Gallery

>  Third Edition of German WHW Stamps. 18 November 1938

Figure 10:  illustrates another method of extracting WHW contributions from stamp collectors. A souvenir sheet consisting of four stamps affixed to a gray watermarked (non-philatelic) paper, printed with caption "Life and Work of the Führer" exhibition in Hamburg’s House of Work, was cancelled with 20 April. 1937. not only one of the days of the exhibit, hut also on Hitler’s birthday. This example is a booklet pane showing Mi.#634 and #639. from the 1936/37 Winterhilfswerk issue.

(The D.S.G. designation in the center of the cancel may stand for 1)anzig Study Group. but we suspect that there is a more viable explanation for these initials. Can you help?)

The symbol at the right represents the N.S. Volkswohlfahrt, which was the umbrellaorganiiation established in 1933 by the Nazis. covering Winzerhilfrwe’rk and Muiu’r und Kind charities, among others. The N.S.V. originally worked closely with the Central Committee of the Evangelical Church for Internal Missions, the Catholic Charitable League. the German Red Cross. the State Midwives Association, the Association of German Nurses and the National Socialist Nursing Sisterhood.

Starting from a few hundred workers on 3 May. 1933, the N.S.V. grew to a combined force of paid and volunteer workers numbering over I 6,000,000 by 1942. They were involved in collecting and distributing surplus material of all kinds, such as coal, wood and peal Additionally, the workers monitored sixty categories of distribution, such as food, fuel, and the accumulation of cash.

Housewifes were required to buy 500 grams of some food each month and donate it to WHW. All families were required to skip a traditional Sunday meal and serve a one-course meal, with the difference in cost being donated to the WHW.

Figure 11: The card below shows membership in the N. S. V. by an engineer who lived in Munich and was active In the organization.

Figure 12:-Aposteradver tising the Mutter und Kind organization that was part of the N.S.V. and W.H.W.

(In the card at the left, Dr. Erig. Woldmann lived in an exclusive part of Mun;ch, near the Er4ischer Garten. From his age (51 in 1935), the Cowderys conclude that he might have been a well- regarded University Proffessor The membership card is signed by Hauptarntsleiter Erich Hilgenfeldt.

 

Danzig Report   Nr. 106 - January - February - March - 2000, Page 11.