NDH Croatian military prison mail

 In NDH there were 3 military prisons in Zagreb , Osijek and Sarajevo. They were called "Posadni zatvor" ,meaning "Garrison prison" , military personnel charged with criminal charges was detained there. I dont known  a single source of information about them, even the best book about Domobranstvo by Nikica Barić doesn't mention them.

Preserved mail to and from these prisons is super rare.

22.04.1942 parcel card for food package mailed from Zagreb to Posadni zatvor Sarajevo in Bosnia. Sender writes adress as 'Vojni posadni zatvor' meaning 'Military Garrison prison'. Prison cancel  at the back of the card reads only 'Posadni zatvor / Sarajevo' , see enlarged detail picture. Prof.Ercegović certificate from 1984.

 

 

 

14.10.1944 card mailed locally from Posadni zatvor in Zagreb . Sender writes his adress  as 'Domobranski posadni zatvor' located in  Nova ves 18,  Zagreb, while official prison cancel reads 'Posadni zatvor oružanih snaga' - 'Garrison prison of armed forces' see enlarged scan.

2.1944 10.Schiffs-Stamm-Abteilung Feldpost Netherlands to Croatia

 

 12.06.1944 letter from  10.Schiffs-Stamm-Abteilung to Zagreb Croatia. Sender is a Croatian sailor  training with 10. S.ST.Ab located in Assen Netherlands. Coatian Navy personel  was sent to Kriegsmarine schools in Germany and later in 1944 in Netherland to serve both in Kriegsmarine and in Croatian Navy. Writer notes his location in letter  as "Somewhare in the west" but on cover it is clearly written Assen ,Netherlands. 

 German 11.Sicherungs division was formed 11. Sicherungsflottille in February 1944 on  Adriatic sea. In 2.1944  Kriegsmarine sent  500 recruits all born in 1926 from Croatia  to Netherlands for training. On 1.April 1944  a batch of 500 croatian volunteers followed them to Netherlands to complete navy training also to serve with  11.Sicherungs division.

 

10.1943 Obkoparska dočasnička škola - letter.

 19.10.1943 letter from Karlovac to Obkoparska dočasnička škola u Kamenici na Dunavu. Dočasnik in Croatian equals  German Unteroffizier  which in English is non-commissioned officer(NCO). Obkopar is combat engineer or pioneer. Censor cancel CENZURA-137 was used in Karlovac. Arrival cancel Petrovaradin is at the back. Someone in postal service marked T on cover that the postage due was to be paid, but this was ignored on arrival as destination is military school.

Order from 28.07.1941 regulated formation of NCO schools. Pionirska dočasnička škola was then formed  in Karlovac with 150 cadets , later it was renamed into Domobranska opkoparska škola and  in 1943 it moved to Kamenica na Dunavu. There it was renamed into Dočasnička škola tehničkih četa and had obkoparska sat(company)as part of it.

12.1943 11.Schiffs-Stamm-Abteilung Feldpost to Croatia

 

 10.12.1943 Christmas card sent from  11.Schiffs-Stamm-Abteilung to Zagreb Croatia. Sender is a Croatian sailor  training with 11. S.ST.Ab located in Stralsund on the Baltic sea. Navy personel  was sent to Kriegsmarine schools in Germany and later in 1944 in Netherland. Croatian naval legion  personel was mostly there as Croatian Navy  formation in Adriatic sea was blocked by Italians until their surrender. Total number of Croats trained by Kriegsmarine is unknown to me.

8.1914 K.u.K Marinefeldpost SMS SANKT GEORG

 30.08.1914 postcard from SMS SANKT GEORG to Karlovac, Croatia. Bordstempel with date and ships name, handwriten Feldpost , without other postal markings. 

SMS SANKT GEORG was armoured cruiser with complement of 629 men, ship became (in)famous in February 1918 as it was center of Cattaro sailors mutiny

10.1944 II.bojna, 9.gorske pukovnija, II.gorskog zdruga (7)

 

Seventh card and also the last one in small Croatian Feldpost collection mailed by poručnik  Vladimir Poznić   from II.bojna, 9.gorska pukovnija, II.gorski zdrug  to his familiy in Zagreb. 

