25th March 1940 1.Osterschiwettkämpfe 1/0 See 25.03.1940 - 23/59 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

15th September 1939 Feldpost Rechteckstempel 15th September 1939 Feldpost Rechteckstempel 15.09.1939 Rechteckstempel.jpeg 15.09.1939 Rechteckstempel.jpeg 1/1 Postcard sent via Feldpost featuring a 'rechteckstempel' (rectangular stamp). Ref: 15.09.1939 Variation of the Feldpost 'Rechteckstempel' MFP9/58 - Approx. 45 x 24mm. Ref: 15.09.1939 Also see 02.06.1940 Contact Brief History to inform us of additonal information regarding this page

RPC depicting the salonschnelldampfer S.S. 'Odin' (unaddressed). Featuring special on-board cancellation. Note that the image most likely predates the Nazi regime resulting in the flags being manipulated by the platemaker. Ref: 19.06.1938 19th June 1938 S.S. 'Odin' 19.06.1938 SS Odin reverse.jpeg 19.06.1938 SS Odin reverse.jpeg 1/1 RPC depicting the salonschnelldampfer S.S. 'Odin' (unaddressed). Featuring special on-board cancellation. Note that the image most likely predates the Nazi regime resulting in the flags being manipulated by the platemaker. Ref: 19.06.1938 Salonschnelldampfer S.S. Odin From Wikipedia.de The Odin , built at the Stettiner Oderwerke with shipyard number 526, was put into service in 1902 by the Stettiner Dampfschiffs-Gesellschaft JF Braeunlich. It was used on the Stettin – Saßnitz – Trelleborg line until 1908 , then between Stettin and the seaside resorts of Rügen. The Imperial Navy requisitioned the steamship in 1914 and used it as a mining ship on the Baltic Sea with the designation Auxiliary Scatter Mine Steamer A. After the First World War, the shipping company initially got its ship back, but had to hand it over to Great Britain on 14th March 1919. However, the ship remained in Stettin and was bought back by the shipping company in 1920. In November 1920, the Odin was launched for the East Prussian naval service as its largest ship. It ran on the Świnoujście – Pillau line. In September 1939 the Odin was requisitioned by the Navy and assigned to the submarine school in Neustadt in Holstein. She served as a target and security ship, and from 1942 as a tender for the technical training group for front-line submarines (AGRU-Front) in Hela. For reasons that are not clear, the Odin sank on 7th August 1944 during a gunnery training mission in the Bay of Danzig. Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

