Occupation: World War II Coin from Occupied Belgium (mini album)

Occupation: World War II Coin from Occupied Belgium (mini album)

War is horrible, the saying goes, but occupation is intolerable. This was borne out in the countries under Nazi occupation during the Second World War. In France, in Belgium, in the Netherlands, life under the German military administration was a misery. There were shortages of food, of fuel, of medical supplies. There were mass arrests and deportations to slave labor camps. There was financial upheaval, as the Nazis tanked the local currency. Censorship was rampant. Worst of all, the Nazis pitted Frenchmen against Frenchmen, Belgians against Belgians, Dutch against Dutch; informants were everywhere. Resistance movements operated but were met with brutal Nazi reprisal. A native of Ixelles, Belgium, who was active in the Dutch Resistance was the young Audrey Ruston; we know her as Audrey Hepburn. Occupation only ended with the Allied liberation at the end of the war. This is a Belgian 5 centimes, made of ”trade zinc,“ was struck by the German occupiers from 1941-43. Similar coins circulated in other occupied countries. The heavy wartime usage is evident in the well-worn condition.

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