Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
First I will give an intro and then I will show you stamp/letter examples.
I hope the translation from german to english can be read and understood.
So the intro is a bit boring but maybe it will help you to understand a few things.
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INTRO
=====
The German field post 1937-1945
The term "field post" is understood to mean two things:
• The institution "Deutsche Feldpost". It was subordinate to the organization and deployment of the Wehrmacht, postfach the Reichspostministerium.
• On the other hand, the inscription "Feldpost" on items of all kinds included that these were to be transported by the Deutsche Reichspost, the Deutsche Feldpost and the Deutsche Dienstpost in accordance with the conditions of the Feldpostvorschrift of July 22, 1938, the official gazettes and the field post office gazettes of the Reichspostministerium.
Carriers and routes of the postal service
The organization and the routes, which had been tried and tested in the field post operations from 1937-1939, proved themselves in principle, so that apart from the introduction of the "Kenn-nummer" at the field post offices, they did not make any significant changes during the war, but they did do so due to the length and the widespread nature of the war required many additions, but they were not always followed with the necessary care.
While during the war from 1937 to August 1939 only the mobile parts of the Wehrmacht were supplied by the Reichspost and Feldpost, from the beginning of the war the Deutsche Feldpost took care of the supply of the mobile associations of the entire Wehrmacht as well as the military and civilian German institutions with field post numbers as addresses. Organizations and companies with open addresses in occupied territories were allowed to use the field post if there was no German official post in their area (France, Belgium, Southeast Europe, Italy, North Africa). The German post office was also subordinate to the air gau post offices and naval post offices located in the area of the Reichspost and Deutsche Dienstpost (from 1st July 1944: naval post offices).
The German Reichspost was responsible for the entire supply of field mail within the applicable borders of the German Reich, including the incorporated areas (Alsace-Lorraine, West Prussia, etc.) and partly also in the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia.
This mainly involved the field mail of the reserve army and the down-to-earth departments, as well as the transfer of mail from home to the field post control center and the takeover of mail from the front.
The Deutsche Dienstpost was set up as an independent organization in the occupied territories, which was administered by civilian sovereigns (Reichskommissare). In total, there were 16 independent divisions of the Deutsche Dienstpost and the Deutsche Post Osten, although not during the entire duration of the war. Field mail was treated in the same way as for the Reichspost, unless the Wehrmacht associations and services were referred to a field post office.
With the length of the war, especially from 1944, overlaps between the three postal organizations became inevitable, and from then on, sometimes earlier, they often worked side by side.
From autumn 1944, a radio communications service was set up for the soldiers of those cut off from their homeland and the island of Crete (see island post office) as well as for the soldiers on the Channel Islands, in the Atlantic fortresses and in the Breslau fortress.
With foreign postal administrations of neutral, allied and occupied states, agreements have been concluded for the transportation of field mail, free of charge or at a reduced fee, for a limited group of private senders and recipients. If there was no agreement, the items at the rates of the Universal Postal Union had to be cleared.
The routes with the field mail items are shown in the diagram with the explanations of the terms at the end of the catalog!
The camouflage of the address and the routes
Since, for reasons of secrecy, the associations of the military forces, the Waffen-SS as well as parts of the police and other organizations instead of their open names were given arbitrarily selected and permanently assigned multi-digit field post numbers as addresses / senders, they had to be assigned by those responsible for the management of the shipments Posts (field post collection points, post control points, field post control points, air gau post offices, marine post offices / offices, Wehrmacht letter posts and army letter posts) are made conductive.
The field post overview was used for this purpose and was kept up to date at all times. It showed from which field post office, identified by a three-digit identification number, the field post number given as the address, and to which post control point the item was to be sent.
The “Kenn-nummern” were only introduced at the beginning of the war and only appeared in the field postmark for items to be verified. In contrast, the field post stamps from 1937 to August 1939 contained a three-digit number in the field postmark, under which the field post office was listed in the division of troops of its association (tactical number). At the beginning of the war, the tactical number was often mistakenly used in the stamp.
With the surrender of the Wehrmacht on May 8, 1945, the term "Feldpost" disappeared in both senses.
Sources :
KANNAPIN, the German field post, organization and localization 1939-1945
KANNAPIN, The German field post survey 1939-1945 volume 1-3
MICHEL, Handbuch-Katalog Deutsche Feldpost
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The field post number and the addresses on field mail items
The field post number
The field post number was first tested in the Wehrmacht maneuver in 1937. It underwent some changes until the first months of the war.
There was:
• four-digit field post numbers in the Wehrmacht maneuver in 1937,
• five-digit field post numbers during deployment in Austria and during the war,
• six-digit field post numbers during the mission in the Czechoslovakia, in August 1939 for the "exercise mail" and in January 1945 for the Poznan fortress the field post number 123321, which no longer appears in the field post overview (Kannapin, the German field post overview 1939-1945, Volume 3, page 309).
During the war there were field post numbers from 00001-87919, although a larger number was not allocated from 60,000 onwards. The field post numbers between 80002 and 87919 were reserved for Italian troops who, after the surrender of their country, came under German command.
During the war, each independent unit (company, battery) and each association (battalion, division) had its own field post number.
Additional letters to the field post number during the war:
Before the field post number:
“L” including an airmail post office: field post numbers for units and associations of the Air Force, which were under the command of the Commander in Chief of the Air Force,
"M" field post numbers for floating units of the Navy (from 1.12.1939-30.6.1944).
“Sch” including details of a pick-up post office: field post numbers of the Land Marine units of the coast guard (October 1941 – June 1944),
“M” including a marine post office: field post numbers of the Navy (floating units and land troops) from July 1944.
Behind the field post number:
("A") a capital letter: Name of a company / battery within a battalion / department, beginning with "A" for each association.
Locally deployed offices and units in larger towns and on training areas had a common field post number (group field post number). The letters that followed were often up to "Z" or were even double letters.
If there was no letter after a field post number, it was a staff or an independent unit (company, train, troop or command office, etc.). It should be noted that until January 1940 there was no letter to identify the unit within an association.
The address on field mail items
In order to be transported as a field post, it had to be approved in accordance with the Field Post Service Ordinance of July 22, 1938 and the supplementary provisions of the field post office gazettes (the facility provides information on the approved mail and the exemption from fees from September 1939; the provisions for pre-war operations the field post are mentioned in the relevant sections), on the front of the letter etc. bear the designation "field post" and the letter stamp or the official seal of the troop part. The latter provision was no longer required for senders with field post numbers from the winter of 1941/42 to become.
The designation "SS Feldpost", which can be found on many programs during the war, had to be applied due to an agreement between the Reichspostmini¬ster and the Reichsführer of the SS and chief of the German police. Auxiliary police, SS - without field post number - and their relatives take advantage of the discounts and conditions of carriage of the field post for their consignments, provided that the beneficiaries had an open address as the address, their post with the unit's stamp and the password " SS field post "provided (Feldpostamtsblattvergabe No. 53/1940 from 6.5.1940).
There are three groups of addresses: open, semi-open and camouflaged.
Regarding the half-open and camouflaged address: While terms such as "control center", "pick-up post office" and similar names or only the specification of a location allow a certain conclusion to be drawn about the area in which a troop is deployed, if the aviation gait offices and marine post offices with their wide catchment area are specified, a conclusion can be drawn not possible for a troop with a field post number. The post collection point is merely the collection point for field mail items to the front, which are received by the post offices of the responsible Reich Post Office district.
Source:
Michel manual catalog Deutsche Feldpost 1937 - 1945
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You know what they say : A picture is more than a thousand words (or something like that)
This 2 pictures are representing the FRONT and the BACK of an example fieldpost letter :
FRONT (in red the translation !)
