From: "MPCgram" To: Subject: MPCGram 722 Date: Friday, September 06, 2002 9:43 AM ============================================== MPC GRAM ============================================== Covering the entire World of Military Numismatics Series 003 - Number 722 Friday 8 Sep 2002 UNSUNG AT SICILY, JULY 10 1943 THE ROLE OF THE S.S.ASCANIA AT THE INVASION OF ITALY By Tony James There’s got to be a story here!, I am beginning to dread the words as some one shows me another treasure they have acquired or intend to sell or give to me. The trouble is that I am hooked! There is a story and it’s great to search, and search, worry the topic to death and follow the trail wherever it leads. Two notes located in London. British Military Authority Great Britain Pick M3 Schwan Boling 303, 2/6, and Great Britain Pick M5 Schwan Boling 305, 10/-. However these had been overprinted with the words Souvenir of the Invasion of Sicily S.S. Ascania……July 10th 1943 printed in gold along the bottom of the notes. All I saw were big question marks leaping up at me, like an addict I start plotting ways to research Where? What? When? and how? Sicily 1943 After the defeat of the Axis powers in North Africa in the spring of 1943. The tide of war turned for the Allies in the Mediterranean. The U boat menace had subsided and the bombs began to rain on Germany instead of Britain. The Allies turned to the next stage of the invasion of Europe, The Casablanca Conference of Roosevelt and Churchill and the Combined Chiefs of Staff held from 14th to the 23rd of January 1943 had finally agreed and out lined the course of the war to be followed after the defeat of the Axis powers in Tunisia. On January 19th 1943 Churchill and Roosevelt had agreed that Sicily was to be the point of invasion, and on the 20th Operation Husky was outlined and meticulous detailed planning commenced. The British had won over the Americans to their idea of attacking the soft underbelly of Europe instead of the American’s wish to push for a cross Channel invasion from the British Isles. Operation Mincemeat A macabre code name for an elaborate and successful plan to hoodwink the German High command that Sicily was only a cover target and that the real objective in the Mediterranean was Sardinia in the west and Greece in the east. The body of an unknown service man dressed as "Major Martin" a Royal Marine officer on Mountbatten’s staff was dropped over the side from HMS/M Seraph off the southern coast of Spain in such a position that it would surely drift inshore and come to the notice of the Spanish authorities. Major Martin’s brief case contained supposed vital secret documents outlining the Allies plans for the future, among them a personal letter to General Alexander from General Archibald Nye (and actually written by him) To make Major Martin ‘real’ he was provided with all his personal possessions:- identity card, passes, theatre ticket stubs, keys, money, and personal letters; including two from his fictional fiancee Pam. Operation Mincemeat was a success and German troops were moved away from southern Italy towards Greece and also northwards towards the supposed threat at Sardinia. Another part of Operation Husky Okay! so what is the paper money angle on all this? The first issue of Allied Military Currency printed by the Allies was put into use at the Invasion of Sicily. It had been decided that the invasion and occupation currency would be similar in appearance, facilitating production, used by the invading troops to try to prevent disruption to the local economies. This was to be a uniform basic design, with the overprint of the local currency of the country being liberated In all there were issues for Italian Lire, French Francs, German Marks, Japanese Yen, Danish Kroner, and Austrian Schillings. The task of printing the notes was shared among the Allies, although the US performed the bulk of the production due to the practicality of the situation. The Bureau of Printing and Engraving is responsible for the printing of security documents for the US Government, however the volume of AMC required meant that much was contracted out to private firms. Most of the Lire was