Adolf Hitler 51st birthday stamp, 1940. As leader of Germany and the Nazi party, Adolf Hitler demanded that his image be placed on postage stamps. By printing these stamps and thus forcing German people to use them in their everyday lives, Hitler successfully promoted himself, the war, and the Nazi party during the hardships of WWII. But he accomplished something else too - his image generated a commission for each stamp that was sold, not unlike today's licensing agreements of famous figures. Propaganda efforts, inflation, and perhaps Hitler's pride spurred the printing of these stamps in increasing quantities as the war became more desperate for Germany. Finally, literally millions of these stamps were liberated from Germany by Allied soldiers as they overran towns, banks, and postoffices.