Beschreibung:

BANKNOTE GERMANY - WORLD WAR II NORTH AFRICA CAMPAIGN - PROPAGANDA ENGLISH ONE POUND GROUP [2] A World War II German propaganda item used in the North Africa campaign, in the form of a single colour black printed facsimile of the front of a British £1 banknote (Peppiatt) numbered H86D 729630; the reverse with an Arabic inscription reading: 'Signs of Disintegration. If you inspect this banknote, you will remember the time when it was worth ten times its present value in bright shiny gold. That was because at that time the strength and riches of the mighty British Empire supported such notes. But that greatness is fading as is the value of this worthless piece of paper. What is this note worth today? You certainly know the answer to that. With each passing day of this British inspired war, the strength of the Empire is depleted. Each battle that England loses causes a further weakening of their currency. The day draws near when even the beggars in the street will refuse the British banknote, even as a gift. Truly, Allah wills the collapse of Britain, which will surely come to pass'. 155 x 85 mm. First very fine with slight vertical crease; the second worn with multiple folds. Scarce and interesting. [2, No Reserve] Footnotes The Wehrmacht propaganda unit produced these facsimile notes with a message written in Arabic on the reverse; the German Luftwaffe dropped them in December 1942 over a wide area in Northern Egypt that included El Alamein, Cairo and Alexandria. A propaganda leaflet in the form of a banknote is effective since it will rarely go unnoticed. Anyone who finds it on a street is very likely to pick it up.