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NAZI GERMANY
MY POSTCARDS
NOT WORTH A PFENNIG
(WERT KEINEN PFENNIG)

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In the interest of propaganda, the feldpost was used to create mocking caricatures of Germany's enemies. Postcards and fieldpost folded letters were issued by private companies and sold in in the Wehrmacht canteens and in stationary stores at a price of 5Rpf each. From 1st May 1940 only the Churchill and Chamberlain versions were available, and it wasn't until Germany invaded Russia that the Stalin mocking cards were published.

The mockery cards were not postal stationery and could only be sent postage free through the field post. Mockery cards or mockery letters with additional 6Rpf or 12Rpf franking from private senders were also requested, but more research is needed on these.

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Quick links:
Neville Chamberlain Feldpost, Winston Churchill Feldpost, Joseph Stalin Feldpost, Feldpost letters, Matthes Postcards and Feldpostkarte Forgeries

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DESIGNER HEINZ FEHLING

This first set of postcards was published in 1940 by Ferdinand Ashelm of Berlin-Lichterfelde, from a design by Heinz Fehling and features a stamp image of either Winston Churchill, Neville Chamberlain or Joseph Stalin. There were several print runs and the differences between them can be seen in the vibrancy of the colours and cardboard used. In addition the format of the word "feldpost" has six variations as can be seen below.

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Type I
Type II
Type III

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Type IV
Type V
Type VI


Various colour differences in the paper and print, as well as different cardboard thicknesses should be ignored, since these differences are due to war-time shortages in materials (paper, card and ink).

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NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN

There are four versions of the Neville Chamberlain feldpostcard and one version of the feldpost letter. The card also exists without the ASHELM logo at the base of the vertical divider.

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ASHELM 3503-25

I paid US$30 to add this unused Ashelm 3503-25 Bild 1, Feldpost Type I, card to my collection.

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(1)
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN (ASHELM 3503 25)
BILD 1, FELDPOST TYPE I

FROM MY COLLECTION



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ASHELM 5503-25

This card from my collection is a Bild 1, Type 2, and was published by Heinz Fehling and has a feldpost circular cancel inscribed "Wehrmachtdienststelle | feldpostnummer 24565" (Stab Pionier-Landungs-Bataillon 86). The feldpost cancel dated 8.7.40 does not indicate a feldpost unit, neither does it have a Kenn number.

On the reverse is the customary "Heil Hitler" sign off and I paid US$36 to add it to my collection.

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NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN (ASHELM 5503-25)
BILD 1, FELDPOST TYPE II

FROM MY COLLECTION



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Ed. GERST 4505

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(3)
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN
(Ed. Gerst 4505)


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NACHDRUCK VERBOTEN G, 4505

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(4)
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN
(Nachdruck verboten G. 4505)


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WINSTON CHURCHILL

The stamp on the churchill postcard features an image of Winston Churchill looking some what distraught with a British battle ship broken over his head. On Churchill's epaulettes are the letters 'WC' for Water closet or toilet. There are three versions of the Winston Churchill postcard.

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ASHELM 3503-25

This Winston Churchill Ashelm 3503-25, Bild 2, Feldpost Type I card, is valued at around US$30.

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WINSTON CHURCHILL (ASHELM 3503 25)
BILD 2, TYPE I

FROM MY COLLECTION


Here is another Winston Churchill Ashelm 3503 25 card from my collection, this time it has been postally used and is a Bild 2, Feldpost Type III version. I overpaid slightly on this one as it worth about US$35, at the time I didn't notice the small tear on the right hand edge.

This particular card has a Jüterbog cancel dated 9th Jul 1940. Jüterbog became the home of a major troop camp on the edge of the Jüterbog military training area from 1934. Soon after its creation it was renamed Adolf Hitler Camp. It is believed that the 'SS' were the first to occupy this camp but after late 1935 it became the home of the Artillery School. The camp was an important location for artillery troops.

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WINSTON CHURCHILL (ASHELM 3503 25)
BILD 2, TYPE III

FROM MY COLLECTION



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ASHELM 5503 25

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WINSTON CHURCHILL (ASHELM 5503 25)


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GERST 4503

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WINSTON CHURCHILL (GERST 4503)


There are a further two versions of the Winston Churchill card. The first has Churchill's head repositioned so that it is now straight instead of leaning to the side as in the cards above. The WC has also now been moved from Churchill's epaulette's to the bow of the ship broken on his head. The text "WERT Keinen PFENNIG" has been moved to the bottom left of the stamp and has been replaced by a row of medals.

A final, much rarer version, sees Churchill's military uniform replaced by city clothes, complete with a bowler hat, instead of the ship, and the text changed to red instead of white.

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JOSEPH STALIN

Due to being a later print there is only one version of the Stalin postcard (Published Jul 1941). The stamp depicts Stalin chopping through the handle of a hammer with a sickle (the hammer and sickle being the symbol of the Communist Party).

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JOSEPH STALIN (GERST 4503)


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FELDPOST FOLDED LETTERS

There are two feldpost folded letters (Feldpost-Faltbriefen), one of Winston Churchill and the other of Neville Chamberlain, there is no feldpost letter depicting Stalin.

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WINSTON CHURCHILL
(2)
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN


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MATTHES POSTCARDS

In addition to the Fehling mockery cards above, there were also cards produced by Verlag Paul R. Matthes. They are very similar to the Fehling cards, however they do not appear in the "Michel Feldpost Catalogue" [1] or "Postcards of Hitler's Germany" [2] and more research is required in order to determine their validity.

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KNOWN FORGERIES

Due to the interest these items generate among philatelists, the Heinz Fehling cards have been the subject of forgeries and unoffical reprints. The most common forgery has the word "Feldpostkarte", instead of "Feldpost".

These printings are considered forgeries but can often be found on eBay, and other such sites, being sold as the genuine atricle complete with stamps and cancellations. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

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(1)
FELDPOSTKARTE


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KNOWN RE-PRINTS

There was also an unofficial printing in the 1960's that has the inscription "Nachdruck. Walter Dungs" on the vertical dividing line. Churchill, Chamberlain and Stalin postcards were all re-printed. These aren't considered forgeries as they clearly have the word "NACHDRUCK" or re-print on the reverse of each card. However there are many examples in existance with fake/forged cancellations that are intended to convince buyers that these are genuine 1940 issued cards, they are NOT, they were re-printed in the 1960's.

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FROM MY COLLECTION



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BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] MICHEL Handbuch-Katalog Deutsche Feldpost 1937-1945, Printed in 1991. ISBN 3 87858 452 0.

[2] POSTCARDS of HITLER'S GERMANY Vol 3. Printed in 2003. ISBN: 0-912138-89-0.



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This page was last updated
04-Aug-2021 08:06