09.10.1944 card  mailed from Pazarić, Bosnia  to Zagreb with clearly visible postmark Pazarić. Purple cancel Zap. III dom. zbornog područja , means Headquarters of  III Domobran military district.

Printed card DOPISNICA ZA BOJU POŠTU or military mail card was used , this type (in my opinion) is one of the rarest of all printed croatian military cards.

 

9.1944 II.bojna, 9.gorske pukovnija, II.gorskog zdruga (6)

 

 

Sixth card in small Croatian Feldpost collection mailed by poručnik  Vladimir Poznić   from II.bojna, 9.gorska pukovnija, II.gorski zdrug  to his familiy in Zagreb and Osijek.

27.09.1944 civilian postal card  mailed from Pazarić, Bosnia  to Osijek via German Feldpost. 

Croatian civilan cards used for Croatian military mail and  posted in Croatia via German Feldpost are extremely rare !!

8.1944 II.bojna, 9.gorske pukovnija, II.gorskog zdruga (5)

 

 

 

 Fifth card in small Croatian Feldpost collection mailed by poručnik  Vladimir Poznić   from II.bojna, 9.gorska pukovnija, II.gorski zdrug  to his familiy in Zagreb.

 12.08.1944 card  mailed from Pazarić, Bosnia  to Zagreb.There is no visible postmark or censor cancel, but nice military cancel in green colour is present, that reads Stožer 9.gorske pukovnije (Headquarters of 9th mountain regiment)

Rare Feldpost bilingual card written in Croatian/German was used.

6.1944 II.bojna, 9.gorske pukovnija, II.gorskog zdruga (4)

 

Fourth card in small Croatian Feldpost collection mailed by poručnik  Vladimir Poznić   from II.bojna, 9.gorska pukovnija, II.gorski zdrug  to his familiy in Zagreb.

20.06.1944 card  mailed from Bradina, Bosnia  to Zagreb, round censor mark CENZURA 21 ZAGREB . Censor marks on Croatian Feldpost are  not common. In May or June 1944 rectangular censor cancels were replaced by round ones which have city names on them.

3.1944 II.bojna, 9.gorske pukovnija, II.gorskog zdruga (3)

 

 

Third card in small Croatian Feldpost collection mailed by poručnik  Vladimir Poznić   from II.bojna, 9.gorska pukovnija, II.gorski zdrug  to his familiy in Zagreb.

 01.03.1944 card  mailed from Hadžiči  to Zagreb with smudged postmark , but censor mark CENZURA 146 is very clear. Cancel CENZURA 146 was used in Sarajevo censor office. Censor marks on Croatian Feldpost are  not common

 

 

 

 

3.1944 II.bojna, 9.gorske pukovnija, II.gorskog zdruga (2)

 

Second card in small Croatian Feldpost collection mailled by poručnik  Vladimir Poznić   from II.bojna, 9.gorska pukovnija, II.gorski zdrug  to his familiy in Zagreb.

 01.03.1944 card  mailed from Hadžiči  to Zagreb without visible postmark , but censor mark CENZURA 69 is present, this means that  card was in postal service. Cancel CENZURA 69 was used in Zagreb censor office. Censor marks on Croatian Feldpost are  not common.

11.1943 II.bojna, 9.gorske pukovnija, II.gorskog zdruga (1)

 

Small Croatian Feldpost collection follows in next posts, seven cards that were mailed by poručnik (lieutenent) Vladimir Poznić pobočnik(Adjutant)  II.bojne, 9.gorske pukovnije, II.gorskog zdruga (2nd batallion, 9th mountain regiment, 2nd mountain brigade) domobranstva to his familiy in Zagreb and Osijek.

14.11.1943 card mailed by civilian post office Hadžiči(rare cancel in purple) near Sarajevo to Osijek.

9.gorska pukovnija was formed from 9.pješačka pukovnija around October of 1943 and fought in Bosnia.