Noteworthy Notes: Canada WWII “If Day” Propaganda Note

Raising the money to fight a war has always required ingenuity. In late 1941, the Province of Manitoba’s branch of the Canadian National War Finance Committee faced a problem: the second Victory Loan campaign required raising at least $45,000,000 (the equivalent of almost $620,000,000 in modern US dollars) by selling war bonds, and the Greater Winnipeg Victory Loan Committee knew that the weather in Manitoba in February made following the national campaign of lighting "Beacon Fires of Freedom" in towns all over the country a non-starter.

The solution? “If Day.” Instead of telling people how important it was to buy war bonds, the Loan Committee would show them. With the assistance of the Canadian Army, local officials, and the media, on February 19, 1942, they staged a mock invasion of Winnipeg. “If Day,” as in, what if the Germans reached Manitoba?

It was a promotional campaign to make Don Draper proud. (Or Orson Welles – radio broadcasts from Winnipeg could reach northern Minnesota, so they warned residents of neighboring areas in advance, to prevent a “War of the Worlds”-style panic.) Some 3,500 real Canadian Army members attempted to defend Winnipeg against volunteers sporting rented Hollywood uniforms and painted saber scars. There were simulated bombings and demolished bridges, as well as fake tank and anti-aircraft fire. The faux invaders “arrested” local politicians and took them to an “internment camp.” They “suppressed” or subverted the local press. They burned books in front of the Winnipeg Public Library. They released a decree announcing “occupation.” Place names and flags were replaced – as was the local currency, which brings us to this noteworthy note, used during “If Day” to replace Canadian dollars. And it is noteworthy not just as a souvenir of clever marketing and a representation of Canadian patriotism – it is also the only propaganda note produced by Canada during World War II.

The face features a lithographic reproduction of a 1929 German Reichsbanknote Pick# (Standard Catalog of World Paper Money) P-180a 10 Reichsmark with underprint letter R. This type of note circulated widely in Germany at the time, issued from 1929 on and only replaced (with another, inferior printing of the same design, without the underprint letter) in 1945. The design has a portrait of the 18th- and 19th-century German agronomist Albrecht Thaer, who developed the “Vitalistic Humus Theory” of plants.

The face of the propaganda note also displays “Occupation Reichsmark” in large red letters and a generic representation of a signature by the “Army of Occupation Authority von Brauchitsch.” This is presumably intended to be Walther von Brauchitsch, commander-in-chief (Oberbefehlshaber) of the German Army (Wehrmacht) from 1938 to 1941, although it differs significantly from actual examples of his signature.

The back of the note has an engraved-style border at the left surrounding an explanation of why the target audience should buy Victory Bonds, reinforced by the message at right: “Bonds or Bondage…the choice is yours!” All examples have the same serial number on the face and back, with the face having prefix X and the back having prefix V.

Ultimately, “If Day” proved a roaring success. Manitoba’s provincial total for the second Victory Loan campaign was $60,000,000 (almost $809,000,000 in current U.S. dollars), far surpassing their quota of $45,000,000.

Some might ask, “But is it a banknote?” It circulated, if only for one day, and only in one city, so arguably it counts. It is less propaganda and more an advertisement for war bonds, but at PCGS Banknote, we grade and encapsulate a number of different types of exonumia, items of financial or historical interest related to paper money, but which may not be money in the strictest sense. That includes “look-alikes,” or items that resemble currency yet perform a different function, such as advertisements, satires, or printer’s test notes. And reproductions of circulating currency are a preferred vehicle for propaganda of all kinds.

Despite their extensive preparations, the organizers of “If Day” made one mistake: the German currency reproduced on this noteworthy note would not have circulated in Canada if the scenario represented by “If Day” came to pass. Already, in 1940, the German Reichskreditkasse had issued Pick# R135-R140, 50 Reichspfennig to 50 Reichsmark notes, for circulation only in occupied territories.