At the rear end of his time as Commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan , General David Petraeus commented that “ money is my most important ammunition in this warfare . ” It was far from an original thought . In fact , you could argue that currency is the most crucial and least acknowledged wartime weapon .
Banknotes , in a way , make the perfect ammunition : They take universal note value across many cultures . They ’re belittled , light , and pack easily . Most country already possess the infrastructure to print them . And maybe most significantly , they defend constancy — or the lack of it .
So for centuries , Army have waged phantom wars with the material , using tactics as aboveboard as the British spark hyperinflation in Revolutionary War - era America and as turbid as waging a psychological war against Iraki troops via propaganda banknotes in Gulf War . Take a look at a few instance below .
The Secret Agents That George Washington Hanged
The story of counterfeiting goes way , way back in America — even before America was . During the Revolutionary War , Congress make a American currentness to fund its war against England which , in twist , set in motion a plan to destabilise its indocile petty brother ’s thriving colonial economy by introducing fake Continental cash into the supply , sparking hyperinflation .
According toMilitary History Now , two British loyalists were enlisted to journey across the 13 colonies distribute the fake cash — this was called “ stuff . ” By the clip they were apprehended , the duo had $ 10,000 in imitative Continental money between them — and George Washington had both hanged .
Hitler’s Failed Counterfeit Operation
During World War II , the Nazis evolve a similar plan — an operation project to destabilise the British pound by get massive pomposity . Often tap hard worker childbed in concentration camps , they forged millions of simulated £ 5 , £ 10 , £ 20 , and £ 50 note — producing imitative notes so perfect , it took days for the Bank of England to pick out some from legitimate bills .
There ’s an unbelievable amount of scholarship ( and plenty of fabricated account ) of this so - called Operation Bernhard — check out amemoir from one of the counterfeiters here .
Blanketing Vietnam With Fake Money
The U.S. had experimented with propaganda eyeshade at the conclusion of World War II , and by the clock time the Vietnam War was underway in 1965 , it had launch a full - fledge military campaign . The plan of attack was simple : Print counterfeit distinction , but apply one side of those notes to convey a subject matter about the war .
epitome : Banknote World .
There were wads of designs and variations used . For example , U.S. forces would print high - lineament copies of the North Vietnamese dong line that look just like the actual affair , except for a clean spot that could be filled in to check specific object , like “ Return to reunify with your son and family , exist in serenity and felicity . ”
grant to a 1966 issue of International Banknote Society Journal , the U.S. dropped as many as 400 million of these leaflets over Vietnam between 1965 and 66.Here ’s how one pilot remember the massive operations :
The contents of the boxes were n’t loosely screw by the crew , other than that they were leaflets . The boxes were sealed and design so they did n’t break apart until the box reached the last of the stable line and the leaflets thus deploy behind and below the airplane .
But the other side was in on the action too : As the Currency Collector ’s John Sandrock signal out ( PDF ) , Viet Cong banknotes were soon being printed with ornately - drawn aspect of fighter aircraft bringing down American helicopters :
epitome : Art - Hanoi.com .
Dropping 29 Million Bills Over Iraq
The Gulf War did n’t last long , but the U.S. Army wasted no time staging a massive psychological war safari during that time . Over the row of the brief war , the Army dropped some 29 million folder over Iraq , most of them printed with “ money ” on one side and propaganda on the other .
Some of the banknote designs were actually borrowed from the bills dropped over Vietnam — others contained detailed directions about how to deliver . The note above reads : “ The toter of this leaflet is permit to cross the lines of the Allied Forces and obtain good intervention until you reach the HQ of the Coalition close . You are also allow our brother join Iraqi Forces Combined Forces with a clean-cut sense of right and wrong and without doing you any harm . Will be treated harmonise to the Geneva Convention . ”
Images : Soymenos .
decade of G of Iraqi soldier had surrendered within just a few hebdomad — concord toMilitary History Now , you may see some soldiers check the leafletsin this TV . Check out 14 of the other designshere .
There are stacks of other documented cases where armies used money a weapon system , though . If you ’ve got a favorite anecdote , drop it below .
run mental image : Yuriy Boyko / Shutterstock .
wars
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , scientific discipline , and culture news in your inbox daily .
newsworthiness from the future , fork out to your present tense .
You May Also Like
