10.1943 Croat in Luftwaffe, Flugzeugführerschule A/B 123

 28.10.1943 postcard mailed from Croatian pilot in training from Flugzeugführerschule C 19 in Gleiwitz to his former instructor in Flugzeugführerschule A/B 123 (FFS A/B 123)  in Graz-Thalerhof airport.

Marked as feldpost, card was mailed via civilian post office Gleiwitz, text is in Croatian. Cadet writes that other Croats will arrive for further training in FFS C 19 but lessons haven't started because they are waiting for a translator to arrive.

FFS A/B 123 was first Luftwaffe pilot school formed in Croatia that trained German and Croatian pilots, Croat cadets formed a separate detachment and were trained by Croatian and German instructors. Receiver of this card Captain Pažameta was one of the Croatian instructors.

FFS A/B 123 was stationed on Borongaj airport, Zagreb from 10.05.1941 to 06.05.1943 when it  was transfered to Graz due to war conditions in Croatia. In this school many Croatian pilots were trained. 

FFS C 19 was located  13.9.41 - 26.6.44 in Ohlau with satellite airfields in  Woisselsdorf, Gleiwitz and Märzdorf. 

FFS A/B offered  basic pilot training

FFS C offered advanced pilot training  for multi-engine aircraft (bomber and reconnaissance airplanes)

Best book about Croatian airforce that also mentiones Captain Pažameta in FFS A/B 123 is

12.1917 U-boot station Hercegnovi to U-boat 31 in Rijeka. SUBMARINE MAIL!

 05.12.1917 picture posted as feldpost card from U-boat station in Hercegnovi in Bay of Kotor to U-boat 31 in Fiume(Rijeka). Text is in Croatian, sender notes his address as "c. i k. Podmornička stanica , Ercegnovi , Dalmacija" or k.u. k. submarine station Hercegnovi, Dalmatia. Red cancel reads k.u.k Ubootstationskommando Golf v. Cattaro - Zensuriert. Card was rerouted from U-boot 31 in Fiume to S.M.S Alpha in Pola ,  a ship of  torpedo training school. U-boot 31 sunk by crew error on 29.10.1917 in port of Rijeka(Fiume), ship was raised from the sea the next day but  repairs lasted until 1.1918. This card was mailed during this period of repairs while the receiver was transferred to SMS Alpha. Arrival cancel Fiume 09.12.1917, also present is purple cancel in hungarian "hadlszolgarat portomentes" meaning "military service, free of charge", this was probably added in Rijeka as Hungarians controlled the city then. Photo is possibly from inside of an submarine, but i can't verify this.

K.u.K navy entered the War with 6 submarines, during the conflict another 21 submarines were added to the fleet, giving a total of 27 units, of which 8 were lost. Average crew was 15-20 men hence mail to and from U-boots is very rare.

THIS IS THE FIRST FELDPOST FROM AN K.u.K U-BOAT WRITTEN IN CROATIAN I HAVE SEEN!!

I know that Croatian sailors served on the KuK submarines as Georg von Trapp writes in his memoires ' To the last salute' that he had Croatian speaking sailors on his Uboot-14. This is a great book, you can find english copies online.

10.1942 letter from Pisarovina to 11.infantry regiment in Sisak , special UNS censorship.

 

17.10.1942 cover of a letter mailed from Lučelnica via Pisarovina post office(cancel) to a soldier serving with 15.stožerna satnija 11.pukovnija, Sisak (15.Hq company of 11.infantry regiment in Sisak). Arrival cancel Sisak 20.10.1942 is on the backside of cover. 11.infantry regiment(Sisak) in June 1943 became 11.mountain regiment of 3.Gorski Zdrug(mountain brigade)

Really interesting is very rare censor cancel in black on left bottom corner. Cancel reads PREGLEDANO / UNS URED III . (EXAMINED/ UNS OFFICE III). UNS is short for Ustaška Nadzorna Služba or Ustaša Surveillance Service this was state secret police service.  This special cancel was used only for mail sent from Pisarovina and Zdenčina. Pisarovina is a  small palace around 30 km from Zagreb, in this area a  safe zone for prisoner exchange between Germans, Croats and Communists Partisans was formed and used until the end of the War. Hence UNS performed additional censorship of mail from this area.

The best book about Croatian censorship in WW2 is "Poštanska cenzura u NDH"(Postal censorship in Croatia) written by Berislav Pervan and Predrag Zrinjšćak , it is a trilingual book in Croatian,English and German. The above letter was published in this book  on page 137 , see scan below. You can order the book from author berislav.pervan@gmail.com

07.12.2024 70.BARPER auction, KuK card from Constantinopole to 53.IR in Zagreb

On the 7.12.2024 yearly philatelic auction of BARPER auctionhouse was held in Zagreb. As usual there were some great items offered, including very strong WW2 Croatian feldpost section.

 

New stamp catalogue of Croatian stamps from WW2 (NDH) was presented. Its a great book with many new varieties and errors recorded. Catalogue is bilingual  in Croatian and English. 

