Operation Bernhard was an exercise by the Nazis to forge British bank notes. The initial plan was to drop the notes over Britain to bring about a collapse of the economy, but the operation was closed in early 1942 after its head, Alfred Naujocks (pictured), fell out of favour with his superior officer, Reinhard Heydrich. It was reopened in July as a counterfeiting operation to finance German intelligence operations. Prisoners were sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp to work under SS Major Bernhard Krüger, producing British notes until mid-1945 worth between £130 and £300 million. Counterfeit notes from the operation were used to pay the Turkish agent Elyesa Bazna—code-named Cicero—for his work in obtaining secrets from the British ambassador in Ankara, Turkey. Another £100,000 helped to free the Italian leader Benito Mussolini in the Gran Sasso raid in September 1943. The operation was dramatised in a 1981 BBC comedy-drama miniseries, Private Schulz, and in a 2007 Austrian film, The Counterfeiters.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bernhard

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1071:

Byzantine–Seljuq wars: Seljuk Turks led by Alp Arslan captured Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV at the Battle of Manzikert. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manzikert

1810:

Juan José Castelli ordered the execution of Santiago de Liniers, during the Argentine War of Independence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Jos%C3%A9_Castelli

1914:

First World War: The German colony of Togoland surrendered to French and British forces after a 20-day campaign. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togoland_Campaign

1968:

The Beatles released "Hey Jude", which became the then-longest single to top the UK charts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Jude

1980:

Three men planted a bomb (explosion pictured) at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada, U.S., that the FBI described as the most complex improvised explosive device ever created. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey%27s_Resort_Hotel_bombing

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

steamer: 1. A device or object that works by the operation of steam. 2. A vessel in which articles are subjected to the action of steam, as in washing and in various processes of manufacture. 3. (cooking) A cooking appliance that cooks by steaming. 4. (obsolete) A steam fire engine, that is, a steam boiler and engine driving a pump, which are all mounted on wheels. 5. A mode of transportation propelled by steam. 6. (rail transport) A steam-powered road locomotive; a traction engine. 7. (nautical) A vessel propelled by steam; a steamboat or steamship. […] 8. A babycino (frothy milk drink). 9. A wetsuit with long sleeves and legs. 10. The name of various animals. 11. The soft-shell clam, sand gaper, or long-neck clam (Mya arenaria), an edible saltwater clam; specifically the clam when steamed for eating. 12. A steamer duck: any of the four species of the duck genus Tachyeres which are all found in South America, three of which are flightless. […] 13. (Australia, obsolete) A dish made by cooking diced meat very slowly in a tightly sealed pot with a minimum of flavourings, allowing it to steam in its own juices; specifically such a dish made with kangaroo meat. […] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/steamer

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The Nazis hated culture itself, because it is essentially international and therefore subversive of nationalism. What they called Nazi culture was a local, perverted, nationalistic cult, by which a few major artists and many minor ones were honored for their Germanness, not their talent.   --Christopher Isherwood https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Christopher_Isherwood