cards published for the K.d.F to promote the 100th Anniversary of the Postage Stamp Exhibition held in Bogen-Straubing on 8th and 9th Jun 1940. All four cards featured the same image and a 3Rpf pre-printed Hindenburg Medallion stamp but there were differences between them.
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ABOVE LEFT: PP122-C-111
ABOVE RIGHT: PP122-C-117/01
LOST COLONIES
(10th/30th Jun 1940)
Published 10th to 30th Jun 1940 to remind Germans of the colonies they lost after their defeat in the Frist World War. The postcard was available at the German Colonial Show and asks the question "Wie lange nach ohne Kolonien?" - 'How much longer without colonies?'. This was a reflection of the German feeling that Germany would not be treated as a leading nation, and hence an equal, on the world's stage if it did not possess any colonies.
The postcard design shows the continent of Africa divided up into neat areas as a reference to the fact that Africa has already been divided up and distributed among other nations.
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ABOVE: Lost Colonies
DEUTSCHLAND DEINE KOLONIEN!
GERMANY YOUR COLONIES
I'm not 100% sure if this card was printed in 1940, it could be a year either side. However it is yet another variation on the theme of Germany lamenting the loss of its former colonies. This one simply states 'Germany your colonies'.
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WIEN DEUTSCHE KOLONIAL AUSSTELLUNG
VIENNA COLONIAL EXHIBITION
(10th/30th Jun 1940)
This series of postcards was issued to commemorate the German Colonial Exhibition held in Vienna from 10th to 30th Jun 1940
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MUSSOLINI / ADOLF HITLER MEETING
(18th Jun 1940)
This photo-Hoffmann produced postcard was issued to commemorate the meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Munich on 18th Jun 1940. Mussolini was accompanied by his Foreign Minister, Count Ciano who later recorded in his diary that Mussolini had left the meeting feeling embarrassed that he was now playing second fiddle to Hitler, who's armies had just secured spectacular victories over France and the Low countries, without much assistance from Mussolini.
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ARMISTICE at COMPIEGNE
(25th Jun 1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate the signing of the Armistice with France at Compiegne Forest. The dramatic imagery depicts German soldiers, Ju87 Stuka dive bombers and large artillery pieces swarming all over a map of defeated Belgium, Holland and Northern France. The inscription reads "Erinnerung an | den Waffenstillstand | in Compiegne 25. Juni 1940 | um 1.25 Uhr." - 'Memory of | the armistice | in Compiegne June 25, 1940 | at 1:25 am'.
The German's, wanting to make as big a show as possible out of France's humiliating defeat, shipped the same railway carriage used by the Germans to sign their defeat after the First World War, all the way from the museum where it was on display to a clearing in Compiegne Forest. True theater.
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IRON CROSS
(12th Jul 1940)
This postcard doesn't appear to have been published to commemorate any particular event, however it did exist in several different formats. The inscription reads "ES KANN NUR EINER SIEGEN UND DAS SIND WIR" - 'Only one can win and that is us' from a speech given by Adolf Hitler on 8th Nov 1939.
The variation below was a private printing with an additional inscription "Tag des Groß Deutschen | Briefmarkenhandels | Wien 1. bis 3. Dezember 1940" - 'Day of the Great German | Postage stamp trade | Vienna December 1st to 3rd, 1940'
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FIRST POSTAL EXHIBITION GERMAN RED CROSS
PP122-C-112 and PP127-C-52
(3rd/4th Aug 1940)
Published to commemorate the 1st Postal Exhibition of the German Red Cross held on 3rd and 4th Aug 1940 in Berlin. There are two postcards with identical designs, the only difference is that one has a 3Rpf (brown) and the other has a 6Rpf (green) pre-printed Hindenburg Medallion stamp. The example below shows the 6Rpf version along with the special cancel that was used in Berlin during the exhibition.
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ABOVE: PP127-C-52 - German Red Cross Postal Exhibition
DEUTSCHE ROTE KREUZ
GERMAN RED CROSS
(Aug 1940)
This series of postcards was probably issued from mid-1940 onwards. There are multiple cards in the series.