produced by the Forbes Lithographic Corporation of Chelsea, Massachusetts. These notes can be identified by the printers mark an old English capital "F." The country name, currency and denomination were not added until later. The AMC for the invasion of Italy , was also code named Operation Husky like the invasion plan itself, was begun on June 10 1943 however the country name and denomination was not begun until July 13 to help maintain secrecy of the area of intended use. British Military Authority issues First produced for the invasion of Tripolitania in North Africa in the spring of 1943, the BMA were denominated in Lire with Arabic inscriptions as well as English. Sterling denominated notes were used in the landing on Sicily in July 1943 and later on mainland Italy. The notes were also put into use in Greece in October 1944 at the request of the Greek government when the Allies landed. The sterling denominations were 6d, 1/-, 2/6, 5/-, 10/- and £1-00, for your information the £1-00 is also known to exist with overprints ‘Bulgaria,’ ‘Greece,’ and ‘France.’ S.S. Ascania The inscription on the two notes is fascinating, what was this ship, why should these notes exist. A phone call to the editor of the Merchant Navy Association newsletter who I had previously talked to regarding Australian POW’s returning from Japan, gave me the raw facts. The S.S. Ascania was built in 1923 at Newcastle England by the Armstrong Whitworth yard for the White Star Line which merged with Cunard Line in 1934. Launched December 20 1923, fitted out and delivered May 2 1925, and sailed on her maiden voyage May 22 1925 to Cherbourg Queenstown Quebec and Montreal. Fitted with four steam turbines giving a speed of 15 knots and built by the same company, the ship was 14,013 tons, 520 feet long, 65feet 3 inches in breadth, carried 1950 tons of fuel oil, and was registered at Liverpool. The Ascania was designed for the Canada trade, during the heyday of the liner era, when Canada was attracting migrants, accommodating 4 -500 people in cabin class and 1,000 third class passengers, it did not pretend to rival the luxury of the big express liners like Mauretania and the Queens when they came along. The Ascania was the first of three ‘A’ class intermediate steamers built in the 1920’s, sister ship to the Aurania and Alaunia, she worked the Canada run with some eventful situations until she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser October 16 1939 when she joined the 3rd Battle Squadron at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Like her sister ships, Ascania was armed with 5 ancient 6 inch guns and 2 single 3 inch high angle guns. 1939 to 1947 The ship stayed with the squadron until October 1941 when she left Scotland with a convoy sailing to the Middle East via Freetown, West Africa, Durban South Africa. At Port Elizabeth she was detached and ordered to Colombo from where she was ordered south through the dangerous waters of the Indian ocean via Freemantle and Melbourne to Auckland New Zealand. Remaining on this station for some months Ascania patrolled the Pacific around New Zealand and Fiji with HMNZS Monowai during the period of the Japanese advances. An active time for shipping in the South Pacific. August 1942 saw her leaving New Zealand for the UK via the Panama Canal and the East coast of the USA where she joined a convoy to Southampton. Back in Britain she was converted to a Landing Ship Infantry. The purpose of these ships was to carry the bulk of any invasion force to a beach head where they would be transferred to Assault Landing Craft. These were also carried on board the ships for the final run to the beaches. It was during Ascania’s service in this role that she took part in the invasions of Sicily, Salerno and in 1944 Anzio. Later in 1944 she became a troop transport and remained in this role until September 1947 when she was returned to Cunard and given a partial reconditioning at Liverpool. Back to Civilian life Ascania was the only ship of the 1925 trio to return to the service of Cunard line. She even went back to the Liverpool/ Monteal service until 1955 when she was transferred to Southampton. In