2th September 1943 2th September 1943 Paketkarten (parcel card) featuring a 'B' label. The 'B' stands for Beutel (bag). To prevent smaller parcels getting lost in the mail system, they were placed in a bag. Both the parcel and parcel card were given this identification. The postage rate during this period is 30 Rpf (parcel weight up to 5kg to be delivered within 75km), the 15 Rpf is the delivery fee.

9th March 1943 Cartolina Postale 9th March 1943 Gli atti di valore CARTOLINA POSTALE PER LE FORZE ARMATE. Italian propaganda postcard sent from ''POSTA MILITARE 132', (indicting that it originates from the Divisione 'ARIETE'), to an address in Busto Arsizio. Ref: 09.03.1943 'Gli atti di valore compiuti da ufficiali e da soldati italiani dell'Esercito sui fonti terrestri sono tali da inorgoglire legittimamente la Nazione.' MUSSOLINI (The acts of valour performed by Italian officers and soldiers of the Army on land are such that they legitimately honour the Nation) Example of the same slogan featured on an earlier postcard sent in 1942 (note the correspondents are the same). Ref: 02.04.1942 132nd Armored Division 'Ariete' From Wikipedia: Only part of the Ariete had reached El Alamein on 3rd July 1942 during the initial stage of the First Battle of El Alamein. The division's artillery was caught on the move by British forces engaged in a flanking attack and suffered heavy casualties in the ensuing clash. On 30th August 1942 the Ariete participated in the Battle of Alam el Halfa, but the Axis plan to outflank and encircle the British forces at El Alamein failed. On 4th November 1942 during the Second Battle of El Alamein the Ariete was surrounded by advancing enemy forces and the division's commander General Francesco Antonio Arena broadcast the division's last message. Of the division's units only the XIII Tank Battalion "M" and about 200 Bersaglieri with six 75/18 self-propelled guns escaped, but were overtaken and destroyed by British forces on the coastal road near Fuka on 5th–6th November 1942. Rommel mourned the loss of the division, writing that its final action had been conducted with exemplary courage and that 'in the Ariete we lost our oldest Italian comrades, from whom we had probably always demanded more than they, with their poor armament, had been capable of performing'. The 132nd Armored Division 'Ariete' was declared lost due to wartime events on 8th December 1942. On 21st November 1942, the Ariete's remaining personnel and the remnants of the 101st Motorized Division 'Trieste' and 133rd Armored Division 'Littorio' were organized as Tactical Group 'Ariete', which kept fighting throughout the retreat, including a successful rearguard action at the Battle of El Agheila. During the Tunisian Campaign the Tactical Group 'Ariete' was reorganized as the 132nd Anti-tank Regiment, which joined the 131st Armored Division 'Centauro'. The last survivors of the Ariete surrendered with the rest of the Axis forces in North Africa on 13 May 1943. Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

