Nazi Operation Bernhard Forged £132 Million in British Banknotes
Nazi Germany launched Operation Bernhard during World War II, a plot designed to forge British currency and disrupt the economy. This initiative began in 1940, led by SS Major Friederich Bernhard Krüger, with the goal of creating £30 billion in counterfeit notes. The scheme was revealed in November 1939, which led the Bank of England to issue a blue emergency £1 note. In 1942, Krüger resumed the operation at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, enlisting Jewish prisoners to produce high-quality £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes. Between 1942 and 1945, £132 million in fake currency was generated to finance espionage. The operation was exposed in 1944, and prisoners were freed in 1945. Krüger evaded capture until 1946, eventually working for Hahnemühle.
Key facts
- Operation Bernhard was a Nazi scheme to counterfeit British banknotes during World War II.
- It was initially called Operation Andreas, started in 1940 under SS Major Friederich Bernhard Krüger.
- The operation produced £132 million in forged notes from 1942 to 1945, about 15% of genuine British currency in circulation.
- Forged notes were used to finance Nazi intelligence, buy weapons, and pay spies like Elyesa Bazna.
- The plot was uncovered in 1944 when the British captured Alfred Naujocks.
- Prisoners at Sachsenhausen concentration camp were forced to produce the counterfeits.
- After the war, forged notes were dumped in Lake Toplitz and later recovered.
- Adolf Burger wrote a memoir about his experiences as a forced counterfeiter.
Entities
Artists
- Friederich Bernhard Krüger
- Alfred Naujocks
- Reinhard Heydrich
- Joseph Goebbels
- Adolf Hitler
- Albert Langer
- Andreas Langer
- Elyesa Bazna
- Benito Mussolini
- Adolf Burger
- Vince Houghton
Institutions
- SS
- Bank of England
- Sachsenhausen concentration camp
- Hahnemühle
- National Bank of Belgium
- Bank of England Museum
- International Spy Museum
- Austrian National Bank
- Allied forces
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Greece
- Morocco
- Austria
- Lake Toplitz
- Salzkammergut
- Oranienburg
- Yugoslavia
- Southeastern Europe
- North Africa
- Europe
- Washington, D.C.
- United States
- Turkey
- Poland
- United Kingdom