German Occupation of the Aegean Islands. 1943 (Oct-Nov) Group of seven items on exhibition pages, featuring the resistance of the Italian troops against the Germans in Leros and Samos (from the Armistice until Nov. 1943). This lot includes the earliest (1.10) and the latest date (11.11) recorded of the mails from Leros and Samos carried through the P.M.62. The British presence in the Dodecanese commenced in Leros -and surprisingly already in 1943- where they disembarked on 16.9 to support the Italians against the Germans; apart from the first dispatch of Italian mail which was carried by a British submarine which left Leros on 28.9.43 (see lot 20436), the later mails were sent as opened correspondence through the P.M. 62 in Samos, then carried by British means to destinations in Italy only under the control of the Allies. As the small contingent of British in the Dodecanese were defeated on 12.11.43, this mail only was only functioning for one month and a half, and the latest dispatch is dated 11.11. This material is of great scarcity. (Image)

1943 (Nov 22) Rhodes 30c stationery postcard, additionally franked for the airmail rate with Aegean 50c, tied by "Rodi Egeo" cds and superb "Deutsche-Militärverwaltung/Rodi" postmark. The finest of only two items recorded with this German handstamp, which was used in this early and precarious period to connect back the Dodecanese with Italy; a major rarity of the Dodecanese. Note: After the Armistice (8 September), in November 1943 the postal relationships between the Dodecanese and Italy were retaken with limited flight connections occurring occasionally; as a consequence, the capacity of loading was reduced and only postcards -not envelopes- were accepted to be transported. These postcards exhibit the German "Deutsche-Militärverwaltung/Rodi" handstamp, which function is not clear, but it was presumably applied to validate the usage and as a censorship. This item is illustrated on page 136 in "Storia Postale del Dodecaneso", vol. I, by Carloni and Cercenà (AICPM). (Image)

1943 (Dec 28) 30c on yellowish bilingual reply stationery postcards including both parts although detached, the front side addressed to Anzio, upfranked for the airmail rate with Aegean 5oc, tied by Rhodes dispatch cds's and red German censorship markings. The Allies disembark at Anzio on 22.1.44 with the purpose of heading for taking Rome, and the Battle of Anzio (in Anzio and Nettuno) lasted until 24 May; as a result of the Battle, this item was not possible to be delivered, with the addressee being cancelled by traces of blue ink, and only on 23.9.44, almost ten months later after dispatch, the back side was struck with a cds of Nettunia (the locality at that time which englobed Anzio and Nettuno), with English blue cachets struck in Cairo (Egypt), thus following a completely different route through territories not controlled by the Axis. Some faults of no importance for this item. An extraordinary usage with high interest from both the postal and historical points of view, as the card used different routes on the outgoing and incoming legs, and Anzio was one of the key operations of the Allies in Europe in WWII. (Image)

1943-44 Group of 15 items presented on exhibition pages, including a rare 1941 mail from an Italian soldier using the "Feldpost" with Aegean stamp, earliest emails after the Armistice to Italy, returned mail from Italy to the dodecanese, Italian soldiers using "Luftfeldpost" stamps, early correspondences from Syros, Samos, etc, blocked mail during the Armistice with a express registered military cover delivered by the Germans in 1944, "Feldpost" from Samos, Leros, Kos. (Image)

1944 (Jan 5) 30c on yellowish bilingual reply stationery postcard from Rhodes to Mantua, with airmail 50c tied by airmail dispatch cds, German and Italian censorship markings alongside. Very fine. (Image)

1944 (Jan 7) 30c on yellowish bilingual reply stationery postcard to Barga (Italy), with additional airmail 50c, "imperforate at base" variety, each tied by "Dir. Servizi Postali ed Elettrici dell'Egeo Rodi-Egeo" cds, red German censorship markings alongside. Very fine and exceedingly scarce usage of this variety on non-philatelic correspondence (in the text an anxious sender asks for news from a girlfriend from whom he only received one letter on 22.11.43). Signed A. Diena. (Sassone €4,500 for the variety used off cover, "-" on cover). (Image)

1944 (Jan 7) 30c on yellowish bilingual reply stationery postcard from Rome to Rhodes, upfranked with "Imperiale" airmail 50c, tied by machine cancel on dispatch and additionally by "Espressi" cds and blue marking of the Italian censor, red Vienna "Ad" censorship caceht alongside. One of the very few Aegean reply cards known sent from Italy to the Dodecanese. Cert. Sorani (1993), signed Raybaudi. (Image)

