Buchenwald Standort-Kantine concentration camp scrip, 1 Reichsmark, acquired by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm) | Width: 4.125 inches (10.478 cm)
Creator(s)
- Glenn H. Burghardt (Subject)
Biographical History
Glenn Howard Burghardt was born on July 9, 1919, in Jamestown, New York, to Frank and Lydia Kenyon Burghardt. Glenn graduated from Lockport High School in 1938 and enlisted in the United States Army the next year. Glenn's first station was Schofield Barracks in O'ahu, Hawaii, the mobile defense station for the island and the naval base at Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, Glenn watched as Japanese planes flew over on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. In 1942, he was selected to attend Quartermaster Officer Candidate School. That May, Glenn was assigned to the 78th Division at Camp Buckner in North Carolina. He met Shirley Harton and they married on August 7, 1943. The couple would have three children. Glenn transferred to the Corps of Engineers. In March 1944, he was deployed overseas. He was part of the invasion force that landed in France on D-day in June 1944. Glenn served in combat across Europe through the end of the war on May 7, 1945. He was awarded a Purple Heart in the action at Pearl Harbor. Glenn was placed on occupation duty and returned stateside on August 10, 1945. He served in the National Guard and Army Reserves for over thirty years, and retired with the rank of Major. Glenn studied accounting and was a bookkeeper and auditor for Abney Mills, until his retirement after thirty years, in 1982. He was a member of the Main Street United Methodist Church. Glenn, 92, passed away in September 2011.
Archival History
The scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Glenn H. Burghardt.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Glenn H. Burghardt
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
1 Reichsmark Buchenwald Kantine coupon acquired by 25 year old Glenn H. Burghardt, presumably while a soldier in the United States Army in the European Theater from June 1944-August 1945. The scrip was issued at Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany, in undated notes in 0.50, 1, 2, and 3 mark denominations. The simply designed notes were printed on coarse paper in two categories: canteen scrip such as this and exchange scrip issued to members of outside labor brigades [Aussenkommandos.] In 1941, Burghardt was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and watched the planes flew overhead on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. He received a Purple Heart for his service there. After attending Quartermaster Officer training, he was assigned to the 78th Division. Glenn deployed to Europe in March 1944, landed in France that June, and was in action until the surrender of Germany on May 7, 1945.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular, discolored, light brown paper coupon with a light blue floral patterned rectangle with scalloped edges and a narrow, blank border printed on the front. German text, the denomination 1 and a serial number, are printed in black ink over the floral background. The coupon is glued to white paper and the right side may have been trimmed. It is creased and worn.
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
- Concentration camps--Germany--Weimar (Thuringia)--Economic aspects.
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany--Weimar (Thuringia)
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
Genre
- Money
- Exchange Media
- Object