October 1956 the announcement came that she was being withdrawn from service, however this was delayed only by two voyages as a troop ship from Southampton to Malta One of these voyages involved the repatriation of the Governor of Gibraltar and over 100 evacuees from the colony, who had spent most of the war in Northern Ireland. December saw her sold to the British Iron and Steel Corporation for scrap, five months later the deed was done, the hulk floated to the last day when the engine room compartment was removed at low tide and the ship was no more. Sicily Invasion The Sicily invasion force was possibly the largest of the war. One commentator noted it was larger in scale than the Normandy invasion 11 months later. Some 2600 ships and landing craft and 150,000 troops took part in the invasion in the first 3 days and a total of 478,000 troops were involved in the Italian campaign of which the Sicily landings was the first act. The American 7th Army under Patton landed to the west at Licata, Bradley’s II Corps at Gela and Scoglitti, and the Canadians were at Pachino which were on the left flank of the British 8th Army under Montgomery who landed along a 60 mile shore line around Cape Passero, through Avola to Syracuse. The Ascania being British, was part of the Eastern Naval Task Force under Vice Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey. The troops were either transported in the troop ships or in the larger landing craft, there was a problem anticipated in bridging the gap between the landing craft and the water’s edge. With the lack of opposition at the beach heads there were less problems than thought. Probably the elimination of seasickness should have received more priority as no drug to combat this ailment, could be found by the British High Command, however boiled sweets were prepared for issue on the approach voyage and steps taken to eliminate sea sick prone personnel. Despatch 37786/5569 November 12 1946 Some of the more interesting minor matters that were noted in the Despatch of General Sir H Maitland Wilson C in C The Middle East Forces February 16 1943 to January 8 1944 were the provision of Air-letter forms, and the copies of the Soldiers Guide to Sicily and pamphlets, which were produced locally. Then there was Paragraph 143 of the despatch "The provision of cashier and postal services caused some difficulty. In addition to providing and equipping cashiers to proceed with the force, arrangements had to be made for the provision and distribution of adequate supplies of British Military Administration currency and for the exchange into this currency of the local money in the hands of the embarking troops. In view of the large number of troops and the large sums involved, this entailed a considerable organization" The landing Operation Husky depended on the weather as any seaborn invasion must. The rough weather on the night of the 9th of July 1943 apart from causing a good deal of sympathy for the soldiers in the transports and landing craft, also helped to lull the defenders who had been on the alert for weeks, into a belief that no landings would be attempted under such conditions. The first troops went ashore at 2.45 am on July 10 1943 after the airfields and defenses had been subjected to heavy bombing. The 2600 vessels must have looked awe inspiring when the defenders awoke in the morning, sailing in from Gibraltar, Malta, and nearly every North African port from Casablanca to Suez, the fleet of the largest US and British battleships and aircraft carriers down to Assault craft, Motor Torpedo Boats and armed trawlers, was under the command of the Royal Navy’s Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham. So What? The overprinted BMA notes are obviously the product of some enterprising person or people on board the Ascania. The gold blocking was a stumbling block for me to start with, how would this be done and when, until it was pointed out that the printing is similar to that which would be used for menus and place cards on board passenger liners, a facility that would have been on board the Ascania before the wartime requisition . The vessel, the invasion, the