BACK ( in red the translation !)
DRP stands for Deutsche Reichs-Post
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Air Field Post
I. Airfield Post Service East
In April 1942, an air field post service with its own air field post squadron was set up to accelerate the field mail with the Eastern Front. Approval stamps have been issued to adapt the volume of shipments to the restricted transport space. Private postcards and letters up to 10 g as well as business items up to 20 g were permitted.
Period: Start April 18, 1942- May 31, 1943:
Every recipient on the Eastern Front receives 4 stamps per month, 2 for letters front — home, 2 for letters home — front. A stamp was required for letters, folded letters and postcards.
Period: June 1, 1943 until the end of the Eastern Air Mail Service on July 24, 1944:
Each authorized recipient now received 8 stamps per month. One stamp was required for cards and folded letters up to 5 g and two stamps for letters up to 10 g.
II. Airfield Post Service in Northern Scandinavia
It was established in September 1943. In contrast to the air field post service east, there was no separate air field post squadron, the transport was carried out by adding to Lufthansa scheduled civilian flights. The conditions and the approval marks were the same as in the air field post service east.
Period: September 1943- January 25th, 1945:
See 2nd period Airfield Post Service East.
Period: January 26, 1945 until the end of the war:
Only one registration mark is required for all types of shipment.
III. Airfield Post Service Crete and Rhodes
It was established on December 1, 1943. As in the air field post service in Northern Dinavien, the air was transported by means of an additional charge to civilian scheduled flights, here on the Berlin-Saloniki routes. The stamps and conditions were the same as in the air field post service east.
December 1943 - October 1944:
See 2nd period Airfield Post Service East.
November 1944 Partial evacuation of the islands and introduction of the island post, see "Island Post".
x = smoother gum
y = horizontal gum strips
z = vertical gum strips
and an complete letter :
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Two other variations of the stamps
1 Ungezahnt
The British fake of Michel No. 1
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Parcel Service stamp (Michel Nr 2)
Parcel service without registration marks
From November 1, 1939 on, field post parcels, Heimat — Front, Front — Heimat and Front — Front, were approved. The maximum weight was 1000 g. Field post items up to 250 g were transported free of charge, field post parcels from 250 to 1000 g cost Rpf 20. Free fee. Shipments from home had to be cleared, those of soldiers (also front-front) were to be cleared. In the case of consignments that have not been cleared or insufficiently cleared, the simple shortfall (without surcharge) was charged by the recipient.
Parcels in the direction of front — home were possible without registration stamps until the end of the war, home — front of 250-1000 g, on the other hand, only until July 9, 1942, since from July 10, 1942 the parcel shipment was contingent on the issue of license stamps.
See parcel service with registration stamps!
Parcel service with registration stamps
Approval stamps and package addresses with approval stamps Front-Heimat see under North Africa, Kuban, Crimea, Greece (Salonika).
On July 10, 1942, parcel registration stamps were introduced for parcels Heimat-Front. For packages of 250-1000 g was an approval mark and 20 Rpf. Postage required.
On September 1, 1942, the issuance of parcel registration stamps was doubled. Now packages up to 2000 g could be sent. From 1000-2000 g the free fee was 40 Rpf. and two registration marks.
From March 1944, only consignments up to 100 g were accepted free of charge, with an approval mark of 20-100 g being required. From June 23, 1944, the weight of a consignment was even reduced to 20 g for recipients in the West.
From July 10, 1942 to August 31, 1942, the soldiers received one stamp each month, and from September 1, 1942 to autumn 1944 two stamps for parcels to the home front.
Whole parcel title page from Degussa Ffm. To Feldpost No. 32558 B Breslau back to sender (recipient fell for Greater Germany)
The whole package tittle (including the address) is unique because these packages were usually torn upon opening
( This is NOT in my collection )
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Postal stamp No. 795 with two-line overprint of the Reichsdruckerei. FELDPOST / 2 kg as an approval stamp
From November 24, 1944, soldiers from a field post numbering unit and followers of departments, etc., who participated in the postal service "Durch Deutsche Feldpost", were issued two admission stamps for winter underwear. This enabled them to use them between December 1944 and January 1945 and receive a parcel of up to 2 kg. The fee of 1000-2000 g was 40 Rpf. If this weight was not reached, parcels up to 250 g were free of charge, those of 250-1000 g cost 20 Rpf. The parcels are delivered to the post offices.
The ratings for No. 2 A, B, 3 and 4 refer to complete parcel addresses, consisting of recipient and sender details (Fp. Amtsblatt Verfg. 131/44 of 24.11.44). This was particularly necessary for Nos. 3 and 4, since from the end of 1944 only a part of the parcels delivered could be routed.
Feldpostmarke 3 incorrectly canceled Berlin SW 19b
Real field post parcel cut-out with full address.
(This is NOT in my collection)
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Feldpostpäckchen approval stamp for Christmas parcels (Michel nr 4)
From October 20, 1944, the green parcel stamp was issued for Christmas parcels at the home front, two pieces each to soldiers of a field post numbering unit and to followers of departments, companies, etc., who took part in the postage fee "Durch Deutsche Feldpost" two 500 g packets or one 1000 g packet were sent in. In both cases, a fee of 20 Rf. was payable. Packets under 250 g were free of charge, but they had to bear an approval postmark.
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North Africa
From February 11, 1941, German troops were deployed to reinforce the Italian troops operating in North Africa without success. By the time of the capitulation on May 13, 1943, these troops had grown to almost 200,000 men, who were mailed to up to 11 field post offices.
The field post from North Africa is very popular due to the legendary reputation of the "German Africa Corps" in this non-European theater of war, which is inextricably linked to the name of its commander-in-chief Rommel.
Field mail items from North Africa are occasionally provided with private ornamental stamps (so-called palm stamps). These cachets, which came in many shapes and colors, had no postal significance or influence on the transport of field mail items. An examination according to the examination regulations of the Federation of Philatelic Examiners is not possible.
Reference is made to the handbook by Franz E. Graf Kesselstatt "The tunis package stamp and the palm stamps of the DAK", Issue 49, the series of publications New Handbook of Postage Stamp Studies, Düsseldorf.
Tunis-package-admittance stamp
In March and April 1943, Tunisia was issued two stamps of approval to some of the soldiers in order to restrict the delivery of parcels to their home country. For a parcel up to 1000 grams there was an approval mark and the fee of 20 Rpf. required.
Tunis stamp (Michel nr 5a)
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As most philatelists know, many, often more expensive, stamps are forged.
Naturally also with these feldpost stamps like the so-called Tunis stamp.
So I add some pictures that clarify where you should pay attention to.
Genuine characteristics.
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ISLAND MAIL (Crete and Aegean)
When the Allied forces recaptured mainland Greece, the German troops on Crete and the Aegean Islands were deprived of their supply route by sea in autumn 1944. The postal supply could only be carried out by air and made a considerable restriction of the field mail traffic necessary.
Three command posts were appointed by telex:
1) Commander of the permanent place CRETE,
2) Commander EAST AEGEAN,
3) Fortress commander LEROS,
which were independent of Army Group E and of each other in their arrangements. Even before the telex was issued, the responsible Army Field Postmaster had ordered for the entire room of the three new command areas that only air field letters with field postage stamps bearing the inscription "Inselpost" were allowed to be transported in both directions.
For this purpose, a large stock (200,000 pieces) of the existing Feldpostpäckchen stamps (No. 2 B) in Vukovar, Yugoslavia, was overprinted (1st general edition No. 6). The aircraft, which had almost the entire circulation on board, was shot down on the supply flight in October 1944. As a result, the island postal stamps were destroyed except for a small remaining stock that remained in Vukovar. The technical difficulties in obtaining new brands (2nd general edition of Agram - No. 10 -) led to the various local editions on the islands, by order of the commanders 1-3 (see above) for their areas.