You can order it from publisher  berislav.pervan@gmail.com

Catalogue front page

Inside of catalogue

I acquired some lovely items , below is KUK card fresh from auction.

1914 or 1915 postcard mailed from Pera, Constantinopole(Istanbul) in Ottoman empire. Mailed from a member of a KuK consulate to a member of K.u.K 53.Infantry Regiment stationed in Rudolf barracks in Zagreb, Croatia. 53.Inf.Rgt was KuK common army regiment that recruited mostly in and around Zagreb area, it was almost a pure Croatian unit.

Postcard was mailed via Ottoman post with ottoman stamp and cancels, also present is red censor cancel of censor office in Wien(Vienna) Austria.

HRVATSKI POMORSKI ODJEL - KROATISCHE MARINE ABTEILUNG - CROATIAN NAVAL LEGION

17.08.2024 marked  5 years since I started this blog, for this occasion one special text follows.

 On the 09.07.1941 Hrvatski pomorski odjel(Croatian naval legion) was formed with Andro Vrkljan as its commander to serve under Kriegsmarine on the Black sea. Note about units name: offical German name was Kroatische marine abteilung, several Croatian names were used officially: Hrvatski pomorski odjel(aministration,cancels)  Hrvatska pomorska legija(on the units badge) and Hrvatski Pomorski sklop na Crnom moru(adminstration). In the beginning all the personel were Croats from former Royal Yugoslav Navy. Members were transfered from Croatia to Varna(Bulgarian port on the Black sea)in several goups from several places: 

1. group on 17.07.1941 with 120 men(from Zagreb).

2. group in 08.1941 with 88 men(from Zagreb?).

3. group on 27.09.1941 with 52 men(from Sisak).

4. group in 1.1942 with 82 men(from Zemun).

Legion served on Black and Azov sea until in returned to Croatia on 21.05.1944, officially it was disbanded on 23.05.1944.  Units total strength was around 340 men, it was assigned Fp.number 23713 . Not a single member of the Croatian Naval Legion ever switched sides and deserted to Soviets.

Due to units small size feldpost from legion is very rare. Below follows a small collection of letters sent from one of its members, Obermachinen maat (Machinist's Mates)  Šemsudin Ruždijić to a lady friend in Zagreb. His path from Yugoslav Royal navy to Legion is typical for all members.

22.01.1940 letter sent from Đenović, while he was a cadet in 25.class of Mašinska škola(Machinist school) in Kumbor in Royal Yugosla Navy. He writes that he is serving on a ship named "Zagreb" ( a destroyer).

31.07.1941. This letter was mailed via Fp.34437 Stützpunkt-Kompanie Admiral Südost, badly visable is purple cancel on the left. (All early mail from 7.1941 bears this cancel with Fp.34437). He was in the 1.group that left Zagreb and arrived in Varna. In letter he states he couldn't write from Sofia as they weren't told their feldpost adress! Now he writes it is Fp.23713. German censorship.

07.11.1941 letter from Fp.23713 but without feldpost cancels, dated in text. German censorship. Text is usual greetings.

05.03.1942 small size letter from Fp.23713 but without feldpost cancels, dated in text. German censorship. Text is interesting, location of writing Azovsko more( Sea of Azov), he states he didnt recieve a letter from her in 7 months. She marked all letters when she recived them, this one mailed 05.03 arrived on 15.05.1942.

08.07.1942 letter carried in person to Croatia than mailed loco in Zagreb, cover has red cancel Feldpostnummer but without number.

20.11.1942 letter from Fp.23713 mailed via Luftfeldpost , marked with such stamp. German censorship, wrongly marked as recieved on 20.11.1942.

08.04.1943 letter from Fp.23173 , with nice Feldpost and units Fp.nummer-Briefstempel cancels . In text location noted as Crno more (Black sea). German censorship. 

08.07.1943 letter carried in person to Croatia then mailed from Slavonski Brod to Zagreb, dated in text, Fp.23713 noted at the back. Postal cancel 20.07. Regretably someone cut out Croatian stamp. Censored by Croatian censorship, purple square cancel is most likely Cenzura br.45 (censor office in Slavonski Brod). Text is very interesting, location of writing is noted as Varna(Bulgaria), he states that he is regularly sailing on route from Varna to Konstanca(Constanța,Romania) and back. It was one of Legions regular duties: convoy protection, minesweeping or antisubmarine patrole.

The one and only book that deals with Croatian naval legion is this one "Hrvatski Argonauti 20 stoljeća" written by Legions commander Andro Vrkljan(1902-1995) long after the war. It was published in Croatian in 2011.

8.1918 K.u.K Kriegsmarine, Donauflottille to Split

10.08.1918 postcard from K.u.K Kriegsmarine,  Donauflottille (Danube river fleet) to Spalato(Split) in Dalmatia,  Croatia. Text is in Italian language, but both sender and recipient have Croatian surnames. Mailed via Fp.299-b which served Donauflottille command and later KuK units in Romania.

