From: mpcgram-owner@papermoneyworld.net on behalf of MPCgram [mpcgram@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 1:10 PM To: mpcgram@papermoneyworld.net Subject: MPCGram 1464 D-Day anniversary ------------------------ / MPC Gram News Letter / ----------------------- =========================================== MPC GRAM =========================================== Vol 7, no 1464 Tuesday June 6, 2006 THE GERMAN INVASION OF WINNIPEG by Jim Downey During WWII, bond rallies were held throughout the United States and Canada to raise money for the war effort. These ranged from small, local affairs to large festivals attended by thousands at places like Madison Square Garden complete with appearances by celebrities. The most elaborate bond rally was that held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 19, 1942. At 6:00a.m. on February 24, Winnipeg residents awoke to the sounds of military vehicles and the click-click of jackboots on the pavement. The vanguard of a large German invasion force entered the city. Overhead the Luftwaffe flew bombing missions. By 6:30, the Winnipeg military reserves had responded to the attack and took positions along a 3-mile defensive perimeter. At 7:03, the opposing forces made there first contact as a battery of Canadian artillery opened fire on the invaders. The German assault was relentless and by 7:45 the defenders were forced to withdraw to a 2-mile perimeter. The city saw heavy fighting including the demolition of 3 bridges and several public buildings. (There were actual explosions and rubble strewn about to simulate the demolition.) At precisely 9:00a.m. resistance in the city crumbled. The German swastika was raised over the city and the Nazi occupation of Winnipeg began. The Germans wasted little time establishing control over the city. Troops stormed the Manitoba provincial legislature building where the premier, his ministers and the legislators were taken captive. Also captured was the Norwegian ambassador to the United States who was meeting with the premier. Stormtroopers also raided the Winnipeg city hall where the mayor and councilmen were also taken prisoner. All of the government officials were carried off to concentration camps. Winnipeg was renamed Himmlerstadt and Erich von Nueremburg was named the Gauleiter of the city. The imposed a reign of terror on the ordinary citizens of Winnipeg. Orders requiring all citizens to register with the occupation authorities were issued. Movement was restricted and controlled by Wehrmacht checkpoints. The local media was taken over by the Nazi propaganda machine. Churches were ordered closed. Soldiers raided the Carnegie Library and burned books in the public square. Those who resisted were taken away. The occupation authority posted proclamations imposing the death penalty for resistance. Possession of firearms and leaving the province were made capital offenses. Stocks of food including store inventories were confiscated. The Manitoba wheat crop was impounded. Food was rationed and all excess foodstuffs were earmarked for transport back to the Reich. The occupation authority also issued occupation currency. The notes were copies of the German currency with Occupation Reichsmark overprinted on them. All of the observed notes are 10 RM and have the same serial numbers X-09534432. (The 10 RM note is shown on page 199 of World War II Remembered.) Reports indicate the currency was paid out to citizens by the occupation authorities and banks. The occupiers would only accept Canadian currency in return. The invasion lasted the entire day with large parts of the city participating along with local military units. The local reserve units used it as a preparedness exercise. There were only two casualties – a sprained ankle and a cut finger. How realistic was the invasion? The organizers were so concerned that the radio broadcasts done as part of the exercise would be taken seriously and cause a panic in the outside world (similar to Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast in 1939) that law enforcement agencies as far away as North Dakota and Minnesota were warned in advance in order to respond to their citizens who heard the broadcasts. At the end of the day, a huge bond rally was held with the Norwegian ambassador as the keynote speaker. The amount of coordination and planning for this event must have been tremendous. In addition to the currency there was other ephemera printed including ration cards, ID and registration materials, military proclamations, etc. Similar events on a lesser scale were held throughout the Province of Manitoba on the same day. The official title of the event was “IF Day.” From a fundraising standpoint, the day was a huge success. Manitoba far exceeded its quota for the campaign. In 2006 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation produced a documentary on IF Day. I am sure that many Gramsters would like to see it if one of our Canadian readers can get a hold of one. *********************************************************** Championship Question Corner Question: Where was the Allied military 2-franc note printed? Question 124, difficulty 1. Yesterday's Question: What figure is on the (British printed) 5000 franc AMC? Question 123, difficulty 2. Comments from the field: Bill Myers writes Mariann in rubble. [Mariann is a good answer to any March Madness question about France when you do not know the answer (grin)--Ed.] ========================================== Editorial ========================================== The media is having a field day with the 6.6.06 date. It is cute and we certainly have played a lot with numbers in the MPC community, but the biggest news about that date to me is that it is the anniversary of that day of days D-Day. The term commands respect. Every year I comment on it (I should get Ed Beaman to dig up all of the old comment and rerun them thus saving me an editorial, and you never know one of them might have been goood). Beyond the heroism and sacrifice, or perhaps because of it, I love the numismatic connections to D-Day. Specifically the Allied military francs prepared specifically for that day. Among those notes I like the simple 2 franc the best. Every single piece that I see screams (more likely whispers) I was there. Adding to my appreciation of the note is the fact that many soldiers, sailors, and airmen also recognized the significance of these note and sent home examples to family members as perfect souvenirs of their experiences. We know this messages that are commonly found on 2 franc AM notes. I really like those. There is no better time or example of history in your hands. ========================================== Mail Call =========================================== Dear Gramsters, My wife (she who must be obeyed) and I just attended her 50th year college reunion in