29th June 1943 Barlog 8726 29th June 1943 Barlog 8726 Barlog cartoon postcard depicting the transition of a thin civilian to a robust soldier. Bestell-Nr.8726 (italic numerals). Sent from FPN 24044. Note that above the imprint is printed 'Reservisten- Serie' (reservist series). Ref: 29.06.1943 The caption reads: translation required FPN 24044 (Stab u. 2.-5. Schwadron Aufklarungs-Abteilung 30) The 30th Infantry Division was a large unit of the German Wehrmacht. The division was formed on 1st October 1936 in Wehrkreis X (Hamburg) in Lübeck from the Infantry Regiment 6. On 26th August 1939, the division was mobilised as part of the first wave of formation, and was given the I./IR. 26 and the III./IR. 6 as well as a field replacement battalion 30 through new formation. A squadron of the 13th Cavalry Regiment from Lüneburg and the 3rd Company of the 52nd Machine Gun Battalion were also placed under its command. The II. Division of the 66th Artillery Regiment was transferred to the Army Artillery. At the beginning of the war of aggression against Poland, the division attacked on 1st September 1939 on the left open wing of Army Group South as part of the X. Army Corps under General of Artillery Wilhelm Ulex from the area northeast of Breslau in the general direction of Lodz. In the next few days there were battles in the Kalisch area, during the Warta crossing at Warta, and also at Kol. Baiin, Niewiesz and Uniejew. At the Bzura it suffered heavy losses when it had to repel fierce counterattacks and breakout attempts by the encircled Polish troops in order to prevent a breakthrough through the HKL of the 8th Army. Its commander, Major General Kurt von Briesen, personally led his last battalion held in reserve into battle, was seriously wounded and lost his right forearm. The division, henceforth known as the 'Briesen Division', went on to pursue the defeated enemy into the area north of Łowicz. After the fighting in Poland ended, the division was transferred to the Eifel to secure the border. The cavalry squadron was transferred and the 30th Field Replacement Battalion was transferred to the 170th Infantry Division. In the winter of 1939/40, the division took over the security of the border at the Limburg tip between Viersen and Mönchengladbach. For the Western campaign in May 1940, the division was placed under the command of the 30th Bicycle Squadron from Lübeck and, until 15th May 1940, the Reconnaissance Division (motorised) from Königsberg, which had been brought in by the High Command of the Army. The 30th Infantry Division attacked in the formation of the 6th Army through southern Holland and Belgium, crossed the Meuse between Venlo and Roermond , crossed the Albert Canal north of Leuven, took part in the attack across the Dendre, broke through the Scheldt position at Audenarde, forced the crossing of the Lys and the Roulers Canal and led its final attack across the Yser southeast of Ypres. The division was now placed under the Army High Command as a reserve, marched after the advancing army and took over the occupation of Paris from 16th June, where it remained until August 1940. The division then moved to the area between Caen and Lisieux to take part in the preparations for 'Operation Sea Lion' - the planned landing in England. After these preparations were aborted, the division became an occupation force between Leyden, The Hague and Utrecht until April 1941 . In May 1941 the division was relocated to Insterburg in East Prussia. From there the division took part in the attack on the Soviet Union on 22nd June 1941. The 30th Infantry Division was assigned to Army Group North and was tasked with overcoming the Soviet border fortifications south of the Memel. First Lieutenant Weiss from the 30th Pioneer Battalion created gaps in the wire obstacles so that the division's infantry regiments could move up. The Red Army's resistance only began after the grenadiers approached their fortified positions, which could not be eliminated despite strong artillery support and assault guns. The Red Army soldiers allowed themselves to be overrun by the first wave of German attacks and then took up the fight in ambush using sniper activity and targeted attacks on rear units, officers, supply troops and messengers. North of Daugavpils (Dünaburg), the division crossed the Daugava and advanced into the Opochka area. In July and August, it took part in the pursuit battles southeast of the Dno and turned east to attack via Staraya Russa to the Lovat. In August 1941, the 30th Infantry Division broke into the Soviet defensive positions of the important transport hub of Staraya Russa, but IR 6 and IR 26 failed to completely take the deep defensive system. The defence was taken over by Leningrad workers' militias, who defended themselves in close combat. The 30th Infantry Division suffered a number of losses due to the detonation of wooden mines, which the engineers were unable to detect. On 6th August 1942, the fighting shifted to the burning eastern part of the city, where bitter house-to-house fighting ensued. In January 1942, the Soviet 34th Army broke through the divisional border between the 290th Infantry Division and the 30th Infantry Division and opened a series of heavy battles in the area around Lake Seliger . This marked the beginning of the attack on the Valdai Heights and, from September, the positional battles north of Demyansk between Lushno and Lychkova. The defensive battle developed between the German divisions that had been surrounded in the Demyansk pocket since February 1942, including the 30th Infantry Division. In the Demyansk pocket, the division primarily held the north-eastern section of the pocket front. After the Demyansk combat area had been evacuated, it took over the defense of Staraya Russa, where it took part in the subsequent defensive battles. Its defense front extended to Lake Ilmen and later to Shimsk. With the start of the Soviet winter offensive in January/February 1944 between Leningrad and Lake Ilmen, the positions had to be evacuated and the retreat to the 'Panther Position' began. The division was now fighting defensively east of Ostrow and Opochka, and later south of Pleskau. From July to October 1944, the retreat battles continued into the Baltic States. The division fought in the 'Marienburg' position, fought at the Embach and withdrew via Riga to Courland in October. The division experienced the 1st Battle of Courland north of Vainode and east of Prekuln. In the 2nd Battle of Courland the soldiers fought northeast of Preekuln, after which they were relocated southeast of Libau. In the last months of the war in 1945 the division fought on the Barta sector west of Skuodas and southeast of Prekuln. After the surrender, the division initially marched towards the then German border to Krottingen, until it was taken prisoner by Soviet troops in early June. Source: Wikipedia Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

1st September 1943 'Affermo solennemente...' 1st September 1943 'Affermo solennemente...' 'Affermo solennemente...' See 09.01.1943 24/52 & 14.02.1943 - 24/53 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

10th November 1943 10th November 1943

11th November 1943 11th November 1943 Feldpost Label O0999 Section of cardboard box with feldpost label affixed. Feldpost label imprint O/0999. Ref: 11.11.1943

