Sunday 24 October 2021

11.1944 Croatian feldpost H1241/23 to Banja Luka



 

 

22.11.1944 card from Zagreb to Banja Luka. Sender notes his Croatian feldpost number as  H1241/23.  Writer is a Croatian Muslim, sending greetings for Bajram festival (end of Ramadan fasting). Stamp 3,5 kn was correct postage, but War tax stamp wasnt attached. Therefore card is marked with big letter T  hence postage due was to be paid, but was not charged. 

This is the earliest usage of Croatian feldpost number i have seen yet.

 

 

Sunday 17 October 2021

4.1915 - S.M.S Adria to Lussinpiccolo(Mali Lošinj) Croatia.




 

1.04.1915 K.u.K Marinefeldpost from S.M.S Adria to Mali Lošinj(italian-Lussinpiccolo), Croatia. On   the front of the card is Italian Easter greeting Buona pasqua. 

Only cancel present is rare Zensuriert/Sms Adria/date/Marine-feldpost cancel. This unique cancel was used only on SMS Adria.

 At the time SMS Adria was Gunnery training ship ,from October 1915 it was used as hulk to accommodate German naval personnel.

Saturday 9 October 2021

1.1944. letter Croatia to Reich - 367.Infanterie.div.



 05.01.1944 official registered letter from Fp.27998-Regiments stab ,Grenadier-Regiment 975 of  367. Infanterie-Division  to Neumünster,  Dt.Reich. The divisions  Kenn number K863 is visible in Feldpost cancel and R-sticker.

 The Division  was raised on 15.11.1943 , its formation and training(Aufstellung) was in Croatia around Zagreb(Agram) area. Divison reached strength of around 10 000 by the end of 1943. In the period January-March  of 1944 parts of division were used for  anti-partisan operations "Cannae" , "Fuchsjagd" and "Schneeschmelze" in the nortwestern Croatia. 

As the core of officers came from 330 . Infantry division that was disbanded, to cover up formation of the new division, name 330.Gebirgs(Mountain) division was used for 367.Inf.divison from the January of 1944.  This was done mostly to deceive Hungarians as division was planned to participate and later used in operation "Margarethe", the bloodless German invasion of Hungary . Division crossed Croatian-Hungarian border on 17.03.1944 and  reached Balaton lake and city of  Veszprem when it was ordered to return to Croatia on 21.03.1944.

Upon arrival in Croatia the Division was immediately transferred to Lemberg(Lviv , Ukraina) where it arrived on 01.04.1944,  now under its true name 367.Inf.Dv.

Divison was in Croatia 15.11.1943-01.04.1944  and mail from Croatia is rare.