Operation Cornflakes Propaganda Stamps
c. 1945, Front side - Stamps from Operation Cornflakes at Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Allied Powers.
White paper with printed red ink as outline of stamps. Four non-perforated stamps appear on the sheet. Each stamp is identical. The 12-pfennig red stamp depicts Adolf Hitler facing to the right. Hitler's jaw, teeth, and bone structure is visible in the stamps. At the bottom the text reads, "Futsches Reich" or "Ruined Empire".
Name/Title
Operation Cornflakes Propaganda StampsEntry/Object ID
2025.2.1Scope and Content
c. 1945, stamps from Operation Cornflakes at Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Allied Powers.Context
Operation Cornflakes was an Allied Powers mission to drop various mail bags containing "Futsches Reich" or "Ruined Empire" stamps depicting Adolf Hitler's skull and bone structure. A majority of the Operation Cornflakes material was propaganda leaflets. The Office of Strategic Services in the United States carried out the operation. Between February and April 1945, around 96,000 forged letters were dropped over Germany and Austria for civilians to read and examine the propaganda material. The mail addresses were not accurate as many German and Austrian towns had been destroyed by the Allies. In turn, Nazi Germany did not deliver many of the letters.Collection
Operation CornflakesCategory
Stamp
Philatelic Material