20th September 1940 Stalag X-C Screenshot 2021-11-27 at 09.29.50.png Screenshot 2021-11-27 at 09.29.50.png 1/1 See 30/67 Stalag X-C The Wehrmacht established Stalag X C in Nienburg, in Defense District (Wehrkreis) X (map 4a), by an order of the General Army Office (Allgemeines Heeresamt, AHA) dated July 17, 1940.1 Stalag X C remained in Nienburg until the end of the war, in an area directly next to Oflag X B (Mudra Barracks). When the first prisoners of war (POWs) arrived in July 1940, the construction of housing (wooden barracks) was continued. The camp was subordinate to the Commander of Prisoners of War in Defense District X (Kommandeur der Kriegsgefangenen im Wehrkreis X). No field post number (Feldpostnummer) was assigned, since the camp remained within Germany. The following officers served as camp commandant: Oberstleutnant z.V. Gebhard von July 25–September Kotze 12, 1940 Oberstleutnant z.V. Beelitz September 13– December 17, 1940 Major z.V. Dr. Willi Anschütz December 20, 1940–April 11, 1941 Oberst Curt von Zimmermann May 9, 1941–July 31, 1942 Oberstleutnant d.R. Ernst Bischoff August 1, 1942– January 31, 1944 Oberst Ernst von Koss from February 1, 1944 Oberst Steininger from March 25, 1944 The campgrounds and the work detachments (Arbeitskommandos) were guarded by the 2nd Company of the Home Guard Battalion 325 (Heimatschutzbatallion 325, later Reserve Battalion 233) and by Reserve Battalions (Landesschützenbataillone) 660, 670, 675, and 680. Stalag X C temporarily supported POW Construction and Labor Battalions 2 and 22, respectively (Kriegsgefangen Bau- und Arbeits-Bataillon 2 bzw. 22) during their deployment in the region. This support consisted of, among other things, handling administrative matters, providing medical care, passing on shipments of charitable gifts, and providing support services to the POWs. On November 4, 1941, Stalag X C detailed personnel for the organization of Stalag 370 in Nienburg, by order of the Deputy Corps Headquarters for XII Army Corps (Stellvertretende Generalkommando XII. Armeekorps).3 In July 1943, Stalag X C had a special feature. It served as the central collection camp for POWs who had worked for the Wehrmacht as Geheimnisträger, persons entrusted with confidential information (confidential informants, radio operators, etc.), but who could no longer do so. Usually, the reason for this was that the individual had been exposed or unmasked or that there were security concerns about him. Stalag X C had a subcamp in Rohrsen, in an area with wooden barracks in the communal district of the municipality of Heemsen. It was established in September 1942 and admitted the separatist French POWs from Corsica on October 20, 1942, prisoners who previously had been housed in Oflag V C. The Germans continued their efforts to use this group of POWs for political purposes. The poor conditions in Rohrsen, however, caused the Corsicans to feel as if they were in a penal camp, and their interest in collaboration with the Germans gradually faded away. Then the project was abandoned by the Germans, and the Corsicans were assigned to other camps. From then on, the Rohrsen camp was used only as accommodation facilities for Soviet POWs. Finally, by order of the AHA on May 15, 1944,4 it was disbanded and turned into a camp hospital (Lazarett) for around 500 Soviet POWs who had contracted tuberculosis. The conditions there were very poor and in no way justified the designation of “hospital.” More than 700 Soviet soldiers lost their lives there. Stalag X C was a fairly large camp with an average of around 30,000 prisoners, reaching maximum occupancy in June 1941 with a prisoner population of approximately 45,000.5 The French constituted the largest group. The second-largest group varied, at different times being made up of Belgians, Poles, Yugoslavs, Italians, or, perhaps most often, Soviets. Additional countries were also represented in the camp in smaller numbers, ranging from 5 to 100 prisoners at various times: Great Britain, Romania, Greece, and Crete. Stalag X C thus had the full range of possible prisoners in its area. Until June 1941, the camp also held a total of 100 civilians from France, Belgium, Poland, and Yugoslavia. The treatment of the POWs depended on their nationality. Those receiving the best treatment were the Belgians, the British, and, in particular, the French, who received strong support from the pro-Pétain movement in Vichy France. The POWs from Western nations received substantial deliveries of foodstuffs and other materials from relief organizations. A library (around 20,000 books) was available to the prisoners, and they had orchestras and theater ensembles. These opportunities were also provided to the work detachments, which enjoyed performances and received regular shipments of crates of books. The French published several camp newspapers for their own group: Le Mois, Entre Nous, Servir, and La Françisque. Numerous courses on all kinds of topics functioned for the prisoners as a sort of camp university. The Poles and Yugoslavs received somewhat worse treatment. On the lowest rung of the ladder were the Italians and, especially, the Soviets, who were provided insufficient rations and inadequate medical care and often had to perform very hard work. Clergymen of various faiths who were members of the prisoner population held religious services on a regular basis. Between 85 and 95 percent of the camp was deployed in more than 1,000 work detachments, dispersed among nine district sites. The support area of Stalag X C was essentially the area of the Lower Saxony Regional Employment Office (Landesarbeitsamt) (provided that the places were located in Defense District X). The main emphasis of labor deployment was on agriculture and drainage projects. In the Bremen area, deployment in industry was the general rule. The medical care provided to the POWs usually began in the camp’s medical clinic, which was operated by physicians and personnel drawn from the POW population, under German supervision. Because of the distance from the camp to the work detachments deployed in the Bremen area, Stalag X C operated a medical clinic there. The more seriously ill were referred to hospitals outside the combat zone (with POW wards) or to POW hospitals, such as those in Sandbostel and Rohrsen (here, for Soviet POWs). Stalag X C received numerous visits from a variety of delegations. In addition to the main camp, the visitors very often went to the labor detachments. The following visit reports are known: US Embassy—November 18, 1940; February 20, March 12, May 9, June 17, and September 1941; YMCA— April 24, June 25, September 16, 1941; September 18, 1942; February 23, and February 26, 1944; ICRC—November 13– 19, 1940; March 6, July 7, July 10, August 2, November 24, and November 29, 1941; January 9, August 3, November 10, and November 26, 1942; July 29, and August 9, 1943; February 23, March 25, July 29, and October 13, 1944; March 16, 1945; Scapini Mission—March 8, July 14, and August 2–8, 1941; January 8–9, 1942; February 7, and July 29–30, 1944; DSLP— September 13, 1942 and March 25, 1944; Swiss Legation— February 7, 1944. Some reports contain overall assessments. For the main camp in Nienburg, these assessments generally were in the “good” to “very good” range. For the labor detachments, the assessments varied quite widely. The evaluation result depended on the nature of the work, the housing, and the degree to which the regulations were observed by the employer in question. The assessments covered the entire spectrum from “not acceptable” to “very good.” The Rohrsen subcamp, like the camp hospital into which it was converted, received uniformly negative evaluations. The end of the deployment period of Stalag X C began in March 1945. Numerous prisoners were admitted in the wake of evacuations from other camps. This inevitably led to problems in the distribution of scarce resources. Beginning on April 5, 1945, the POWs who were fit to march were evacuated from the camp and forced to walk in a northerly direction. The first work detachments were liberated in their deployment locations by the Allies. On April 9, 1945, the US Army liberated the Nienburg permanent camp area (with the approximately 15,000 prisoners still remaining there). Source: https://muse.jhu.edu/document/4719/pdf/download Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

