NAZI GERMANY
STAMPS
1939

MICHEL 691
50th BIRTHDAY of ADOLF HITLER

This commemorative stamp was issued on the 13th April 1939, a week before Hitler's 50th Birthday. Special postmarks and postcards were also issued to commemorate the event and the stamps expired on 31st Decemeber 1940. The stamp design is derived from a Heinrich Hoffman photograph taken in Braunau, Austria after the Anschluss (the only time Hitler is known to have returned there). Braunau was Hitler's birthplace and is recognised by one of the special postmarks. The spire in the background is St. Stephan Church where Hitler's parents were married in 1885. The stamp is inscribed "DER FÜHRER in SEINER GEBURTSSTADT BRAUNAU 12/3.38" translated as 'THE LEADER IN HIS BIRTH CITY BRAUNAU'. The stamp was engraved on unwatermarked sheets (10x5) and Perf K 14.