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DANZIG STRUGGLE for JUSTICE
(Aug 1940)
This is a series of postcards highlighting the struggle for the port city of Danzig to regain its freedom. As part of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of the First World War Danzig was designated a free port and no longer under German control. The reinstallation of the city to German rule was one of the Nazi's key objectives.
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MIDDLE GERMAN COLONIAL SHOW
(29th Sep/13th Oct 1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate the Middle German Colonial show held in Aussig from 29th Sep to 13th Oct 1940. There were two different design available, the one below and another depicting Africa in orange with white areas denoting the locations of the lost colonies and a large palm tree to the left. The colonies were clockwise from the top: DOA (Deutsche Ost Afrika), DSWA (Deutsche Südwest Afrika), Kamerun and Togo. This card bears the inscription "Mittledeutsche | Kolonialschau"
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ABOVE LEFT: Design 1
ABOVE RIGHT: Design 2
GERMAN RED CROSS FUND RAISER
(Oct 1940)
In Oct 1940 the German Red Cross issued a series of 6 postcards designed to raise funds for the Organisation. The cards were sold for 1 RM in a set within an illustrated envelope inscribed:
'KREIGS-HILFSWERK FUR DAS DEUTSCHES ROTE KREUZ | KRIEGSJAHR 1940 | HERAUSEGEBEN VON DER NSDAP., KREISLEITUNG MUNSTER-WARENDORF PREIS 1.-RM.' - 'WAR-WELFAREK FOR THE GERMAN RED CROSS | WAR 1940 | PUBLISHED BY THE NSDAP., MUNSTER-WARENDORF CIRCUIT PRICE 1.-RM'.
The images feature linocuts designed by Georg Sluyterman von Langeweyde.
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DAY OF FREEDOM
(26th Oct 1940)
Published 26th Oct 1940 to commemorate the 1st Anniversary of the 'Day of Freedom'. This issue was published by the Gaupropagandaleitung der NSDAP: Wartheland, and was re-issued using excess cards in 1941
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The postcard design features a gold Reichsadler holding an oak leaf wreath and swastika in its talons and the inscription 'Wartheland'. Below the eagle is a sword, and a plough symbolising strength, power and hard work. Below that is the inscription:
'TAG DER FREIHEIT' or 'Day of Freedom'
FIRST COLLECTORS' SHOW
(26th/27th Oct 1940)
There were four postcards, 3 with the same design but different value pre-printed stamps, published to commemorate the first collectors' show, sponsored by the 'Strength through Joy' collectors' group in Berlin-Schöneberg.
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ABOVE LEFT: PP122-C-113
ABOVE RIGHT: PP126-C-27
NINE-CARD SET FOR THE WHW
(5th Nov 1940)
This set of nine postcards was issued on 5th Nov to raise funds for the 1940/1941 Winterhilfswerk Charity.
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ABOVE: WHW COLLECTION
BERLIN-FRIEDENAU
STAMP SHOW
(9th/10th Nov 1940)
These two postcards were published to commemorate the Berlin-Friedenau Stamp Show held between 9th and 10th Nov 1939. There was also a special cancel inscribed "BERLIN-FRIEDENAU 1 | Briefmarken-Tausch-kameradschaft.Weltesche im r.d.Ph".
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ABOVE LEFT: PP126-C-28-01 - GREY - 5Rpf HINDENBURG
ABOVE RIGHT: PP126-C-28-02 - SALMON - 5Rpf HINDENBURG
HANNOVER TRADE SHOW
PP122-C-115 and PP127-C-54
(9th/10th Nov 1940)
This postcard was published for the Hannover fund raising trade show for the K.d.F 'Strength through Joy' Organisation. The card also commemorates 300 years of postal services in Hannover as well as the 7th anniversary of the Strength through joy.
There are two variations: one with a 3Rpf (brown) and the other with a 6Rpf (green) Hindenburg Medallion pre-printed stamp. The postcards cost 20Rpf each. The colour of the background varies as does that of the text.
