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The Fieldpost

(Click on the images for enlargement in a new window)

 

Under the terms of the Agreement the occupation was delayed 10 days, from 1/10 - 10/10-1938, so the Czech authorities could clear offices.
The German fieldpost units moved into Sudetenland with the German troops and stayed here to the 20/10-1938.
The fieldpost service was a "Übungsfeldpost" (trial fieldpost).
They brought with them supplies of German stamps as well their own fieldpost cancels.
The fieldpost cancels had different numbers.
Which numbers were assigned to which military units is not known.
The following field post office numbers have been recorded so far: 13, 20, 24, 28, 30, 45, 67, 239, 294, 374, 405, 473, 570, 800, 900, 936.

Picture postcard with both Czech and German 

postage stamps canceled with a fieldpost cancel 

from fieldpost office number 294.

 

Mail to and from the soldiers had to be paid at the German postal rates and it was allowed to use what there was of Czech stamps.
The use of Czech stamps and postal stationaries were only allowed from 1/10 to 19/10-1938. 

Czech Postal card canceled with a fieldpost 

cancel from fieldpost office number 900. 

 

 

 

The Sudetenland Freikorps (the Sudetenland freecorps) had their own fieldpost cancels; however, their mail had to be sent by civilian post offices! 

 

 

Picture postcard canceled with a Freecorps 

fieldpost cancel of the 8th Batallion. 

As the postcard was not franked, the 

Postoffice tried to find the sender.
The card was annotated "Nicht angetroffen" 

(Not found) in blue and signed by the postal clerk. 

As such the card was marked with a blue "6" (pf) 

indicating the amount of postage due.
The red "Nachgebühr" is a postage due cancel.
In the text on the card, the Freecorps man 

tells about a parade held in Karlsbad.

 

 

The back of the picture postcard shows 

the parade in Karlsbad, with a Freekorps 

unit marching past the German General von Reichenau.


 

As well as using the fieldpost system, the civil post system was also used. Proper postage was required here as well . 

 

 

Picture postcard from Abertham 

canceled with a provisional cancel. 

As the card was unfranked it was treated 

as postage due and canceled with 

a red "Nachgebühr" (postage due) 

and a blue "6" (pf.)


 

Picture postcard from Grusbach 

canceled with a liberation cancel. 

As the card was unfranked it was treated 

as postage due and canceled with 

a red boxed "Nachgebühr" (postage due) 

and a blue "6" (pf.)

The treatment of unfranked fieldpost was very different from post office to post office. Many fieldpost cards went through the postal system without being handled as postage due items. 

 

 

Postcard from Eger canceled with a 

railway station cancel which was, 

at one time, bilingual. As this card was 

unfranked it should have been treated 

as postage due, but was not.


 
 

Shortage of stamps in some parts of Sudetenland led the German Postal Authorities to send a directive on a date, the 8/10-1938, suspending the use of postage due in the transition period. 

 

 

Picture postcard canceled with a provisional 

cancel with fixed date from Konigsberg an der Eger.
The card is correct marked for postage 

due same day the German Postal Authorities 

sent the message suspending the use of 

postage due for unfranked fieldpost. 

However, at the destination post office 

the directive had been received and 

the postage due "6" was crossed out.

 

 

Picture postcard canceled with a 

provisional cancel. It was correctly 

handled without postage due as it was 

sent after the directive to suspend use 

of postage due was send to the post offices.


 
 

The Czech had their own fieldpost system, but unlike the Germans, they even had special fieldpost cards. 

 

 

Czech fieldpost card canceled with a fieldpost 

cancel and censored by the commanding 

officer with a censor cancel and his signature.
This fieldpost cancel (#49) shows it is a 

unit placed at Benesov u Prahy in Czechoslovakia.



They had a Central field post office (Ustredna polnich post) from were all the post were directed to the different post offices. 

 

 

Registered cover posted at and sent by 

the Central field post office (Ustredna polnich post) 

in Prerov on Oct. 1, the day when the occupation of 

Sudetenland by Germany started. 

Postmarked Ustredna polni posty (letter a), 

registration label tied by CDS (letter e), 

red unit mark and censor mark. 

Addressed to command Stefanik 

Field Post Office 59 in Kremnica.

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