Original WWII Safe Conduct Pass & German Skorpion Counter-Propaganda Leaflet 1944

Description

This remarkable original WWII propaganda leaflet pair documents both sides of one of the most fascinating psychological-warfare exchanges of the final phase of the Second World War.

The group consists of two separate original wartime leaflets: an Allied Passierschein / WWII Safe Conduct Pass, coded US/GB-ZG61A.1944, and a German counter-propaganda leaflet deliberately created to imitate and ridicule the Allied surrender pass.

The Allied leaflet was part of the standardized Safe Conduct campaign produced under the Psychological Warfare Division of SHAEF, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. These passes were distributed to German troops as a practical surrender document and became one of the best-known Allied psychological-warfare leaflets of the European campaign. The ZG61A is documented as the smaller artillery-distributed version of the Safe Conduct design.

Its front is headed “Passierschein” and “SAFE CONDUCT”, displaying the emblems of the United States and Great Britain. The text informs German soldiers that possession of the pass demonstrates a genuine intention to surrender and instructs Allied personnel that the bearer is to be disarmed, properly treated, given food and medical attention if required, and removed from the danger zone.

Both German and English sections reproduce the facsimile signature of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, identified beneath as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Importantly, this is a wartime printed facsimile signature and not a hand-signed Eisenhower autograph.

The reverse carries the heading “Grundsätze des Kriegsgefangenenrechts”, outlining principles governing the treatment of prisoners of war according to the Hague Convention of 1907 and Geneva Convention of 1929. It also provides surrender instructions to German soldiers, including laying down weapons, removing helmet and belt, raising their hands and displaying a handkerchief or the leaflet itself.

At the lower right appears the highly important identifying code:

US/GB-ZG61A.1944

The second leaflet transforms the story completely.

German propagandists copied the appearance of the Allied Safe Conduct document, including the Allied emblems and Eisenhower’s printed signature, but deliberately altered the surrender message. Instead of promising humane treatment, the German version claims that surrender would mean spending the next ten years in captivity, betraying Germany, returning home as a broken old man or perhaps never seeing one’s family again.

Its reverse begins dramatically:

“DEAR FRIENDS:”

The English-language message mocks the Allied propaganda effort, stating that the Germans are returning the Allied “age old dodge” after making their own “necessary rectifications.” It ridicules Allied attempts to encourage surrender and contains references to Germans fighting “like lions” and refusing to surrender for “ham and eggs.”

This specific propaganda response is documented as a product associated with Skorpion-West, operating within the German SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers propaganda organization. Contemporary research on WWII psychological warfare identifies precisely this altered Safe Conduct design and its “Dear Friends” response as the German answer to the highly successful Allied Passierschein campaign.

What makes DOC-57 particularly collectible is having both sides of the propaganda battle together. Rather than an isolated leaflet, the pair demonstrates the original Allied message and the German attempt to undermine it using the same visual language.

The material also illustrates why printed propaganda became such an important psychological weapon during the final stages of WWII. Allied Safe Conduct passes were produced in enormous numbers and were sufficiently important that SHAEF later attempted to standardize their design and restrict their reproduction on unrelated leaflets in order to preserve their credibility.

Both pieces show genuine period age, handling and wear. The German counter-propaganda leaflet has visible edge losses and irregularities, particularly along the margins, exactly as shown in the photographs. The Allied ZG61A survives with its characteristic red printing and clearly legible text.

A very unusual comparative set for collectors of WWII propaganda, psychological warfare, SHAEF leaflets, German counter-propaganda, Skorpion-West, SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers material, Eisenhower memorabilia, Allied surrender leaflets and original Second World War ephemera.

Authenticity guaranteed. Offered strictly as an original historical and educational collectible. Any political symbols or terminology appearing on these wartime documents are preserved solely as part of their historical context and do not imply endorsement of the ideology represented.

DOC-57 is a matched pair of original WWII propaganda leaflets consisting of an Allied Safe Conduct Pass and its German counter-propaganda response.

What is US/GB-ZG61A.1944?

It is the identifying code printed on the Allied Safe Conduct leaflet. ZG61A belongs to the SHAEF series of surrender passes distributed to German forces during WWII and is documented as a smaller artillery version of the Passierschein.

Is the Dwight Eisenhower signature original?

The signature is not handwritten. It is the official printed wartime facsimile of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s signature incorporated into the Safe Conduct design.

What was the purpose of the Allied Passierschein?

It was intended to encourage German soldiers to surrender and simultaneously instruct Allied troops to recognize the bearer as someone wishing to give himself up and to treat him accordingly.

What is the “Dear Friends” leaflet?

It is a German counter-propaganda version imitating the Allied Safe Conduct pass. The message was deliberately rewritten to portray surrender negatively, while its reverse mocked the Allied psychological-warfare campaign.

Who produced the German counter-propaganda version?

The known version with this text is associated with Skorpion-West, part of the propaganda apparatus of SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers.

Why is the pair particularly collectible?

Because the two leaflets document an original propaganda message and the opposing side’s direct response to it, allowing the psychological-warfare exchange to be studied side by side.