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ABOVE LEFT: (1) PP122-C-115 - 3Rpf HINDENBURG MEDALLION
ABOVE RIGHT: (2) PP127-C-54 - 6Rpf HINDENBURG MEDALLION
BERLIN POSTAL SHOW
PP122-C-116 and PP127-C-55
(23rd/24th Nov 1940)
There were two other postcards released on 23rd to 24th Nov 1940 that commemorated the 7th Anniversary of the Strength Through Joy Organisation as well as the stamp show.
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ABOVE LEFT: PP122-C-110 - 3Rpf HINDENBURG MEDALLION
ABOVE RIGHT: PP127-C-52 - 6Rpf HINDENBURG MEDALLION
1. OSTMARKISCHE POSTWERTZEICHEN SCHAU DER K.D.F.
1. OSTMARK POSTAGE STAMP SHOW
(23rd Nov to 7th Dec 1940)
These two postcards were published to commemorate the 1st Ostmark postage stamp show of the K.D.F. - Collectors' group of Wiener Neustadter Flugzeugwerke, held from 23rd Nov until 7th Dec 1940.
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HONOURING EMIL Von BEHRING
(26th Nov 1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate the life of Emil von Behring the developer of the Diphtheria antitoxin. The card features a portrait of von Behring with a short inscription below. There were two special cancels used with this event, one from Marburg and the other from Leverkusen.
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FELDPOST CHRISTMAS GREETING
(Dec 1940)
This postcard was likely published in Dec 1940 and is a feldpost card inscribed 'Die Gedanken bei Euch | Kreigs Weihnacht 1940' - 'The thoughts with you | War Christmas 1940'. There was no pre-printed stamp on this card.
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MITGLIEDKARTE ENGINEERS
(1940)
This Mitgliedkarte is inscribed "VEREIN DEUTSCHER INGENIEURE IM NS-BUND DEUTSCHER TECHNIK" - 'ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN ENGINEERS IN THE NS-BUND GERMAN TECHNOLOGY'.
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DIE SIEGREICHEN FAHNEN und
STANDARTEN der DEUTSCHEN WEHRMACHT
This superb set of 21 postcards depicts flags and standards of the German Wehrmacht. The issue date of this series is likely 1940 but needs confirmation.
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DONATION for the VDA SCHOOL COLLECTION
(1940)
These postcards, often called "Willrich cards" after the artist, and cost 20Rpf each. They were issued as part of an on-going series to raise money for the VDA. These postcards were usually sold in envelopes containing 5 postcards, all without a pre-printed stamp.
700th ANNIVERSARY OF THE PHARMACY
(1940)
This postcard was issued to commemorate the 700th Anniversary of pharmaceuticals (1240-1940).
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600th ANNIVERSARY OF PARDUBICE
(1940)
This postcard commemorates the 600th Anniversary (1340 - 1940) of he Czech city of Pardubice. The image in the centre is the "Green Gate", the remnants of the city's old fortifications. The image of the horse in the bottom left is a reference to the city's renown as a hose racing venue.
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ANTI-BRITISH PROPAGANDA CARD
(1940)
This postcard was most likely issued late 1940 and takes a humorous approach to the defeat of the British forces in Norway, Belgium, Holland and France with a cheeky dig at how easy it was to defeat them.
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DAF GAUWALTUNG SALZBURG
(1940)
These two postcards were issued to commemorate the DAF STRASSBURG and the DAF SACHSEN GAU ADMINISTRATION DAY. I'm not sure if these two cards were published in 1940 but that seems like the most likely year [CONFIRMATION REQUIRED].
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PP122-B-17/15
(KLICKOW)
This card was part of a series of Klickow postcards featuring a 3Rpf Hindenburg Medallion stamp advertising the Klickow Stamp Shop.
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MOTHER and CHILD
(1940)
More research is required on this postcard and the reason for its issue.
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LOYALTY to the CREATIVE HAND
(1940)
More research is required on this postcard and the reason for its issue.
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--- FELDPOST CARDS ---
GEORG von SLUYTERMAN v. LANGEWEYDE
FELDPOST
(1940)
I cannot verify 100% that these Feldpost cards were issued in 1940, however they share many of the same designs as the Red Cross postcards published earlier in 1940 and several of the cards in my collection were canceled in 1942, so it seems likely that these cards were issued somewhere between 1939 and 1941.
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