currency, the politics of the war, and the turning of the tide of supremacy in the Mediterranean in favour of the Allies are brought together by these two small pieces of paper currency which have survived as souvenirs of an event that passes unknown by many people now. Today, old soldiers who traveled under difficult conditions and went ashore under fire, tell tall tales and true, if a little clouded in accuracy, in the clubs and reunions that take place each year. Tangible reminders are rare outside museums except for currency like this, which we are privileged to be the custodians of for a short time. References World War II Remembere.d Schwan / Boling Atlantic Liners of the Cunard Line from 1884 to the present day. N. McCart Shipping Today & Yesterday Magazine. May 1998 A Naval History of WWII War at Sea. N. Miller History of 2nd World War B.H. Liddell Hart The Fall of Fortress Europe. F Majdolang London Gazette November 12 1946 Supplement 37786/5569 Operations in Middle East -16//243 -8/1/44. ============================================== Editorial ============================================== Deadline! Today is the deadline to register for the POW conference (see calendar below). After today, registration will cost an extra $50. In fact, yesterday was the deadline, but Steve Feller was able to arrange for Gramsters to have one more day. If you send a check today, the lower registration will be accepted. Steve, Ski, and I hope to see you there! Go to www.traces.org for the details. Fred ============================================== Mail Call Dear, dear, dear 'held-in-most-highest-esteam' Editor: In re MPCGram numbering system: As long as I get a 'gram everyday I's 'sposed to get one, S***W THE NUMBERING SYSTEM!!!! And s***w those who gripe about the numbering system for the most valuable reference we've got!!!!! What a picky point to be raising sand about!!! Hey, labors of love are labors of the heart, not the head. While I've never worn any but a Scout uniform and a band uniform, how many of you military types were EVER in an 'action' that was perfect and went totally by the book??? If even once, it must have been no more complicated than placing a crumpled piece of paper in a trash basket. Enuf of my rant. For what you do for the rest of us, we should ALL be grateful. Our gratitude SHOULD include forgiveness for your being human. An old adage I heard was that every Navaho blanket is woven with a flaw in it on purpose. Why? Well, only God can create with perfection. If Man creates perfection, surely that would be the work of the Devil, so the flaw let's the evil run out of the blanket. Misnumbering the'Gram is merely letting the evil out so the rest of us will not be infected by it. 'nuff of my rant...On with the joy of MPC'ing!!!! Print this if ya' wanna, edit it as you wanna, I just had to vent... Jay in Garrison, TX Dear Jay, Thanks for the vents. If my furnace needs repair I will call on you! I probably should not admit this, but I like the complaints about missing grams, bad numbering and the like. To me it means that the Gramsters are paying attention and that they care. Furthermore, it helps fill Grams so it is a circular proposition! Editor ============================================== CALENDAR OF EVENTS ============================================== 2002 London Paper Money Fair, September 1, 2002, The Bonnington Hotel, 92 Southhampton Row, London WC1, England, Pam West, P.O. Box 257, Sutton, Surrey SM3 9WW, Telephone/Fax 44-208-641-3224 or email PamWestBritNotes@Compuserve.com. Czech International Symposium on Paper Money, September 12, 2002 & 5th Collectors' Fair of Philately, Numismatics and Telephone Cards, September 13, 2002, IBNS Czech Chapter, Evzen Sknouril (President), Vaclacke nam 17, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic, Telephone 420-2-2400-9273 or Fax 420-2-2400-9278 or email ibnscz@volny.cz. Strasburg Currency & Stock & Bond Show, September 12-15, 2002, Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center, 2300 Lincoln Highway East (US-30), Lancaster, PA 17602, Kevin Foley, P.O. Box 573, Milwaukee, WI 53201, Telephone 414-421-3484 or Fax 414-423-0343. Central States Fall Show (& Greater Cincinnati Numismatic Exposition), September 20-22, 2002, Sharonville Convention Center, I-75, Exit 15, North Cincinnati, OH, Paul Padget, Telephone 513-821-2143. 