1944 (Feb 7) 30c on greyish green bilingual reply stationery postcard to Pistoia (Italy), cancelled by uncommon "Posta Aerea Lero Santa Marina/(Egeo)" cds, together with arrival cdds, red "Ad" German censorship adjacent struck in Vienna. A rare usage of this stationery from other locality than Rhodes. (Image)

1944 (April 5) 30c on greyish green bilingual reply stationery postcard from Rhodes to Fiorenzuola d'Arda (Italy), paying the airmail fee with 50c tied by dispatch cds, also struck at left, small cacehts of the Vienna (red) and Italian censorships. Very fine. (Image)

1944 (July 4) Cover from Rhodes to Mantua, correctly franked with "Pittorica" 50c (2), tied by "Posta Aerea/Rodi (egeo)" cds, German and Italian markings of censorship below. One of the very few covers recorded (not the issued stationery postcards) carried by airmail to Italy during the German occupation. (Image)

1944 (Dec) Unissued 30c bilingual stationery card "Cartolina Postale/Post Karte", usual small wrinkle at top left. Very fine. (Image)

1943-44 Group of 19 interesting items during the German occupation, including two to Italy travelled during the Armistice on 7-9.9.43, 30c stationery reply card with 50c from Rhodes to Italy, internal mail with various money order receipts from Kos, official mail also including rare Villanova and Campochiaro village cancellations from Rhodes (Carloni-Cercenà p. 8), Lindos mail franked with 25c, rare registered parcel receipt, Red Cross message from Marseilles to Rhodes and scarce telegram telegraphic cds of Simi, etc. Viewing suggested. (Image)

1943-44 Group of seven Feldpost items sent by Italians in the Dodecanese, with usages from Kos, of which one with pair of "Luftfedlpostmarken", Campo Raccolta 1 of Rhodes, Dec-43 cover from Italy to a Feldpost address but undeliverable with German instructional cachet to return it, as well as four usages before the Armistice.

German Occupation of the Aegean Islands » "Inselpost". 1945 (Feb 11) Cover from the F.P. n° 68064 E (4th Company of the Infantry Fortress Battalion 1002) to Bergamo (Italy) with corresponding unit sender's cachet in blue, Rhodes "Inselpost" blue, serrate perforation, tied by Feldpost cds, "Ad" red censorship from Munich, Italian censorship and arrival on reverse. Some tone spots of little significance for this, one of only less than 20 "Inselpost" covers recorded from Italian soldiers. Signed Raybaudi. (Image)

1945 (Jan 15) Cover sent by an Italian with Fedlpost n° 68077 in the 1st Health Company in the Italian hospital in Rhodes, franked by Zagreb "Inselpost" with dark blue overprint, tied by "Fedlpost" cds, arriving to destination more than two months later! as indicated by the Italian censorship cachet and cds, German "Ad" censor's cachet of Vienna on front; vertical crease passing through the stamp and slight toning. Less than 20 "Inselpost" covers are known sent from Italian soldiers. Cert. Carraro (2005). (Image)

1945 (March 23) Cover sent from the Feldpost n° 68083 A to a member assigned to the 56356 A located in Italy, franked by Rhodes "Inselpost" red-brown, serrate perf., tied by "Feldpost" cds. From 14.3.45 the number of "Inselpost" stamps distributed to each soldier went up from 8 to 16 per month, although the "Feldpost" airmail system could only work occasionally as a result of the difficult communications towards the end of the war; in this case, the soldier use two additional blue "Inselpost" stamps (Rhodes, serrate perf.) torn by half to use them as seal to close the envelope on reverse. Very fine. Signed Chiavarello. (Image)

1945 (Feb 20) Cover sent by an Italian soldier with Feldpost n° 68063 E assigned to the Coastal Battery "Köln" in the 15th Art. Reg. in Rhodes, sent to Muggiò (Italy), franked by fresh "Inselpost" red from the Rhodes issue with serrate perf. (one corner defective), tied by "Feldpost" cds, "Ad" red ecnsor's mark from Vienna, backstamped on receipt; one of only less than 20 "Inselpost" covers recorded from Italian soldiers, extremely rare with this stamp. (Image)

1945 (Feb 2) Cover sent from Feldpost n° 68094 A (different number in the cachet) to Germany, franked by Leros "Inselpost" blue, serrate perforation, blackish blue-violet overprint, tied by "Feldpost" cds. Signed Rungas. (Image)

1945 (Jan 10) Cover to Germany sent by a member of the 4th Company of the Infantry Fortress Battalion 1002 (faint strike of the "Feldpostnummer" cachet in blue), bearing "Weihnachten 1944" type I, tied by "Feldpost" cds; some slight tone spots to cover not affecting the stamp, being rare on cover. Cert. Müller BPP (1993). (Image)