Keeping up troop morale with other people's money

Discussions on the economic history of the nations taking part in WW2, from the recovery after the depression until the economy at war.
Post Reply
User avatar
Christian Ankerstjerne
Forum Staff
Posts: 14027
Joined: 10 Mar 2002, 15:07
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Keeping up troop morale with other people's money

#1

Post by Christian Ankerstjerne » 28 Jun 2014, 15:51

I'm going through the status reports of a number of units, and found these comments in the reports from 1. Panzer-Division, which was stationed in Greece from July to October in 1943. The exchange rate on 15 April 1942 was 1 Reichmark for 60 Drachmas.
Status report, 1. Panzer-Division, 1 July 1943 wrote:The soldiers' morale is excellent, and they are enthusiastic. Part of the reason for this is the low exchange rate for Drachmas, which the troops do not fully comprehend. [...]
Status report, 1. Panzer-Division, 1 August 1943 wrote:The soldiers' morale is very good, and they are enthusiastic. The increase of the exchange rate for Drachmas from 1 to 600 to 1 to 1200 has been very beneficial. [...]
Status report, 1. Panzer-Division, 1 October 1943 wrote:The soldiers' morale is good, and they are enthusiastic. The increase of the exchange rate for Drachmas to 1 to 2400, as well as the small increase in vacation quotas, have been beneficial. [...]
On a side note, it is interesting to note the decline in superlatives.

Post Reply

Return to “Economy”