4th March 1943 4th March 1943

11th January 1943 'Deutsche Reich' imprint 11th January 1943 Deutsche Reich imprint Cover sent from the Association for the Berlin City Mission to an address in Schwerin (and returned). Featuring 3 Pf 'Deutsche Reich' imprint. Ref: 11.01.1943 - 13/99 (also see BV3128). 'Deutsche Reich' imprint stamps (Extract from Bender, Postcards of Hitlers Germany , Vol.3, see pp128-135) The popular Hitler head stamp was widely used by firms, organisations and individuals on a wide variety of paper and card stock for various purposes. Printing the detailed stamps often resulted in smearing which required another press run, and thus created a great increase of wasted paper. In a wartime economy and time of shortages, a public order dated 2nd June 1942 stated that, 'for technical reasons the Reich Printing Company would print only future private postcards, envelopes, letter-cards, postal wrappers and other related material based on established outlines. The printing of postcards with newly designed stamps would be per instructions and stock on hand at the Reich Printing Office for the duration of the war and would not be available to stamp dealers or collectors' . The following simplified stamps were to be used only by firms which had recieved official authorisation, and they had to pledge that these stamps would not be passed directly to dealers or collectors. 3 Pf brown on an envelope. Ref: 11.01.1943 - 13/99 8 Pf orange/brown on an envelope. Ref: 05.10.1942 Contact Brief History to inform us of additonal information regarding this page

16th December 1943 Luftwaffe Eagle 16th December 1943 Luftwaffe Eagle Feldpost window envelope with illustrated correspondence. Featuring a Luftwaffe eagle label in gold (partly used as a seal). Ref: 16.12.1943 - 15/50 LUFTWAFFE EAGLE LABELS Luftwaffe Eagle adhesive label (in both gold and silver) Measurements: First measurement from wing tip to wing tip (span), second measurement from left swastika tip to right swastika tip. Gold: 48mm/9mm. Ref: 16.12.1943 - 15/50 Also see 21.04.1941 - 25/79 (three types to reverse of envelope) Luftwaffe Eagle adhesive label within a yellow triangle Measurements: Wing tip to wing tip (span) Silver on yellow: 28mm. Ref: 05.06.1940 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

31st July 1943 Mentone 31st July 1943 Mentone Mentone See 31.07.1943 - 33/60 During the Italian invasion of France, on 23rd June 1940, Italian forces occupied the city of Menton (Italian: Mentone), which is located 179 kilometers (111 miles) northeast of Marseille and 145 kilometers (90 miles) south of Turin. The city was the Fascist regime’s principal conquest in what was otherwise a highly in effective and expensive campaign. The French Army evacuated most of Mentone’s inhabitants shortly before the city changed hands. Renamed Mentone and annexed by Italy, the city became the focal point of the Fascist regime’s italianization policy in France. After the expanded occupation of southeastern France following the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch) in November 1942, it served as the headquarters of the Italian Fourth Army. The Italian authorities established the judiciary prison of Mentone ( carcere giudiziare di Mentone ) in the city’s former town hall, known locally as Forty Barracks ( Caserne Forty ). During the roundup of foreigners (especially Allied nationals), regime opponents, and resisters, the Mentone prison served as a pretrial detention center. Those tried before the Fourth Army’s secret courts-martial at Breil-sur-Roya were held at Mentone. The prison also held common law prisoners (Italian and foreign). Some political prisoners in the occupied zone awaiting transfer to camps and prisons in Italy passed through the prison in Mentone because of its close proximity to the port. The Military Intelligence Service ( Servizio Informazioni Militare , SIM) ran the detention site, and the carabinieri served as guards. A French report submitted to the International Tracing Service (ITS) complained that prisoners received only 200 grams (just over 7 ounces) of cornbread per day and a thin rice soup. Health care was inadequate, with one prisoner, Marcel P., not receiving any treatment for chronic medical conditions. Only the deposal of Benito Mussolini on 25th July 1943, brought some improvement in treatment. Common law and political prisoners of all backgrounds shared cells, called 'chambers' ( cameroni ), grouped by a dozen prisoners at a time. For those not held in solitary confinement, once-daily exercise breaks—a 10-minute walk in the courtyard—took place chamber by chamber. Prisoners were accorded the privilege of writing letters and receiving parcels, but because of the city’s annexation by Italy, they had to pay 'international' postage when corresponding with relatives in France. According to Daniel Fauquier, a prisoner held in connection with resistance activities between May and July 1943, the Italian authorities conducted interrogations inside the prison. Apart from local lore, Mentone did not garner the loathsome reputation as a torture site as did Lynwood Villa. The Italian authorities abandoned the prison in Mentone at the time of the Armistice on 8th September 1943. The prison continued to serve briefly as a detention site under the German occupation. Source: muse.jhu.edu/document/4006 (2026) Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

16th July 1943 Mi.P129 (1920) 16th July 1943 Mi.P129 See 16.07.1943 - 23/43 MPS p.147 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

8th January 1943 8th January 1943 Ref: 12.10.1943 only shown here