10.1918 K.u.K Marinefeldpost - S.M.D.K CETINA to Pakrac, Slavonia

 25.10.1918 K.u.K Marinefeldpost. Ordinary postcard mailed from S.M.K.D CETINA to Pakrac in Slavonia, Croatia. Very late date 25.10.18 on Marinefeldpostamt Pola cancel. Croatia on 29.10.1918 declared separation from Austro-Hungary and joined short lived State of SHS.

This is the first time I have seen abbreviation S.M.K.D i suppose it means Seiner Majestät Kriegs Dampfer, or  His Majesty's War Steamer.

CETINA was commercial steamer that entered service in 1908 . On 14 February 1916   the ship was requisitioned by the K.u.k navy.  It served as an Armed escort vessel within Boka Kotorska (Bocche di Cattaro). The ship was transferred to Šibenik on 26 September 1917, and  subsequently transferred to the submarine search flotilla in February 1918. It's tonnage was 228t.

8.1944 - Kroatische Ausbildungs Brigade to Osijek

 

01.08.1944 feldpost card mailed to Osijek, NDH  from Fp.56756 B,  Artillerie Ausbildungs Abteilung of Kroatische Ausbildungs Brigade. Censor marks at the back, feldpost cancel  with markings 'at'  was used in Stockerau, Austria. This card was issued in Stockerau to Croatian soldiers stationed there. It is extremely rare. Text inside is usual greetings. The  card has anti Bolshevik amblem

"EUROPA POZNAJE BOLJŠEVIZAM I BORI SE PROTIV NJEGA DO KONAČNE POBJEDE"

" EUROPE KNOWS BOLSHEVISM AND FIGHTS AGAINST IT UNTIL THE FINAL VICTORY"

Today on 23.08.2025 , remains of 814 Croatian soldiers from WW2 were buried after being exhumed from a mass grave. They were executed in 1943 and 1945 , and  thrown in a cave Jazovka,  enterance to the cave was sealed and concealed only to be discovered in 1989.  In 1945 wounded soldiers from Zagreb hospitals were massacred there.

This massacre was commited by Communist partisans in 1943 and by Yugoslav Peoples Army in 1945 , until today former Bolsheviks and their heirs deny and still cover up the crimes they commited. 

7.1944 cover MINORS - GLAVNOSTOŽERNI URED to Zapovjedništvo VIII ustaškog stajaćeg zdruga

 17.07.1944 official cover mailed from MINORS - GLAVNOSTOŽERNI URED (Ministry of Defence Army HQ) in Zagreb to Zapovjedništvo VIII ustaškog stajaćeg zdruga (HQ of VIII ustaša active brigade) in Kostajnica. VIII ust.staj. zdrug was formed on 28.11.1943 as planned Ustaški krajiški dobrovoljački zdrug , but on 22.04.1944 was renamed in VIII ust.stajaći djelatni zdrug. Brigade HQ was in Kostajnica until the end of the war, it's unit were stationed in Banovina and Pounje with some displaced on Kordun and Lika. In September 1944 brigade had 4880 soldiers. On 01. December 1944 brigade become part of the 4.Croatian infantry division.

Letter was franked with official stamp 3,50 kn , canceled in Zagreb post Office.

12.1916 K.u.K feldpost card 'Kreiskommando Kragujevac' to Zagreb, Croatia

 02.12.1916 K.u.K feldpost card from 'Kreiskommando Kragujevac' in occupied Serbia to Zagreb, Croatia. Kreiskommando was kuk military command of an occupied city.  Trilingual feldpost printed card in Croatian, Hungarian and German was used. Card was mailed via K.u.K Etappenpostamt Kragujevac. 

What's  unique with this feldpost card is that it was mailed by a WOMAN ! This is the first card I have seen written by an Croatian woman serving with K.u.k army. She states her name Ljubica Hercezi  and she is "K.u.k Lehrerin in Kragujevac Krieskommando", while official purple cancel reads Ökonomieamt, hence she is a teacher working in a economic office of the K.u.K. command

Text is in Croatian, she sends greetings to a lady friend in Zagreb, and writes she had appendicitis, and maybe she will return home for a recovery.

6.1943- SS feldpost, postal card to Cernik Slavonia (7.SS Prinz Eugen)

 14.06.1943 feldpost card mailed  from a Croatian soldier to home in Cernik near  Nova Gradiška in Slavonia, Croatia. Card is written in Croatian, text is usual greetings, ordinary Croatian postal card was used, clear arrival cancel Cernik is from 12.07.1943. Soldier hasn't written his feldpost address and units cancel is illegible hence it is impossible to find out from which unit it was mailed. The only clue is a red censor cancel , SS-Gepruft used by the SS. The sole SS unit active in Croatia in June 1943 was 7.SS division Prinz Eugen and this card was almost certainly mailed from it, other SS units like 13. Handzar and SS police were still in formation then.