13th October 1937 JB:Kaufbeuren 13th October 1937 JB:Kaufbeuren 13.10.1937 Kaufbeuren Werner Struver reverse.jpeg 13.10.1937 Kaufbeuren Werner Struver reverse.jpeg 1/1 CTO postcard with special cancellation for Kaufbeuren (JB:Kaufbeuren3/415). It appears that the recipient, Werner Strüver, was involved in the running of philatelic societies in Lower Saxony (the second Chairman?). Ref: 13.10.1937 KAUFBEUREN cancellation as featured in the Bochmann catalogues (1952) JB:Kaufbeuren3/415 - 'Alte freie Reichsstadt - Pforte des Allgäus'. Ref: 13.10.937 This cancellation was used from 1937-1940. It is the only special cancellation used in Kaufbeuren during the Third Reich period. Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

12th March 1939 Leipziger Messe 12th March 1939 Leipziger Messe 12.03.1939 Leipzig reverse.jpeg 12.03.1939 Leipzig reverse.jpeg 1/1 Commemorative postcard for the 'Internationale Leipziger Messe'. Featuring two special cancellations (JB:Leipzig135/480 & 137/480). Ref: 12.03.1939 Leipziger Messe - Leipzig Trade Fair From Wikipedia: The history of the Leipzig fairs goes back to the Middle Ages . A fair held at Leipzig is first mentioned in 1165. Otto the Rich , Margrave of Meissen presented the Leipzig fairs under protection. The importance of the fair, which drew merchants from across Europe, was the impetus for the construction of one of Europe's most significant Moorish Revival buildings, the 1855 Leipzig synagogue by architect Otto Simonson . In 1920 the technical fairground was opened in the southeast of the town, between Reudnitz and the Monument to the Battle of the Nations. It included 19 pavilions in 1940. Today this site is called Alte Messe Leipzig. In 1937, Leipzig was renamed Reichsmessestadt Leipzig (Imperial Trade Fair City Leipzig) by the Nazis. Between the wars, the Ring-Messehaus and the Messehaus Bugra were built. During World War II, the area of the technical fair was used for military production and partly destroyed by bombs. In 1946, the first postwar fair ('Peace fair') took place. When the GDR joined the RGW (Comecon) in 1950, the fair was used to present the production of East Germany's Warsaw Pact neighbours - not only to each other, but also to nations of the capitalist West. The technical fairground was rebuilt and contained more than 20 pavilions. Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