5-6 October IBNS Congress at the Trade Union Congress hall, two blocks from the British Museum. On 4 October there will be an IBSS (Int'l Bond and Share Society) meeting at the Victory Services Club (Marble Arch), which will include lot viewing for their October mail bid sale (the sale will include Japanese WWII bonds, and undoubtedly other items of interest to gramsters). There are usually auctions by Spink's and by Phillips Son and Neale that week St. Louis paper money show 21-24 November POW Conference 5- 8 October Muscatine Holiday Inn, Muscatine, IA has blocked out rooms for Sunday and Monday nights, and offers a special rate for those and Saturday night at $75 per room www.traces.org Confirmed participants: Feller, Smulczenski, Schwan WESPMEX:11 - 13 October Westchester Paper Money Exposition - 100 Dealers Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY WESPMEX:29 November - 1 December Westchester Paper Money Exposition - 160 Dealers Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY 2003 FUN Florida United Numismatists, Orlando, 9 - 12Jan 2003 CPMX 9: 20 - 23 February, Chicago, IL MPC Fest IV: 28 Feb - 2 March, Port Clinton, OH Fest Registrants: Doug Bell, Joe Boling, Guido Crapanzano, Dick Freyser, Philip M. Goldstein, Gary Hicks, Harold Kroll, Jack Lippincot, Kevin Maloy, Leo May$$, Fred Schwan, David Seelye, Nick Shrier, Larry Smulczenski, Warner Talso, Marcus Turner, Tom Warburton, Mark Watson, Bill Yanchick, Tom Koch, Nancy and John Wilson $$ = Paid Running total: 22 ANA:21-23 March 2003, March, Charlotte, NC ======================================== Subscription information: You can enter an email address to receive the gram by using the link below. Use this to change your address (add the new one), add a friend or enemy. http://www.papermoneyworld.net/WebMailList/Default.asp =================================================== HOT CONTACT LIST - DEALER & RESOURCE LIST Below is the BNR Press Hot Contact List. This list serves several functions. Obviously it is an outreach by the dealers listed for your business. Most of them buy and sell MPC. Others organize shows or publish periodicals, or furnish information dedicated to this field. They have supported the new Comprehensive Catalog of Military Payment Certificates with their advertising. They deserve your support and patronage! Name phone fax / cell email Allens (614) 882-3937 (614) 882-0662 info@allens.com American Coins & Collectibles (800) 865-3562 American Numismatic Ass'n(800) 367-9723 ana@money.org Guy Araby(562) 945-7891(310) 508-0018 guyaraby@earthlink.net Bob Baker(713) 864-3122 Ken Barr (408) 272-3247 ken@kenbarr.com Fred Bart (810) 979-3400 Dick Balbaton(508) 699-2266 (508) 643-1154 RJBalbaton@aol.com Keith and Suzanne Bauman (248) 262-1514 tnaksbauman@earthlink.net Joe Bissell (602) 440-0442 (602) 494-9103 BNR Press(419) 732-6683 (419) 732-6683 fredschwan@yahoo.com Remy Bourne(800) 789-7070 (763) 789-4747 Ed Carne (614) 882-3937 (614) 882-0662 info@allens.com Champion Stamp (212)489-8130 (212) 581-8130 Cookie Jar Collectibles (301) 604-9225 cjcpi@comcast.net Guido Crapanzano [39] 2-8056228 [39] 2-4459856 Currency Dealer Newsletter (310) 515-7369 David F. Cieniewicz(205)852-7015 CGC (602) 493-4758 (602) 494-9103 sales@gradedcurrency.com Mike Cummings (863)603-9899 (863) 603-9880 mpccoin@hotmail.com Cygnet Charters(419) 734-2422 Ray Czahor (301) 604-9225 cjcpi@comcast.net Doric Coins & Currency (508) 699-2266 (508) 643-1154 FUN(407) 321-8747 Philip M. Goldstein (845) 254-MPC1 [6721] iwantmympc@aol.com or MPC Website Great Lakes Bank Note Company(419) 732-6683 IBNS joeboling@aol.com Essie Kashani(909) 627-3996 (909) 627-2776 kashani10@aol.com Lowel Horwdel (765) 583-2748 (765) 583-4584 horwdel@inshightbb.com Lyn Knight(800) 243-5211 Krause Publications (715) 445-2214 (715) 445-4087 bnr@krause.com Harold Kroll(251) 649-5134 HARBONS@aol.com Leo May (305) 271-8391(305) 720-0659 LeoMayEnt@aol.com or Wide World of Banknotes Ian Marshall(416) 