To simplify the postal service, all units were assigned new field post numbers at the end of October 1944, which read:
For the units on
• CRETE 68000-68059 (MILOS 68030)
• RHODES 68060-68089 (PISKOPI 68086)
• LEROS 68090-68096
• KOS (Coos) 68097-68099
These numbers were connected to the Luftgaupostamt Wien.
The Italian combatants on the islands also received island postage stamps. There are therefore no. 7-12 home cancellations (also station wave stamps).
For further details see Manual and catalog for "INSELPOST 1944/45" by Wolf RUNGAS and Erich SAUER.
The following types of forgery occur with island postage stamps:
1. imagination imprints.
Different and very different imprint types, sometimes also on other original brands.
2. imprint counterfeits.
Difficult to recognize without real comparison pieces.
3. Zähnungsfälschungen.
The large difference in price between perforated and pierced brands prompted counterfeiters to use genuine cheap brands to produce the more expensive ones by re-perforating them. Also not always recognizable through size comparison and magnifying glass observations.
4. Color counterfeiting.
The color is changed to black by skillfully repeating the blue print on the Agram edition (10A and 10B). Recognizable by the thick application of paint and the deep black color.
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Vukovar overprint (October 1944)
Air field postage stamp for letters for German troops cut off in Crete and the Aegean Islands. Offset litho overprint of the card office of Army Group F. First, general edition on Feldpostpäckchen approval stamp No. 2 B.
The majority of the print run, which amounted to 200,000 pieces, was destroyed by plane strikes at Salonika. A large part of the remaining stock of approx. 2000 pieces remaining in Vukovar, including the printing committee (double prints, upside down printing, etc.), came to Rhodes in December 1944, where it was distributed to collectors; the stamps mostly received a courtesy stamp with a field postmark (code letter "e", which never appears on postage) or with an Italian stamp "RODI EGEO".
Letters as required very rarely; Testing essential.
Souvenir cards in connection with other island postage stamps from the Panzer Grenadier Brigade and the Rhodes Military Administration are known and commercially available.
I do not own this stamp ! It is a picture from the internet.
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Hello HockeyNut,
Thank you again for these articles about Feldpost stamps.
I had the opportunity many times to buy stamps that I knew they had forged.
I didn't buy them because I didn't know the characteristics of the original and fake stamps (except the French Legion sheet with very small price)
Extraordinary information about the characteristics of the Tunisian stamp.
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"Extraordinary information about the characteristics of the Tunisian stamp."
Thanks Gerom,
You know what the say : "Knowledge is power"
And what I told earlier : I read a lot of books and that knowledge I will gladly share with others.
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INSEL KRETA (November 1944)
Well the most I told in the previous post, so here some pictures of my stamp(s)
There were 100.000 stamp made. (A and B together)
Michel nr 7A unused
Michel nr 7A used (canceled at 08-11-1944)
Be aware !
Same imprint in black are forgeries.
Imprint on Michel nr 2 A exists but are also forgeries !
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INSEL RHODOS (November 1944)
There are 40.000 stamps made ( A and B together )
Michel Nr 8BII
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INSEL RHODOS (November 1944)
There are 60.000 stamps made but the majority is destroyed!
Nr 9 unused
Nr 9 used
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AGRAMER AUFDRUCK (November 1944)
There were 1.500.000 stamps made.
There are many variations of this stamp.
Agramer Aufdrück (Printed in Agram also known as Zagrad, Croatia) to replace the destroyed Vukovar Overprints.
Michel 2A and B with Büchdrück overprint in kursiv-antiqua. Perforated (=A) and Rouletted (=B)
Colors of the pictures may vary……..
.....
Michel 10Aa, imprint Blauschwarz, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Michel 10Ba, imprint Blauschwarz, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Michel 10Bb, imprint darkblue till blue, imprint at an angle of 30 to 40 degrees.
Platte I-1, I-2 or I-3
Michel 10Ab, imprint darkblue, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
(Look closely behind the T from INSELPOST !!!)
Platte II
Michel 10Bc, imprint watery light blue, imprint at an angle of 30 to 36 degrees.
Platte I-2
Michel 10Ad, imprint schwarzblau, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Platte I
Michel 10Bd, imprint schwarzblau, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Platte I-1
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Fun eh?
All those varities of Michel nr 10............
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INSEL LEROS (FEBRUARY 1945)
From these stamps (A and B together) were 16000 made.
11 Aa
11 Ba
Different types do exists :
Type I : narrow P, normal S
Type II : wide P, large S
Type III : narrow P, large S
Type IV : wide P, normal S
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Rhodes Island (December 1944)
The imprints were made at the instigation of the fortress commander from Tipo-grafia Rodi.
Approval by the Army Field Postmaster was not necessary.
The Italian postal director provided the original stamps due to the lire devaluation. A total of 25,000 copies were overprinted, issued on December 22, 1944 and used without objection. However, a large part of the demand mail was destroyed when a mail plane crashed.
The stamps were made for the Christmas mail and additionally distributed to each soldier of the islands of Rhodes, Leros and Coos at least 2 pieces. In the mail traffic towards home, single frankings were regular; no further franking with island postage stamps was required. Letters with numbers 1, 8, 9, 10 and 11 still appear as mixed franking.
Description of the types:
• Type 1: year 1944 in bold antique letters, narrow "9" closed
"4"; even spaces, "1" of the year is under "El" from Christmas, "9" under HN, the two "4" under "C" or "TE" line spacing 1.4 mm.
• Type II: year as type 1, but between "19" and "44" space larger than 19 44. Position of "1" under "WE", "9" under "IH", the two "4" under "AC" or "HT", "T" with spigot.
• Type III: year in broad grotesque climbing, width "9", open "4", type III in field 1 only known in a few copies.
• Type IV: Like Type III, but garbled "W" CHRISTMAS.
• Type V: Like Type 1, but line spacing 1.8 mm (instead of 1.4 mm) for Type 1.
This resulted in horizontal prints. No surcharge for pairs of different types.
The imprint "VEIHNACHTEN" (Type IV) can be found on the left, vertical row of sheets. The mutilation was probably caused by cutting the cliché, which shortened the "W" on the edge to the "V" Enlargement squeeze edges, as well as the non-axial image of the remaining "V". See Rungas / Sauer: INSELPOST 1944/45.
Vertical pairs, of which one brand remained without an overprint, as well as heavily shifted, divided, 44 and 'overprints are "gimmicks of the printer"
known and also in the trade.
The imprint "WEIANACHTEN" can also be assigned to these manifestations.
Type I
Type III
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HELA (March 1945)
U-Boat Post, March 1945, stamp issued on Hela Peninsula, Gdansk, for mail sent via submarine to the unoccupied German ports.
During WW-II the 51st infantry division of the German army was based on the Hela Peninsula, on the gulf of Danzig / Gdansk (Poland, Baltic Sea).
Also the 18th U-boat Flotilla was stationed there on that peninsula.
The flotilla was formed in Hel, Poland, in January 1945 under the command of Corvette Captain Rudolf Franzius. Officially a training flotilla, the four U-boats were in combat in the Baltic Sea. It was disbanded in March 1945
In March 1945 the troops were cut off the mainland but were serviced with supplies by submarines. Mail service was to be provided to these troops by submarine and a special stamp for this purpose was designed by one Bruno Paetsch of Danzig. It was offset lithographed by the army corps map unit on the Hela on paper originally intended to be used for the production of military maps.
The stamps were printed in sheets of 150 stamps, imperforated and without gum. Total printing 150,000.