Spanish Civil War. Cover sent from an unknown town/village (the name beginning with 'AM????') . Featuring postage stamps Mi.813 (30 c.), together with two censor hand-stamps of Santander. To the reverse is affixed an unused 10 c. 'Frentes y Hospitales' (Fronts and Hospitals) stamp (Allepuz 10). Ref: 26.10.1938 - 16/55 26th October 1938 SCW - Santander 26.10.1938 - 16_55 Santander Hospitals Allepuz 10 reverse.jpeg 26.10.1938 - 16_55 Santander Hospitals Allepuz 10 reverse.jpeg 1/1 Spanish Civil War. Cover sent from an unknown town/village (the name beginning with 'AM????') . Featuring postage stamps Mi.813 (30 c.), together with two censor hand-stamps of Santander. To the reverse is affixed an unused 10 c. 'Frentes y Hospitales' (Fronts and Hospitals) stamp (Allepuz 10). Ref: 26.10.1938 - 16/55 Santander Santander is the capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. It has a population of 172,000 (2017). It is a port city located in the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Cantabrian Sea. The Battle of Santander was fought in the War in the North campaign of the Spanish Civil War during the summer of 1937. Santander's fall on 26th August assured the Nationalist conquest of the province of Santander, now Cantabria. The battle devastated the Republic's 'Army of the North'; 60,000 soldiers were captured by the Nationalists. After the fall of Bilbao on 19th June and the end of the failed Republican offensive at Brunete on 25th July, the Nationalists decided to continue their offensive in the North and occupied the Cantabria Province. The Nationalists' Army of the North had 90,000 men (of which, 25,000 Italian), led by General Davila. The Italian force, led by General Bastico, comprised Bergonzoli's Littorio Division, Frusci's Black Flames Division and Francischi's 23 March Division. The Nationalists had also six Brigades of Navarre led by Colonel Solchaga, two Castilian brigades led by General Ferrer, and one mixed Hispano-Italian division, the Black Arrows, led by Colonel Piazzioni. The Nationalists had also 220 modern aircraft on this front (70 of the Condor Legion , 80 of the Aviazione Legionaria and 70 Spanish), including many Bf 109 fighters. Opposing them, the Republicans had Prada's 14th Army Corps and José García Vayas's 15th Army Corps, under the overall command of General Mariano Gámir Ulíbarri; a total of about 80,000 men. The Republicans had also 44 aircraft (mostly slow and old, except 18 Soviet-built fighters). Furthermore, the morale of the Republican troops was low, and Basque soldiers thought that they might surrender to the Italians, in return for their lives. Santander's fall, coupled with the capture of heavily fortified Bilbao, tore an irreparable gap in the Republic's northern front. The destruction of the Army of the North marked another crippling blow to the Republic's sagging strength and turned the war to Franco's favour. Factors accounting for the Republican defeat include: The Nationalists' overwhelming superiority in artillery and air power. A lack of unified command among Asturian, Cantabrian, and Basque Republican units. The precision, shock, and rapidity of the Nationalist advance, which had as its objective the destruction of enemy forces and not the consolidation of territory. The defenders' poor morale, in contrast to the exceptional confidence and enthusiasm of the Nationalists. Mutinies and sedition by the Basque units in the Republican camp (Santoña Agreement). The disaster proved total and the losses beyond repair. Of the twelve Basque brigades there remained at the end only eight battered battalions. The Republican Army of Santander of twelve brigades was reduced to six battalions. The Asturians committed 27 battalions and escaped with only fourteen. In no other theatre of the civil war did Franco's troops achieve results as decisive as those of the Santander campaign: sixty thousand Republican soldiers were wiped off the map, with corresponding losses in materiel. The War in the North was all but won. Source: Wikipedia Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

