Himmler-head forgery of the 6-pfennig Deutsches Reich stamp
A British forgery of the violet 6-pfennig Hitler-head definitive with Heinrich Himmler's face in place of Hitler's, shown here in its two printings (December 1942 with finer lines, April/May 1943 with wider lines). It borrows the look and authority of an official Reichspost issue to suggest that Himmler was preparing to succeed Hitler. A PWE memorandum of 5 April 1943 covers sending 400 of the stamps, with postmarks and censorship strips, to Stockholm so that they could enter the post with no visible British origin.
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- UK Political Warfare Executive (black propaganda forgery)
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Stamp
- Issuer type
- Intelligence
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Enemy civilians
- Purpose
- Deceive or deny
- Themes
- War and the military, Media and information
- Event
- World War II
- Techniques
- TransferNarrative laundering
- Source
- Impersonated Source falsified: fake personas, outlets or documents
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons, retrieved September 27, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (UK Crown copyright expired; PD-UKGov)
British Government (Political Warfare Executive), 1942-43. Image via forgery.de, Wikimedia Commons.
Text on the object
6 6 DEUTSCHES REICH 6 6 DEUTSCHES REICH
6 6 GERMAN REICH 6 6 GERMAN REICH
Both printings shown in the image carry the same printed text (the denomination '6' twice and 'DEUTSCHES REICH'); only the portrait and the fineness of the engraved lines differ between the two.