445-0286 (416) 445-0286 iam@total.net Memphis Coin Club (901) 757-2515 MPCGram (419) 732-6683 MPCGram@yahoo.com Bob Reed(504) 361-5684 bobreed@rrcoins.net Fred Schwan (419) 732-6683 (419) 732-6683 FredSchwan@yahoo.com David Seelye(585) 594-1987 (585) 594-2311 coinman@rochester.rr.com Richie Self (318) 868-9077 R. M. Smythe(800) 622-1880 (212) 908-4047 www.smytheonline.com Mel Steinberg & Son(415) 453-9750 (415) 457-4432 melsteinberg@mindspring.com Military Trader(800) 334-7165 Scott Winslow Associates (603)472-7040 (603) 472-8773 scott@scottwinslow.com George Warner(307) 672-3700 Pam West [44] 0208 641 3224[44] 0208 641 3224 pamwestbritnotes@compuserve.com =================================================== 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. One MPC checklist and 10 UMC. Your cost is $5.00 postpaid, for one set one book and ten UMC. Limit of one package per request. Quantities are limited so mail you request and funds ASAP to: John Parker P.O. Box 20173 Atlanta, GA 30325 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. WANTED - Fancy Series 641 fractional notes – any condition. (5/18) WANTED - Philippine Guerrila Money (5/26) Wanted: War and other bonds issued by the US government, will purchase or trade. =================================================== MPC CATALOG CORRECTIONS & ENHANCEMENTS Page 18, Bottom - Users of Military Payment Certificates Check marks were omitted from production copies of books. Please check off the following: Australia: 641, 661, 681, 692 Canada:461 through and including 591 Korea: 641, 661, 681, 692 New Zealand:641, 661, 681, 692 Thailand: 641, 661, 681, 692 United States: All (date listed: 02 APRIL 2002) Page 201, Bottom Right - Very last sentence on this page Two serial numbers listed for the second printing of Series 472 .50 cent notes. The first serial number listed is obviously in error as a nine digit number: C040351392C Correct Serial Number is: C04035139C D Freyser (date listed 10 April 2002) Page 207, #833/4 - Series 481 .25 4th Printing (table listing serial number breakdowns) line 5 Start Number is incorrect. It appears as: (start) D14784001D(end) D14784000D Correct start number should be: D09408001D PK6 (date listed: 03 APRIL 2002) Page 214, #855/r2 - Series 541 $1 Replacements, Ending serial number is incorrect Correct number is F1112000 (date listed: 02 APRIL 2002) Page 220, #884/2r - Series 641 .50 Replacements On page 284, it is broken down into 2 printings. That's correct, BUT, on page 220 he lists only (1) printing reported. It should "list" both first and second printings. Guy Araby (date listed 04 APRIL 2002) Page 287, Series 661 Series Summary, 25 cent note: the "list" shows "#CU as 10(7) . It should read, 8(7). As only 8 are known in CU. Just recount P.289. Guy Araby (date listed 08 APRIL 2002) Page 398, Series #541 $10 on "UNC." price is $2500, on P.214 the UNC. price is $3500. Also the rest of the prices don't match all the way to "VG" on this issue. They should be the same price. Guy Araby (date listed 08 APRIL 2002) =================================================== MPC Gram Staff: Publisher: Fred Schwan - MPCGram@yahoo.com Editor: Philip M. Goldstein - IWANTMYMPC@aol.com Subscription Manager:Doug Bell - doug@papermoneyworld.net Tuesday Columnist : Joe Boling - JoeBoling@aol.com Thurski Columnist: Larry "Ski" Smulczenski - skifla@prodigy.net Friday Columnist:Fred Schwan - MPCGram@yahoo.com Critic: Harold Kroll - HARBONS@aol.com Distribution Manager: Brad Peacock -bp22@swbell.net Scholarship Coordinator: Marcus Turner - maturner@indy.rr.com Index & Back Issue Manager:vacant Webmaster & Technical Advisors:Doug Bell "Wiz" - doug@papermoneyworld.net Russ Walsh - russ.walsh@gte.net Fact Checker: Warner Talso - Calendar Coordinator: John & 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. The entire contents including linked illustrations are copyright protected by the publishers. In the case of contributors, the copyright is protected on behalf of the creators. Please send all correspondence regarding the gram to MPCgram@yahoo.com. Thank you very much for your participation. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com