Although these stamps were rationed amongst the soldiers because of the limited space on the submarines for carrying personal mail, Hela was regularly served by surface vessels of the navy until the war ended on May 8, 1945, so that this stamp was not used as originally Intended.
Michel Nr 13b (The only one of this stamp I have)
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KUBAN (April 1943)
In the period from April 17 to May 19, 1943, approval stamps for field parcel parcels up to 1000 g were issued in the Kuban bridgehead.
The postage for a packet of 250-1000 g was 20 Rpf. The registration marks were only valid for the front — home.
The printing was done by the front newspaper "Fighters in the Caucasus" on newspaper.
Most of the original 1,000,000 copies were destroyed.
In field post terms, this edition was officially referred to as the "registration certificate".
Type I : “1 Päckchen” in der mitte über “Front – Heimat”
Type II : “1 Päckchen” mit “Front – Heimat” links auf fast gleicher Höhe
Type III : “1 Päckchen” mit “Front – Heimat” rechts auf gleicher Höhe oder etwas nach rechts herausragend.
I DO NOT OWN THIS STAMP. So here is a example from the internet.
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CRIME (November 1943)
From November 1943 to February 19, 1944, admission stamps for military post parcels up to 1000 g were issued on the Crimean peninsula.
The postage for a packet of 250-1000 g was 20 Rpf.
The registration marks were only valid for the front home.
The printing was done on newspaper by the front newspaper of the army "Der Kampf", Feldpost No. 17 469. The total circulation is unknown, but not all parts of the troop were given the stamps.
The need to surrender these bars resulted from a postal block following the break-in of Russian armies in Ukraine.
In field post terms, this edition was officially referred to as the "registration certificate".
Type I: format approx. 41 x23 mm with normal "n"
Type II: format approx. 36x28 mm, inverted "n" as "u" in "päckchen" and "richtung"
Type Iia: upside down "n" as "u" only in "richtung"
Type Iib: upside down "n" as "u" only in "päckchen"
Type IIc: setting error field 32 "richtung"
Michel Nr 15 I
Michel 15 II
Both are mine 
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KURLAND
The so-called Kurland express letter
Halved registration number 4 used as an approval mark for airmail in Courland.
Two armies, the 16th and the 18th, had been included in Kurland since October 10, 1944. From mid-March to the end of April, the Kurland Schnellbrief was used to quickly establish a field post connection to the homeland for the wounded and later for everyone.
The brands were halved with a paper cutter. Often the perforation was not cut in the middle, so that vertically unserrated halves occur due to the manufacturing process.
The halved stamps were stuck on cards and letters (field post forms) to protect against counterfeiting and were stamped with the service stamps of the field post control center 734 (half) Libau (lq and 17092).
Counterfeits to the detriment of the military post have occurred. The number of "Kurland Schnellbriefe" received and actually flown is low and comes almost exclusively from the period from mid-March to late April, addressed to areas of Germany not yet occupied by the Allies.
Empty cards and letters with the stamp DDPO Libau "c" were still "manufactured"
I DO NOT OWN THIS CARD. (Got it from the internet)
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RUHRKESSEL
Ruhrkessel is the name of the siege of the Ruhr area on the western front at the end of the Second World War. In addition to the Kessel von Halbe and the Battle of Berlin, it was the last major battle of the Second World War in Europe.
In memory of the commander of the American 3rd Armored Division Spearhead, General Maurice Rose, who fell at Paderborn, the battle also bears the nickname Rose Pocket, especially in the United States.
The Wehrmacht units were under the command of General Field Marshal Walter Model. The officers of the paramilitary units of the NSDAP and Volkssturm (including the Freikorps Sauerland) were under the command of Gauleiter Albert Hoffmann after the crossing of the Rhine on 24 March.
And now the stamp :
3 Pfg Hitler with overprint "Feldpost", temporary registration stamp for postal traffic of Army Group B, so-called Ruhrkesselmarke
It was intended as an approval mark for a regulated air field post service, the soldiers trapped in the Ruhr basin. As a result of the rushing war events, such an air field post service could no longer be realized. At that time, however, brands were distributed to soldiers.
Here is a detailed picture of the real imprint, squeeze edges can be recognized on all types (see arrows that point to such examples) and the imprint is slightly embossed on the back.
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Unofficial expenditure Greece (Thessaloniki)
Approval stamp for parcels Front — Heimat (so-called Saloniki stamp)
Juni1944
Thanks to the initiative of Colonel Göhring at Army Group E and without the approval of the responsible army postmaster, Dr. Black in Army Group F in June 1944 in Saloniki 4 different Italian brands with the black imprint “P. M. "=" posta militare "still produced and issued with a five-line red or black overprint. These stamps were to replace the paper for the usual "duty-free monthly shipment". This included a franking fee of 20 pfennigs.
The O.K.W. the inadmissibility of the brands mentioned for parcels in the army ordinance sheet.
Extract from Army Ordinance Sheet 1944, Sheet 26, Part C: 279.
Inadmissible production of approval marks for parcels.
Of a part of the troop without the permission of the O.K.W. Approval marks for parcels have been produced by overprinting Italian stamps. This is not allowed. The registration marks are invalid and must be withdrawn again. The remaining stocks of such approval marks are to be sent to O.K.W./ AHA / In 8.
O.K.W., 1.8.44
—1363/44 - In 8 (111 a).
1st edition. Five-line overprint on Italian military stamps "P.M.", MiNr. 4 (303), 5 (304), 7 (307), 15 (328), without milky white background.
Saloniki III , V and VI (Those are mine )
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And at last a special bonus :
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The Front
And the backside
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A fieldpost letter to the concentrationcamp BUCHENWALD
To the reichs-minister of the airforce
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Not realy a fieldpost letter but very interesting in terms of censorship
The front
And the back
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And another none fieldpost letter for all you americans :
Front
Back
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Very early fieldpost letters (e.g. UBUNGSPOST)
Postkart from 1937 (2 years before the start of WW2)
Letter from 01-09-1939 ( Start of WW2 with siege on Poland )
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Well fellow collectors hope you liked it.
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I think its the kind of thing there needs to be more of. I have a bunch of the feldposts but its hard to get them and if you can't get bunch a its hard to study the details. But this type of article was the heart of many a stamp weekly in days of yore. As one example Mekeel's weekly ran a bimonthly article on german states and empire from about 1913 to 1919. I am sure they were not unique in their approach. Additionally simply as a collector wouldn't you like to read about those "ancient" issues as they were released and what tickled the fancy of the people at that time. I confess i am primarily a historian, by neither training nor design, but simply inclement (everyone said you can never make any money at it) ... choices choices....
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"You know what the say : "Knowledge is power"
And what I told earlier : I read a lot of books and that knowledge I will gladly share with others."
Here are examples of my books / catalogs I consult.
First of all my Michel Catalogs
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More books about fieldpost :
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And the "HOLY BIBLE" of the fieldpost :
There are 3 books of these
and 1 book of those
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All you want to know about censorship of the german army in the 2 WW :
and many, many more............
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Wow, this was a lot of usefull information HockeyNut
I have boomarked this tread to later study.
Thanks a lot 
Tobben
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excellent thread ! you deserve your own 8.8 cm Pak 43
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Thanks guys !
My next thread will handle about World War 2 Prisoners of War letters.
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Well I told you all that the next thread would go about "Die Deutsche Feldpost"
First I will give an intro and then I will show you stamp/letter examples.
I hope the translation from german to english can be read and understood.
So the intro is a bit boring but maybe it will help you to understand a few things.
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re: The German Fieldpost
INTRO
=====
The German field post 1937-1945
The term "field post" is understood to mean two things:
• The institution "Deutsche Feldpost". It was subordinate to the organization and deployment of the Wehrmacht, postfach the Reichspostministerium.