Santa Monica, California. She attended a small all-girls college. I was along for moral support and to help with the driving. The first night (before the big affair), we had an informal dinner of about 20 of her classmates (and I was the only male). We all sat together at one big table. In the course of dinner conversation, in answer to a question, I mentioned I collect military numismatics, particularly MPC. I opened my mouth to explain when the lady to my immediate right announced that MPC meant Military Payment Certificates. You can imagine - I was speechless. And before I could recover my wits, she announced that she had been through a C Day. Who would have expected this in this environment? I had to know the whole story. She was married to an Air Force communications officer. They were stationed in Japan in the early 1960s. He was on the graveyard shift at the time in a classified facility. One evening Armed Forces radio that all should stand by for a special announcement the next morning. So the next morning it was announced that this was Conversion Day and all U.S. military personnel must take all their MPC to a central point for exchange by 0800. It was made clear that the current series MPC would be worthless after that time. So my new lady friend frantically scurried about the house collecting all the MPC she could find. She couldn’t contact her husband so she ran next door and gave her money to her neighbor (also military) to turn in for her. She said the prospect of immediately being broke was one of the most harrowing experiences of their military service. I have only used MPC in a combat zone. I guess I have never thought about the issues associated with MPC and conversion in a theater with dependents. There must have been many situations similar to the one story I have cited. Situations wherein several family members have MPC and are in different locations. The service member may be TDY and the spouse at home. Children at boarding school or traveling. I suspect here were provisions for this sort of thing and my new friend was not in as desperate straights as she envisioned. Still, it is a good story. Oh yes, I did ask her if she still had any MPC and she said no. Warner ========================================== Calendar =========================================== 2006 The London Paper Money Fair has moved to: Victory Services Club, 63 Seymour Street, off Edgware Road, Marble Arch London and the dates are: July 2 and Nov 26. see: www.britishnotes.co.uk or www.londonpapermoneyfair.co.uk June 1-3 Long Beach, mini fest to be announced 16-18 June Memphis 1-14 July ANA summer seminar 16-20 August ANA convention, Denver September 14th-16th, Long Beach, mini fest to be annuonced The World Paper Money Fair, organised by the London chapter of the IBNS will be September 30/October 1 at the new venue: Hotel Russell, Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London.  see: www.ibnslondon.org.uk Oct/Nov Pcda St Louis ========================================== for dealer Hot Contact list, ANA MPC museum holdings and other static information please click this link: http://www.papermoneyworld.net/Gramattichments.htm ========================================== 2006 scholarship fund Donations of cash and numismatic material will be gladly accepted. Generally the numismatic material is auctioned at MPCFest, but might be sold via ebay or other places. Your scholarship donations help the hobby by sending qualified individuals to the ANA summer seminar military money class. Except for unavoidable charges like ebay fees, 100% of your donation goes to scholarships. Donations are now being accepted for the 2006 scholarship fund. Applications are also being accepted for the 2006 scholarships. Donors to 2006 scholarship fund: Sue McCarty (list pending) Contact me at: "Marcus Turner" mail to: maturner@indy.rr.com Checks should be made out to the "Military Numismatists Scholarship." or Marcus Turner Marcus Turner PO Box 191 Danville, Indiana 46122 USA Contributors to the 2005 scholarship were: Ed Hoffman, Warner Talso, RA Medina, John & Nancy Wilson, Keith & Sue Bauman, Dan Freeland, Tom Koch, Doug Bell, Cuneyd Tolek, David Seelye, Brian Giese, Larry Smulczenski, Joe Boling, Dick & Loretta Freyser, Mark Watson, John Cheney, Roger Urce, Harold Kroll, Al Glaser. (also Memphis Belle note purchasers and summer seminar participants. irie Harris, Robert Connell, William Benton, Ed Beaman, Frank Clark, Howard A. Daniel III, Dick and Loretta Freyser, Dan and Kathy Freeland, Jack Hunter, Harld Kroll, Tim Kyzivat, Leo May, Robbie Robinson, Joel Shafer, Neil Shafer, Larry Smulczenski, Steve Swoish, Roger Urce, Ron Waddell, Pam West, John and Nancy Wilson, Adolf Witzke, Wendell Wolka. IMPORTANT SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION Additional information can be found at the link below. We encourage everyone to print copies of this information and distribute it to those who might be interested. Further you are encouraged to e-mail the pdf document to anyone you see fit. Thank you http://www.papermoneyworld.net/news/Military Numismatists Scholarship Fund 2003.pdf Scholarships from the ANA: See the following location for an application for financial aid to the summer seminar: http://www.money.org/sumsemfin.html ========================================= POST / BASE EXCHANGE(PX/BX/NEX) Dump your dupes! Your classified advertisement for items for sale, purchase or trade will be run here for free. Send your ads to the gram. This service is for everyone, most humble dealer or most advanced collector. The point is to make the gram more interesting. In all cases confirm your order via email first. WANTED SECTION: Collectors may submit lists of items wanted for their collections for listing here. Dealers and collectors who have these items, are then encouraged to list them for sale in the above section as a reply. Wanted listings will run for a period of 1 month. ============================================= MPC Gram Staff: Publisher, editor: Fred Schwan fred@papermoneyworld.net; Subscription Manager:Doug Bell- doug@papermoneyworld.net Tuesday Columnist : JoeBoling- JoeBoling@aol.com Friday Columnist: Warner Talso: wtalso@aol.com Fest Auctioneer: Larry "Ski"Smulczenski - skitex@cox.net, Critic:Harold Kroll - HARBONS@aol.com Scholarship Coordinator: Marcus Turner- marucs@papermoneyworld.net; Webmaster and Technical Advisors:Doug Bell "Wiz" - doug@papermoneyworld.net Russ Walsh - russ.walsh@gte.net Fact Checker: Warner Talso -Calendar Coordinator: John and Nancy Wilson -The Boss: Judy Schwan MPC Gram is published by BNR Press and papermoneyworld.com as a free service to the community of military money collectors. Your suggestions, criticisms, complaints, editorial contributions, letters, and even praise are very welcome. 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