Card was mailed from hospital ship Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand, ships fate was very interesting. It was build in 1853 and scrapped in 2019 . About Donauflottile you can read in many book and this year an  excellent book by Zvonimir Freivogel was published in Croatian.

09.12.1942. Croatian Legion(369.Inf.Rgt) in Stalingrad to Croatia

 09.12.1942 feldpost letter from Stalingrad to Zagreb Croatia. Sadly feldpost cancel was cut out by someone most probably because there was a Luftfeldpost stamp. Units feldpost cancel with Fp.46511 is clearly visible, it was used by Stab u. 1.-4. Batterie leichte Kroatische Artillerie Abteilung of 369.Kroat.Inf.Rgt. (Croatian Legion). Sender is Obergefreiter A.Jurković from Fp.46511B - 1st. Battery of Artillerie Abteilung.

Letters content has very interesting message.

Anton Jurković writes that he returned to the unit sometime before, that he was promoted and decorated with a medal. He doesnt writes that German and Croatian forces were surrounded by Bolshevik forces at the time in Stalingrad, but he notes that he mailed a (Luftfeldpost) stamp to adresse that he can used it for mail. He writes: "there is bitter fighting here, but we hope for the best..."

Small piece of letter where a place of writing was stated was cut out by censors, ordinary censorship as well as chemical censorship was carried out by German censors and noted by censors tape and multiple cancels.

Anton Jurković is mentioned as recipient of military decoration in book Hrvatska Legija, the best book about 369. Croatian Infantry Regiment. 

Lako Prevozni Zdrug Hrvatske Legije(LPZHL) - Light Transport Brigade

 

 Lako Prevozni Zdrug Hrvatske Legije(LPZHL) - Light Transport Brigade was Croatian legionnaire unit fighting in Russia as part of Italian army.

I acquired 2 cards sent from LPZHL , both mailed by same person, lieutenant Stjepan Strnečki . He signed both cards as tenetne(lieutenant) S.S.  and he is the only lieutenent in Brigade with those initials.  Card from Riva del Garda is aditionally signed Pišta which is common nickname for people called Stjepan .

Card pictured above was mailed from Riva del Garde where Brigade was in training. Date in text 06.02.1942 , Zagreb cancel 13.02.1942

Card reads " Im in Italy in Croatian Legion, i m here already for a  month. We will stay here for at least a month or maybe  more. Latter we will go to Russia. Such is a soldiers destiny .."

LPZHL mail from Riva del Garda was transported by couriers to Zagreb Croatia and then mailed by local postal services. Only a few such cards exist.

Feldpost card mailed 01.06.1942 from LPZHL fighting in Russia .

In Acta Nova Philatelica 2015 , mr.Pervan wrote that there are only 4 known cards mailed from LPZHL, there is also one pictured in book  Kroatien by Wieneke-Kruse (5th card). 

This is then 6th known card in philatelic circles! 

A couple of such cards are kept in Croatian state Archive but are off limit to collectors.

Card was mailed via Posta militare PM40 used by Divisio celere Amedeo Duca d'Aosta ,whose part was Brigade at that time .Sender notes his post address PM88 used  by Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia- CSIR (Corpo di Spedizione Russia)

Rare cancel in red LEGIONE CROATA AUTOTRANSPORTABILE - which was official Italian name for  LPZHL

Ltn.Strnečki returned to Croatia sometime before Russian operation Little Saturn that destroyed completely  LPZHL on 20.12.1942 (along with most of Italian  Army in Russia). He was later member of II.Croatian Legion that was training  in Riva del Garda when Italy capitulated in 9.1943 , his latter fate is unknown to me.

 Strnečki received 2 medals for his actions on the eastern front , one medal was awarded to him on 20.09.1942 on the front line therefore he returned to Croatia after 20.09.1942 but before 16.12.1942 when Little Saturn operation started.

During and after fighting in Operation Little Saturn (battle on Don river) only 4 soldiers of LPZHL made it back home to Croatia out of 1100 strong Brigade. 

4 soldiers were:

Ltn. Vincenzo Smolčić - a Croat serving in Italian Army that served as a  liason officer attached to Brigade, made it to friendly lines during chaotic fighting on Don

Domobran Vinko Tutavac - escaped with Ltn Smolčić

Sargent Marko Begić - captured by Russians, escaped to friendly lines and reached Chertkovo ( this  town  was surrounded by Soviets and  become known as small Stalingrad , but later Germans and Italians stationed there broke through this siege and reached friendly lines on 15.01.1943, Begić escaped with them)

Domobran Jožef Vilk -captured by Soviets , escaped on 03.02.1943 to friendly lines.

 

Excellent books on the topic that i highly recommend:

Amir Obhođaš  LPZHL, book in Croatian about the Brigade, the best book on the topic.

Eugenio Corti : A Few Returned , memoirs of a young artillery officer in Pasubio division, describes horrors on Don front and break from the siege of Chertkovo, book in English

Hope Hamilton :Sacrifice on the Steppe : excellent book about Alpini Corps fighting on the Don front  , describes realistically the conditions on the Don front. Alpini Corps was also on the Don river front some 70km Northwest from LPZHL.