• On the other hand, the inscription "Feldpost" on items of all kinds included that these were to be transported by the Deutsche Reichspost, the Deutsche Feldpost and the Deutsche Dienstpost in accordance with the conditions of the Feldpostvorschrift of July 22, 1938, the official gazettes and the field post office gazettes of the Reichspostministerium.
Carriers and routes of the postal service
The organization and the routes, which had been tried and tested in the field post operations from 1937-1939, proved themselves in principle, so that apart from the introduction of the "Kenn-nummer" at the field post offices, they did not make any significant changes during the war, but they did do so due to the length and the widespread nature of the war required many additions, but they were not always followed with the necessary care.
While during the war from 1937 to August 1939 only the mobile parts of the Wehrmacht were supplied by the Reichspost and Feldpost, from the beginning of the war the Deutsche Feldpost took care of the supply of the mobile associations of the entire Wehrmacht as well as the military and civilian German institutions with field post numbers as addresses. Organizations and companies with open addresses in occupied territories were allowed to use the field post if there was no German official post in their area (France, Belgium, Southeast Europe, Italy, North Africa). The German post office was also subordinate to the air gau post offices and naval post offices located in the area of the Reichspost and Deutsche Dienstpost (from 1st July 1944: naval post offices).
The German Reichspost was responsible for the entire supply of field mail within the applicable borders of the German Reich, including the incorporated areas (Alsace-Lorraine, West Prussia, etc.) and partly also in the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia.
This mainly involved the field mail of the reserve army and the down-to-earth departments, as well as the transfer of mail from home to the field post control center and the takeover of mail from the front.
The Deutsche Dienstpost was set up as an independent organization in the occupied territories, which was administered by civilian sovereigns (Reichskommissare). In total, there were 16 independent divisions of the Deutsche Dienstpost and the Deutsche Post Osten, although not during the entire duration of the war. Field mail was treated in the same way as for the Reichspost, unless the Wehrmacht associations and services were referred to a field post office.
With the length of the war, especially from 1944, overlaps between the three postal organizations became inevitable, and from then on, sometimes earlier, they often worked side by side.
From autumn 1944, a radio communications service was set up for the soldiers of those cut off from their homeland and the island of Crete (see island post office) as well as for the soldiers on the Channel Islands, in the Atlantic fortresses and in the Breslau fortress.
With foreign postal administrations of neutral, allied and occupied states, agreements have been concluded for the transportation of field mail, free of charge or at a reduced fee, for a limited group of private senders and recipients. If there was no agreement, the items at the rates of the Universal Postal Union had to be cleared.
The routes with the field mail items are shown in the diagram with the explanations of the terms at the end of the catalog!
The camouflage of the address and the routes
Since, for reasons of secrecy, the associations of the military forces, the Waffen-SS as well as parts of the police and other organizations instead of their open names were given arbitrarily selected and permanently assigned multi-digit field post numbers as addresses / senders, they had to be assigned by those responsible for the management of the shipments Posts (field post collection points, post control points, field post control points, air gau post offices, marine post offices / offices, Wehrmacht letter posts and army letter posts) are made conductive.
The field post overview was used for this purpose and was kept up to date at all times. It showed from which field post office, identified by a three-digit identification number, the field post number given as the address, and to which post control point the item was to be sent.
The “Kenn-nummern” were only introduced at the beginning of the war and only appeared in the field postmark for items to be verified. In contrast, the field post stamps from 1937 to August 1939 contained a three-digit number in the field postmark, under which the field post office was listed in the division of troops of its association (tactical number). At the beginning of the war, the tactical number was often mistakenly used in the stamp.
With the surrender of the Wehrmacht on May 8, 1945, the term "Feldpost" disappeared in both senses.
Sources :
KANNAPIN, the German field post, organization and localization 1939-1945
KANNAPIN, The German field post survey 1939-1945 volume 1-3
MICHEL, Handbuch-Katalog Deutsche Feldpost
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re: The German Fieldpost
The field post number and the addresses on field mail items
The field post number
The field post number was first tested in the Wehrmacht maneuver in 1937. It underwent some changes until the first months of the war.
There was:
• four-digit field post numbers in the Wehrmacht maneuver in 1937,
• five-digit field post numbers during deployment in Austria and during the war,
• six-digit field post numbers during the mission in the Czechoslovakia, in August 1939 for the "exercise mail" and in January 1945 for the Poznan fortress the field post number 123321, which no longer appears in the field post overview (Kannapin, the German field post overview 1939-1945, Volume 3, page 309).
During the war there were field post numbers from 00001-87919, although a larger number was not allocated from 60,000 onwards. The field post numbers between 80002 and 87919 were reserved for Italian troops who, after the surrender of their country, came under German command.
During the war, each independent unit (company, battery) and each association (battalion, division) had its own field post number.
Additional letters to the field post number during the war:
Before the field post number:
“L” including an airmail post office: field post numbers for units and associations of the Air Force, which were under the command of the Commander in Chief of the Air Force,
"M" field post numbers for floating units of the Navy (from 1.12.1939-30.6.1944).
“Sch” including details of a pick-up post office: field post numbers of the Land Marine units of the coast guard (October 1941 – June 1944),
“M” including a marine post office: field post numbers of the Navy (floating units and land troops) from July 1944.
Behind the field post number:
("A") a capital letter: Name of a company / battery within a battalion / department, beginning with "A" for each association.
Locally deployed offices and units in larger towns and on training areas had a common field post number (group field post number). The letters that followed were often up to "Z" or were even double letters.
If there was no letter after a field post number, it was a staff or an independent unit (company, train, troop or command office, etc.). It should be noted that until January 1940 there was no letter to identify the unit within an association.
The address on field mail items
In order to be transported as a field post, it had to be approved in accordance with the Field Post Service Ordinance of July 22, 1938 and the supplementary provisions of the field post office gazettes (the facility provides information on the approved mail and the exemption from fees from September 1939; the provisions for pre-war operations the field post are mentioned in the relevant sections), on the front of the letter etc. bear the designation "field post" and the letter stamp or the official seal of the troop part. The latter provision was no longer required for senders with field post numbers from the winter of 1941/42 to become.
The designation "SS Feldpost", which can be found on many programs during the war, had to be applied due to an agreement between the Reichspostmini¬ster and the Reichsführer of the SS and chief of the German police. Auxiliary police, SS - without field post number - and their relatives take advantage of the discounts and conditions of carriage of the field post for their consignments, provided that the beneficiaries had an open address as the address, their post with the unit's stamp and the password " SS field post "provided (Feldpostamtsblattvergabe No. 53/1940 from 6.5.1940).
There are three groups of addresses: open, semi-open and camouflaged.
Regarding the half-open and camouflaged address: While terms such as "control center", "pick-up post office" and similar names or only the specification of a location allow a certain conclusion to be drawn about the area in which a troop is deployed, if the aviation gait offices and marine post offices with their wide catchment area are specified, a conclusion can be drawn not possible for a troop with a field post number. The post collection point is merely the collection point for field mail items to the front, which are received by the post offices of the responsible Reich Post Office district.
Source:
Michel manual catalog Deutsche Feldpost 1937 - 1945
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re: The German Fieldpost
You know what they say : A picture is more than a thousand words (or something like that)
This 2 pictures are representing the FRONT and the BACK of an example fieldpost letter :
FRONT (in red the translation !)
BACK ( in red the translation !)
DRP stands for Deutsche Reichs-Post
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re: The German Fieldpost
Air Field Post
I. Airfield Post Service East
In April 1942, an air field post service with its own air field post squadron was set up to accelerate the field mail with the Eastern Front. Approval stamps have been issued to adapt the volume of shipments to the restricted transport space. Private postcards and letters up to 10 g as well as business items up to 20 g were permitted.