11th April 1937 11th April 1937 1/0 11th April 1937 Leutstetten to 27 Queen Road, Bath Dear Madeleine! Thanks awfully for your good wishes at Easter. I had lots of letters to write, so please forgive for not answering sooner. Besides the sewing lessons which we have twice a week take a lot of time as we work at home too. I finished a black silk blouse and a very nice skirt. I am very proud of it, although I was not as clever as Muck or Deidi. But Deidi did some sewing before she started the lessons so she has a high advantage. Muck and Baby went to a horse race this afternoon. We all were there a fortnight ago. I like them, especially when they’re are steeple-chases. They are most exciting especially when the favourite horses makes a fall. We never bet. Many people do. I think on only losers. I love horses. In Sarvar we do ride, here we can’t as we have no horses here. There is a stud here (I don’t know if that is right I looked it up in a dictionary. I mean a stable where there are also colts) but it is let and the horses don’t belong to us. This last week we had lots of visits and then we made a tour by car all for one day. We went to sightseeing at cloisters and castles up to the Danube to Neuburg. These castles once upon a time belonged to our family. And then we looked at the cloister Scheyern which has been a castle a thousand years ago and of which we are said to descend. Baby was at Moos with a cousin Therese Preysing of us. Next week we are going there although my cousin is in a Sacre-Coeur institute learning there. We are invited to go to a wedding of an acquaintance. Mami, Muck, Baby and Ludwig and I are going, Deidi is not, she is not acquainted with them. So she is probably going to another cousin for a few days. You know we have about 30 first cousins. I hope the wedding will be nice. They say one is to dance a lot. I am very glad of it. I am so very fond of dancing. We already did sailing but not in yacht, only in a small boat. It is a very nice boat, originally made for rowing but we can put up a mast and a sail and it goes quite nicely. I am very sorry we could not do more skiing but there was so very few snow. Now we have most beautiful spring weather. All the flowers are out and the birds are singing, and the trees getting leaves. It’s just lovely. Now I must stop as I want to go out for a walk. Much love and kisses. Loll Thank you so much for your dear Easter card. Please excuse that we did not write at Easter, we had all colds at that time and could not go to Munich to buy cards. As Loll has written I was too busy to write longer and I was to silly today as you see. I hope you are all well. I am sewing and drawing a lot now. With my love. Deidi Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

15th August 1943 15th August 1943 1/1 'How to fold a feldpost letter sheet'. Feldpost sent from FPN22898 to Vienna. Featuring a simple diagram to the reverse with instructions on how to fold the envelope. Ref: 15.08.1943 Detail of the folding diagram The arrows indicate 'The two final pages should also be inscribed'.

7th August 1936 Stuttgart - Tagblatt Tower 1/0 See 07.08.1936 - 24/97 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

30th September 1947 VVN 30th September 1947 VVN 30.09.1947 VVN Reverse.jpeg 30.09.1947 VVN Reverse.jpeg 1/1 Postcard issued by the VVN (Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes - Association of Victims of Nazi Persecution). The card reads, 'Those Against It/ Resistance in the Third Reich/ Exhibition/ of the Association of the persecuted of the Nazi regime/ Suttgart-Schlossplatz'. Ref: 30.09.1947 - 26/39 Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes Association of Victims of Nazi Persecution VVN postcard stating 'Honoring the dead/ The duty of the living'. Ref: 08.02.1948 - 26/56 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