10.1943 official Domobranstvo letter, Hr.Mitrovica to Zagreb

 16.10.1943 official military registered letter from DOMOBRANSKO POPUNIDBENO ZAPOVJEDNIČTVO U HRVATSKOJ MITROVICI (Domobran recruitment command in Hrvatska Mitrovica) to Ministarstvo Oružanih Snaga - ured vojnog duhovničtva ( Ministry of defence forces - office of military ordinariate) in Zagreb. Interestingly letter was sealed  at the back with red wax seal, such Croatian feldpost letters are quite rare. Three different arrival cancels Zagreb 2 and Zagreb 4 are present. Letter was franked with official stamps totaling 12,50 kuna, letter charge was 3,50 kn and registration 9 kn.

4.1915 - SMS K.u.K Maria Theresia to Bakar Croatia.

 24.04.1915 postcard mailed from SMS Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia to Bakar in Croatian littoral. Only ships official cancel(Boardstempel) is present while text in Croatian is usual greetings. SMS Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia was armoured cruiser completed in 1895. In WW1 she was used as a harbor guard ship in Šibenik. In January 1917 ship was disarmed and used as a barracks ship for German U-boat crews in naval base Pula(Pola).

2.1944 - LXIX. Reservekorps to Vukovar, Croatia.

18.02.1944 cover mailed from Command of LXIX.(69) Reservekorps  Fp.57500 to Vukovar Croatia. The LXIX Reserve Corps was formed on 8 July 1943 and deployed in Croatia, it was part of the 2nd Panzer Army under Army Group F.  Corps units in June 1944 were 1st Cossack Cavalry Division and 373rd Croatian Infantry Division.  Cover has usual Feldpost, unit and censorship markings.

9.1942 parcel card to POSADNI SAT KNIN

 04.09.1942 parcel card for packet containing 5 books, mailed from ZAPOVJEDNIČTVO I. VOJNO-ZBORNOG PODRUČJA PETRINJA(Command of I.military-corps in PETRINJA) to POSADNI SAT KNIN (Garrison company KNIN). Official cancels from these units are on the front and on the back of the card. Postal cancels Petrinja 04.09.42 and arrival cancel Knin 17.09.42 are also present. Kninski POSADNI bataljun (Knin Garrison battalion) was formed in June 1941, it became 3. battalion of 15.Infantry Regiment in July 1941 and was stationed in Knin. Maybe 'Kninski posadni sat' was part of it, I couldn't find any data about this sat(company). 

6.1916 K.u.K 53.Inf. Regiment to Zagreb

 19.06.1915 KuK Feldpost card mailed from III. battalion 53.Infantry Regiment Dankl (an Croatian regiment) to Zagreb. Mailed via Fp.92 used by 15.Inf.Division, sender notes his Fp. number as Fp.44 - of 36.Inf.division. Hungarian Feldpost card was used , text is in Croatian. Present is units cancel 'KuK Div. park No.15, Haubitz Munitions kolone 2/1', from 15. Inf.Division. At that time  15.inf.div. and  part of 36.inf.div were part of Korps Czibulka of Amee Group Pflanzer-Baltin (7.ARMEE), hence  this Croatian soldier mailed card from nearest Feldpost office Fp.92 of 15.inf.div. Content is interesting soldier writes he was wounded in left hand index finger and is in a field hospital, as he is medical cadet he wonders weather he will return to the battle lines ( u rojnu prugu) or he might stay and serve with the field hospital.

6.1944 card from Polizei Freiwilligen Rgt. (Kroatien) to Samobor

 12.06.1944 Feldpost card from Fp.00691 - 'Regiments stab Polizei Freiwilligen Regiment (Kroatien)' (Rgt.3) to Ivan Sudnik in Samobor, Croatia. Nice unit, feldpost and green censor AS3 cancels. Text in German is inquiry about Fountain pen left for repair with watchmaker Ivan Sudnik and casual greetings.

Ivan (Ivica) Sudnik 1910-2002 was founder of local museum in Samobor, by profession he was watchmaker. He was at first a photographer later collector of old items and from his collection a Samobor museum was formed. He is still the only person named honorary Mayor of Samobor.

10.1943 - XVII ŽESTRA BOJNA

 12.10.1943 official letter from 2.Sat XVII. ŽESTRA BOJNA (2.company of 17.Railway protection battalion) stationed in Semizovac to Donja Stubica. Franked with a mix of Regular and Porto stamps canceled at Semizovac postal office, on the back is a round units cancel. HQ of XVII. ŽESTRA BOJNA was in Zenica, battalion had 5 rifle companies and was tasked with protection of railway from Brod N/S to Sarajevo. Semizovac is around 14km away from Sarajevo. Info about ŽESTRA units is very scarce, only data about XVII. ŽESTRA BOJNA is that in late 1944 it became part of 16. infantry brigade of  15.Croatian infantry division.

2.1917 Feldpost card from the Ottoman empire to Zagreb Croatia

 12.02.1917 feldpost card from Constantinople to an officer of K.u.K  23. Landwehrinfanterie regiment Zara, addressed to Zagreb Croatia, card was then rerouted to Fp.420. Card was mailed via German feldpost services in Ottoman empire. It was mailed by an Ottoman officer, text is a New Year greeting written in German. LIR-23 ZARA was then part of 5.Gebirgs Brigade and used Feldpost 420 of 58.Inf.division.