Period: Start April 18, 1942- May 31, 1943:
Every recipient on the Eastern Front receives 4 stamps per month, 2 for letters front — home, 2 for letters home — front. A stamp was required for letters, folded letters and postcards.
Period: June 1, 1943 until the end of the Eastern Air Mail Service on July 24, 1944:
Each authorized recipient now received 8 stamps per month. One stamp was required for cards and folded letters up to 5 g and two stamps for letters up to 10 g.
II. Airfield Post Service in Northern Scandinavia
It was established in September 1943. In contrast to the air field post service east, there was no separate air field post squadron, the transport was carried out by adding to Lufthansa scheduled civilian flights. The conditions and the approval marks were the same as in the air field post service east.
Period: September 1943- January 25th, 1945:
See 2nd period Airfield Post Service East.
Period: January 26, 1945 until the end of the war:
Only one registration mark is required for all types of shipment.
III. Airfield Post Service Crete and Rhodes
It was established on December 1, 1943. As in the air field post service in Northern Dinavien, the air was transported by means of an additional charge to civilian scheduled flights, here on the Berlin-Saloniki routes. The stamps and conditions were the same as in the air field post service east.
December 1943 - October 1944:
See 2nd period Airfield Post Service East.
November 1944 Partial evacuation of the islands and introduction of the island post, see "Island Post".
x = smoother gum
y = horizontal gum strips
z = vertical gum strips
and an complete letter :
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re: The German Fieldpost
Two other variations of the stamps
1 Ungezahnt
The British fake of Michel No. 1
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re: The German Fieldpost
Parcel Service stamp (Michel Nr 2)
Parcel service without registration marks
From November 1, 1939 on, field post parcels, Heimat — Front, Front — Heimat and Front — Front, were approved. The maximum weight was 1000 g. Field post items up to 250 g were transported free of charge, field post parcels from 250 to 1000 g cost Rpf 20. Free fee. Shipments from home had to be cleared, those of soldiers (also front-front) were to be cleared. In the case of consignments that have not been cleared or insufficiently cleared, the simple shortfall (without surcharge) was charged by the recipient.
Parcels in the direction of front — home were possible without registration stamps until the end of the war, home — front of 250-1000 g, on the other hand, only until July 9, 1942, since from July 10, 1942 the parcel shipment was contingent on the issue of license stamps.
See parcel service with registration stamps!
Parcel service with registration stamps
Approval stamps and package addresses with approval stamps Front-Heimat see under North Africa, Kuban, Crimea, Greece (Salonika).
On July 10, 1942, parcel registration stamps were introduced for parcels Heimat-Front. For packages of 250-1000 g was an approval mark and 20 Rpf. Postage required.
On September 1, 1942, the issuance of parcel registration stamps was doubled. Now packages up to 2000 g could be sent. From 1000-2000 g the free fee was 40 Rpf. and two registration marks.
From March 1944, only consignments up to 100 g were accepted free of charge, with an approval mark of 20-100 g being required. From June 23, 1944, the weight of a consignment was even reduced to 20 g for recipients in the West.
From July 10, 1942 to August 31, 1942, the soldiers received one stamp each month, and from September 1, 1942 to autumn 1944 two stamps for parcels to the home front.
Whole parcel title page from Degussa Ffm. To Feldpost No. 32558 B Breslau back to sender (recipient fell for Greater Germany)
The whole package tittle (including the address) is unique because these packages were usually torn upon opening
( This is NOT in my collection )
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re: The German Fieldpost
Postal stamp No. 795 with two-line overprint of the Reichsdruckerei. FELDPOST / 2 kg as an approval stamp
From November 24, 1944, soldiers from a field post numbering unit and followers of departments, etc., who participated in the postal service "Durch Deutsche Feldpost", were issued two admission stamps for winter underwear. This enabled them to use them between December 1944 and January 1945 and receive a parcel of up to 2 kg. The fee of 1000-2000 g was 40 Rpf. If this weight was not reached, parcels up to 250 g were free of charge, those of 250-1000 g cost 20 Rpf. The parcels are delivered to the post offices.
The ratings for No. 2 A, B, 3 and 4 refer to complete parcel addresses, consisting of recipient and sender details (Fp. Amtsblatt Verfg. 131/44 of 24.11.44). This was particularly necessary for Nos. 3 and 4, since from the end of 1944 only a part of the parcels delivered could be routed.
Feldpostmarke 3 incorrectly canceled Berlin SW 19b
Real field post parcel cut-out with full address.
(This is NOT in my collection)
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re: The German Fieldpost
Feldpostpäckchen approval stamp for Christmas parcels (Michel nr 4)
From October 20, 1944, the green parcel stamp was issued for Christmas parcels at the home front, two pieces each to soldiers of a field post numbering unit and to followers of departments, companies, etc., who took part in the postage fee "Durch Deutsche Feldpost" two 500 g packets or one 1000 g packet were sent in. In both cases, a fee of 20 Rf. was payable. Packets under 250 g were free of charge, but they had to bear an approval postmark.
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re: The German Fieldpost
North Africa
From February 11, 1941, German troops were deployed to reinforce the Italian troops operating in North Africa without success. By the time of the capitulation on May 13, 1943, these troops had grown to almost 200,000 men, who were mailed to up to 11 field post offices.
The field post from North Africa is very popular due to the legendary reputation of the "German Africa Corps" in this non-European theater of war, which is inextricably linked to the name of its commander-in-chief Rommel.
Field mail items from North Africa are occasionally provided with private ornamental stamps (so-called palm stamps). These cachets, which came in many shapes and colors, had no postal significance or influence on the transport of field mail items. An examination according to the examination regulations of the Federation of Philatelic Examiners is not possible.
Reference is made to the handbook by Franz E. Graf Kesselstatt "The tunis package stamp and the palm stamps of the DAK", Issue 49, the series of publications New Handbook of Postage Stamp Studies, Düsseldorf.
Tunis-package-admittance stamp
In March and April 1943, Tunisia was issued two stamps of approval to some of the soldiers in order to restrict the delivery of parcels to their home country. For a parcel up to 1000 grams there was an approval mark and the fee of 20 Rpf. required.
Tunis stamp (Michel nr 5a)
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re: The German Fieldpost
As most philatelists know, many, often more expensive, stamps are forged.
Naturally also with these feldpost stamps like the so-called Tunis stamp.
So I add some pictures that clarify where you should pay attention to.
Genuine characteristics.
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re: The German Fieldpost
ISLAND MAIL (Crete and Aegean)
When the Allied forces recaptured mainland Greece, the German troops on Crete and the Aegean Islands were deprived of their supply route by sea in autumn 1944. The postal supply could only be carried out by air and made a considerable restriction of the field mail traffic necessary.
Three command posts were appointed by telex:
1) Commander of the permanent place CRETE,
2) Commander EAST AEGEAN,
3) Fortress commander LEROS,
which were independent of Army Group E and of each other in their arrangements. Even before the telex was issued, the responsible Army Field Postmaster had ordered for the entire room of the three new command areas that only air field letters with field postage stamps bearing the inscription "Inselpost" were allowed to be transported in both directions.
For this purpose, a large stock (200,000 pieces) of the existing Feldpostpäckchen stamps (No. 2 B) in Vukovar, Yugoslavia, was overprinted (1st general edition No. 6). The aircraft, which had almost the entire circulation on board, was shot down on the supply flight in October 1944. As a result, the island postal stamps were destroyed except for a small remaining stock that remained in Vukovar. The technical difficulties in obtaining new brands (2nd general edition of Agram - No. 10 -) led to the various local editions on the islands, by order of the commanders 1-3 (see above) for their areas.