31st December 1939 Klagenfurt 1/1 Postcard depicting Adolf Hitler Platz (now Neue Platz) at the center of Klagenfurt. Featuring the generic Christmas cancellation JB:301/832. Ref: 31.12.1940 Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am Wörthersee is the capital and largest city of the Austrian state of Carinthia, as well as of the historical region of Carinthia including Slovene Carinthia. With a population of 104,862 (1 January 2024), it is the sixth-largest city in Austria after Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck. The city is the bishop's seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt and home to the University of Klagenfurt, the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences and the Gustav Mahler Private University for Music. Klagenfurt is considered the cultural centre of the Carinthian Slovenes, one of Austria's indigenous minorities. In 1938, Klagenfurt's population suddenly grew by more than 50% through the incorporation of the town of St. Ruprecht and the municipalities of St. Peter, Annabichl, and St. Martin but during World War II, the city was bombed 41 times. The bombs killed 612 people, completely destroyed 443 buildings and damaged 1,132 others. A volume of 110,000 cubic metres (3,884,613 cu ft) of rubble had to be removed before the citizens could set about rebuilding their city. From the beginning of 1945, when the end of the war was rather obvious, numerous talks among representatives of democratic pre-1934 organisations had taken place, which later extended to high-ranking officers of the Wehrmacht and officials of the administration. Even representatives of the partisans in the hills south of Klagenfurt were met who, in view of the strong SS-forces in Klagenfurt, agreed not to attempt to take the city by force, but upheld the official declaration that south-eastern Carinthia was to be a Yugoslav possession. To avoid further destruction and a major bloodshed, on 3rd May 1945 General Löhr of Army Group E (Heeresgruppe E) agreed to declare Klagenfurt an 'open city' 'in case Anglo-American forces should attack the city', a declaration that was broadcast several times and two days later also published in the Kärntner Nachrichten . On 7th May 1945, a committee convened in the historic Landhaus building of the Gau authorities to form a Provisional State government, and one of the numerous decisions taken was a proclamation to the 'People of Carinthia'. This proclamation included the reporting of the resignation of the Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter Friedrich Rainer, the transfer of power to the new authorities, and an appeal to the people to decorate their homes with Austrian or Carinthian colours. The proclamation was printed in the Kärntner Zeitung of 8th May. When on the following day, Yugoslav military demanded of Klagenfurt's new mayor that he remove the Austrian flag from the city hall and fly the Yugoslav flag instead, the acting British Town Officer Captain Watson immediately prohibited this, but also ordered that the Austrian flag be taken down. Accompanied by a guerilla troop carrying a machine pistol, a Yugoslav emissary appeared on the same day in the Landesregierung building, demanding of the Acting State Governor Piesch repeal the order to take down the Yugoslav flag, which was ignored. On 8th May 1945, 9:30 am, British troops of the Eighth Army under General McCreery entered Klagenfurt and were met in front of Stauderhaus by the new democratic city and state authorities. All the strategic positions and important buildings were immediately seized, and Major General Horatius Murray was taken to General Noeldechen for the official surrender of the 438th German Division. Three hours later, groups of partisan forces arrived on a train they had seized in the Rosental valley the day before, at the same time as Yugoslav regular forces of the IVth army. Both of these forces made their way through the city's streets which were jammed with tens of thousands of Volksdeutsche refugees, and masses of soldiers of all the nationalities that had been fighting under German command and were now fleeing the Russians. These partisan and Yugoslav regular forces claimed the city and the surrounding South Carinthian land, establishing the Komanda staba za Koroška , which would be named the 'Commandantura of the Carinthian Military Zone' under Major Egon Remec. On Neuer Platz —renamed Adolf Hitler Platz in 1938 —British armoured vehicles are said to have faced allied Yugoslav ones in a hostile way, which would have been a curious spectacle for the liberated citizens, but this is unlikely. Several days passed before, under British pressure and American diplomatic backing, the Yugoslav troops withdrew from the city proper, but not before establishing a parallel Carinthian-Slovene civil administration (the Carinthian National Council ) presided over by Franc Petek. However, protected by British soldiers, the members of the Provisional State Government went about devising a comprehensive programme to cover the new political, sociological, and economic outlooks in the land, which would serve the British military authorities. Rapid financial assistance and the restitution of property to the victims of the Nazi regime was necessary. This posed a problem, because one of the first actions of the British had been to confiscate all the property of the Nazi Party, as well as to freeze their bank accounts and to block their financial transfers. It took months before basic communication and public transport, mail service and supply were working again, to some extent at least. During the years that followed these turbulent days, a major part of the British Eighth Army, which in July 1945 was re-constituted as British Troops in Austria (BTA), had their headquarters in Klagenfurt - as Carinthia, together with neighbouring Styria, formed part of the British occupation zone in liberated Austria, which remained to be the case until 26th October 1955. Source: Wikipedia Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page