ABSTRACT
As captured British officer R. A. Radford entered the gates of a German prisoner of war camp during World War II, he was prepared to adjust to a new world, but not all of it was new. He found a thriving economy, with markets in many goods, and a highly responsive pricing system with a currency measured in cigarettes. It is perhaps the only known currency that people could smoke. “Around D-day,” he recalled in an article he wrote after the war, “food and cigarettes were plentiful, business was brisk and the camp in an optimistic mood. Consequently, the Entertainments Committee felt the moment opportune to launch a restaurant, where food and hot drinks were sold while a band and variety tunes performed.” 1