To simplify the postal service, all units were assigned new field post numbers at the end of October 1944, which read:
For the units on
• CRETE 68000-68059 (MILOS 68030)
• RHODES 68060-68089 (PISKOPI 68086)
• LEROS 68090-68096
• KOS (Coos) 68097-68099
These numbers were connected to the Luftgaupostamt Wien.
The Italian combatants on the islands also received island postage stamps. There are therefore no. 7-12 home cancellations (also station wave stamps).
For further details see Manual and catalog for "INSELPOST 1944/45" by Wolf RUNGAS and Erich SAUER.
The following types of forgery occur with island postage stamps:
1. imagination imprints.
Different and very different imprint types, sometimes also on other original brands.
2. imprint counterfeits.
Difficult to recognize without real comparison pieces.
3. Zähnungsfälschungen.
The large difference in price between perforated and pierced brands prompted counterfeiters to use genuine cheap brands to produce the more expensive ones by re-perforating them. Also not always recognizable through size comparison and magnifying glass observations.
4. Color counterfeiting.
The color is changed to black by skillfully repeating the blue print on the Agram edition (10A and 10B). Recognizable by the thick application of paint and the deep black color.
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re: The German Fieldpost
Vukovar overprint (October 1944)
Air field postage stamp for letters for German troops cut off in Crete and the Aegean Islands. Offset litho overprint of the card office of Army Group F. First, general edition on Feldpostpäckchen approval stamp No. 2 B.
The majority of the print run, which amounted to 200,000 pieces, was destroyed by plane strikes at Salonika. A large part of the remaining stock of approx. 2000 pieces remaining in Vukovar, including the printing committee (double prints, upside down printing, etc.), came to Rhodes in December 1944, where it was distributed to collectors; the stamps mostly received a courtesy stamp with a field postmark (code letter "e", which never appears on postage) or with an Italian stamp "RODI EGEO".
Letters as required very rarely; Testing essential.
Souvenir cards in connection with other island postage stamps from the Panzer Grenadier Brigade and the Rhodes Military Administration are known and commercially available.
I do not own this stamp ! It is a picture from the internet.
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06:34:36am
re: The German Fieldpost
Hello HockeyNut,
Thank you again for these articles about Feldpost stamps.
I had the opportunity many times to buy stamps that I knew they had forged.
I didn't buy them because I didn't know the characteristics of the original and fake stamps (except the French Legion sheet with very small price)
Extraordinary information about the characteristics of the Tunisian stamp.
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re: The German Fieldpost
"Extraordinary information about the characteristics of the Tunisian stamp."
Thanks Gerom,
You know what the say : "Knowledge is power"
And what I told earlier : I read a lot of books and that knowledge I will gladly share with others.
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re: The German Fieldpost
INSEL KRETA (November 1944)
Well the most I told in the previous post, so here some pictures of my stamp(s)
There were 100.000 stamp made. (A and B together)
Michel nr 7A unused
Michel nr 7A used (canceled at 08-11-1944)
Be aware !
Same imprint in black are forgeries.
Imprint on Michel nr 2 A exists but are also forgeries !
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re: The German Fieldpost
INSEL RHODOS (November 1944)
There are 40.000 stamps made ( A and B together )
Michel Nr 8BII
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INSEL RHODOS (November 1944)
There are 60.000 stamps made but the majority is destroyed!
Nr 9 unused
Nr 9 used
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AGRAMER AUFDRUCK (November 1944)
There were 1.500.000 stamps made.
There are many variations of this stamp.
Agramer Aufdrück (Printed in Agram also known as Zagrad, Croatia) to replace the destroyed Vukovar Overprints.
Michel 2A and B with Büchdrück overprint in kursiv-antiqua. Perforated (=A) and Rouletted (=B)
Colors of the pictures may vary……..
.....
Michel 10Aa, imprint Blauschwarz, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Michel 10Ba, imprint Blauschwarz, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Michel 10Bb, imprint darkblue till blue, imprint at an angle of 30 to 40 degrees.
Platte I-1, I-2 or I-3
Michel 10Ab, imprint darkblue, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
(Look closely behind the T from INSELPOST !!!)
Platte II
Michel 10Bc, imprint watery light blue, imprint at an angle of 30 to 36 degrees.
Platte I-2
Michel 10Ad, imprint schwarzblau, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Platte I
Michel 10Bd, imprint schwarzblau, imprint at an angle of 38 to 40 degrees.
Platte I-1
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re: The German Fieldpost
Fun eh?
All those varities of Michel nr 10............
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re: The German Fieldpost
INSEL LEROS (FEBRUARY 1945)
From these stamps (A and B together) were 16000 made.
11 Aa
11 Ba
Different types do exists :
Type I : narrow P, normal S
Type II : wide P, large S
Type III : narrow P, large S
Type IV : wide P, normal S
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re: The German Fieldpost
Rhodes Island (December 1944)
The imprints were made at the instigation of the fortress commander from Tipo-grafia Rodi.
Approval by the Army Field Postmaster was not necessary.
The Italian postal director provided the original stamps due to the lire devaluation. A total of 25,000 copies were overprinted, issued on December 22, 1944 and used without objection. However, a large part of the demand mail was destroyed when a mail plane crashed.
The stamps were made for the Christmas mail and additionally distributed to each soldier of the islands of Rhodes, Leros and Coos at least 2 pieces. In the mail traffic towards home, single frankings were regular; no further franking with island postage stamps was required. Letters with numbers 1, 8, 9, 10 and 11 still appear as mixed franking.
Description of the types:
• Type 1: year 1944 in bold antique letters, narrow "9" closed
"4"; even spaces, "1" of the year is under "El" from Christmas, "9" under HN, the two "4" under "C" or "TE" line spacing 1.4 mm.
• Type II: year as type 1, but between "19" and "44" space larger than 19 44. Position of "1" under "WE", "9" under "IH", the two "4" under "AC" or "HT", "T" with spigot.
• Type III: year in broad grotesque climbing, width "9", open "4", type III in field 1 only known in a few copies.
• Type IV: Like Type III, but garbled "W" CHRISTMAS.
• Type V: Like Type 1, but line spacing 1.8 mm (instead of 1.4 mm) for Type 1.
This resulted in horizontal prints. No surcharge for pairs of different types.
The imprint "VEIHNACHTEN" (Type IV) can be found on the left, vertical row of sheets. The mutilation was probably caused by cutting the cliché, which shortened the "W" on the edge to the "V" Enlargement squeeze edges, as well as the non-axial image of the remaining "V". See Rungas / Sauer: INSELPOST 1944/45.
Vertical pairs, of which one brand remained without an overprint, as well as heavily shifted, divided, 44 and 'overprints are "gimmicks of the printer"
known and also in the trade.
The imprint "WEIANACHTEN" can also be assigned to these manifestations.
Type I
Type III
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re: The German Fieldpost
HELA (March 1945)
U-Boat Post, March 1945, stamp issued on Hela Peninsula, Gdansk, for mail sent via submarine to the unoccupied German ports.
During WW-II the 51st infantry division of the German army was based on the Hela Peninsula, on the gulf of Danzig / Gdansk (Poland, Baltic Sea).
Also the 18th U-boat Flotilla was stationed there on that peninsula.
The flotilla was formed in Hel, Poland, in January 1945 under the command of Corvette Captain Rudolf Franzius. Officially a training flotilla, the four U-boats were in combat in the Baltic Sea. It was disbanded in March 1945
In March 1945 the troops were cut off the mainland but were serviced with supplies by submarines. Mail service was to be provided to these troops by submarine and a special stamp for this purpose was designed by one Bruno Paetsch of Danzig. It was offset lithographed by the army corps map unit on the Hela on paper originally intended to be used for the production of military maps.
The stamps were printed in sheets of 150 stamps, imperforated and without gum. Total printing 150,000.
Although these stamps were rationed amongst the soldiers because of the limited space on the submarines for carrying personal mail, Hela was regularly served by surface vessels of the navy until the war ended on May 8, 1945, so that this stamp was not used as originally Intended.
Michel Nr 13b (The only one of this stamp I have)
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re: The German Fieldpost
KUBAN (April 1943)
In the period from April 17 to May 19, 1943, approval stamps for field parcel parcels up to 1000 g were issued in the Kuban bridgehead.
The postage for a packet of 250-1000 g was 20 Rpf. The registration marks were only valid for the front — home.
The printing was done by the front newspaper "Fighters in the Caucasus" on newspaper.
Most of the original 1,000,000 copies were destroyed.
In field post terms, this edition was officially referred to as the "registration certificate".
Type I : “1 Päckchen” in der mitte über “Front – Heimat”
Type II : “1 Päckchen” mit “Front – Heimat” links auf fast gleicher Höhe
Type III : “1 Päckchen” mit “Front – Heimat” rechts auf gleicher Höhe oder etwas nach rechts herausragend.
I DO NOT OWN THIS STAMP. So here is a example from the internet.
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CRIME (November 1943)
From November 1943 to February 19, 1944, admission stamps for military post parcels up to 1000 g were issued on the Crimean peninsula.
The postage for a packet of 250-1000 g was 20 Rpf.
The registration marks were only valid for the front home.
The printing was done on newspaper by the front newspaper of the army "Der Kampf", Feldpost No. 17 469. The total circulation is unknown, but not all parts of the troop were given the stamps.
The need to surrender these bars resulted from a postal block following the break-in of Russian armies in Ukraine.
In field post terms, this edition was officially referred to as the "registration certificate".
Type I: format approx. 41 x23 mm with normal "n"
Type II: format approx. 36x28 mm, inverted "n" as "u" in "päckchen" and "richtung"
Type Iia: upside down "n" as "u" only in "richtung"
Type Iib: upside down "n" as "u" only in "päckchen"
Type IIc: setting error field 32 "richtung"
Michel Nr 15 I
Michel 15 II
Both are mine
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re: The German Fieldpost
KURLAND
The so-called Kurland express letter
Halved registration number 4 used as an approval mark for airmail in Courland.
Two armies, the 16th and the 18th, had been included in Kurland since October 10, 1944. From mid-March to the end of April, the Kurland Schnellbrief was used to quickly establish a field post connection to the homeland for the wounded and later for everyone.
The brands were halved with a paper cutter. Often the perforation was not cut in the middle, so that vertically unserrated halves occur due to the manufacturing process.
The halved stamps were stuck on cards and letters (field post forms) to protect against counterfeiting and were stamped with the service stamps of the field post control center 734 (half) Libau (lq and 17092).
Counterfeits to the detriment of the military post have occurred. The number of "Kurland Schnellbriefe" received and actually flown is low and comes almost exclusively from the period from mid-March to late April, addressed to areas of Germany not yet occupied by the Allies.
Empty cards and letters with the stamp DDPO Libau "c" were still "manufactured"
I DO NOT OWN THIS CARD. (Got it from the internet)
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RUHRKESSEL
Ruhrkessel is the name of the siege of the Ruhr area on the western front at the end of the Second World War. In addition to the Kessel von Halbe and the Battle of Berlin, it was the last major battle of the Second World War in Europe.
In memory of the commander of the American 3rd Armored Division Spearhead, General Maurice Rose, who fell at Paderborn, the battle also bears the nickname Rose Pocket, especially in the United States.
The Wehrmacht units were under the command of General Field Marshal Walter Model. The officers of the paramilitary units of the NSDAP and Volkssturm (including the Freikorps Sauerland) were under the command of Gauleiter Albert Hoffmann after the crossing of the Rhine on 24 March.
And now the stamp :
3 Pfg Hitler with overprint "Feldpost", temporary registration stamp for postal traffic of Army Group B, so-called Ruhrkesselmarke
It was intended as an approval mark for a regulated air field post service, the soldiers trapped in the Ruhr basin. As a result of the rushing war events, such an air field post service could no longer be realized. At that time, however, brands were distributed to soldiers.
Here is a detailed picture of the real imprint, squeeze edges can be recognized on all types (see arrows that point to such examples) and the imprint is slightly embossed on the back.
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Unofficial expenditure Greece (Thessaloniki)
Approval stamp for parcels Front — Heimat (so-called Saloniki stamp)
Juni1944
Thanks to the initiative of Colonel Göhring at Army Group E and without the approval of the responsible army postmaster, Dr. Black in Army Group F in June 1944 in Saloniki 4 different Italian brands with the black imprint “P. M. "=" posta militare "still produced and issued with a five-line red or black overprint. These stamps were to replace the paper for the usual "duty-free monthly shipment". This included a franking fee of 20 pfennigs.
The O.K.W. the inadmissibility of the brands mentioned for parcels in the army ordinance sheet.
Extract from Army Ordinance Sheet 1944, Sheet 26, Part C: 279.
Inadmissible production of approval marks for parcels.
Of a part of the troop without the permission of the O.K.W. Approval marks for parcels have been produced by overprinting Italian stamps. This is not allowed. The registration marks are invalid and must be withdrawn again. The remaining stocks of such approval marks are to be sent to O.K.W./ AHA / In 8.
O.K.W., 1.8.44
—1363/44 - In 8 (111 a).
1st edition. Five-line overprint on Italian military stamps "P.M.", MiNr. 4 (303), 5 (304), 7 (307), 15 (328), without milky white background.
Saloniki III , V and VI (Those are mine )
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re: The German Fieldpost
And at last a special bonus :
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The Front
And the backside
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A fieldpost letter to the concentrationcamp BUCHENWALD
To the reichs-minister of the airforce
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Not realy a fieldpost letter but very interesting in terms of censorship
The front
And the back
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re: The German Fieldpost
And another none fieldpost letter for all you americans :
Front
Back
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re: The German Fieldpost
Very early fieldpost letters (e.g. UBUNGSPOST)
Postkart from 1937 (2 years before the start of WW2)
Letter from 01-09-1939 ( Start of WW2 with siege on Poland )
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re: The German Fieldpost
Well fellow collectors hope you liked it.
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12:36:06am
re: The German Fieldpost
I think its the kind of thing there needs to be more of. I have a bunch of the feldposts but its hard to get them and if you can't get bunch a its hard to study the details. But this type of article was the heart of many a stamp weekly in days of yore. As one example Mekeel's weekly ran a bimonthly article on german states and empire from about 1913 to 1919. I am sure they were not unique in their approach. Additionally simply as a collector wouldn't you like to read about those "ancient" issues as they were released and what tickled the fancy of the people at that time. I confess i am primarily a historian, by neither training nor design, but simply inclement (everyone said you can never make any money at it) ... choices choices....
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re: The German Fieldpost
"You know what the say : "Knowledge is power"
And what I told earlier : I read a lot of books and that knowledge I will gladly share with others."
Here are examples of my books / catalogs I consult.
First of all my Michel Catalogs
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re: The German Fieldpost
More books about fieldpost :
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And the "HOLY BIBLE" of the fieldpost :
There are 3 books of these
and 1 book of those
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All you want to know about censorship of the german army in the 2 WW :
and many, many more............
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Wow, this was a lot of usefull information HockeyNut
I have boomarked this tread to later study.
Thanks a lot
Tobben
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01:15:01am
re: The German Fieldpost
excellent thread ! you deserve your own 8.8 cm Pak 43
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Thanks guys !
My next thread will handle about World War 2 Prisoners of War letters.
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