GPS June 2020

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What was the purpose of the stamps that were designed in asmall estate in Russia called Sloboda and printed in Germany? Howand where were they distributed? Who was the target group? Theauthors Kesselstatt/Heide provided a theory in their DBZ article of1993 [8]. They assumed the stamps were indirectly part of the “AktionSilberstreif” (operation silver stripe). This was the name of the biggestGerman propaganda operation of World War II, lasting from May toSeptember 1943. Its main aim, however, was to encourage Red Armysoldiers to desert by the thousands by promising them a good treatmentand offering them the possibility to join the “Russian LiberationArmy”. Kesselstatt/Heide stated that the German propagandists of WPr(department IV), in collaboration with the department “Fremde HeereOst” (Foreign Armies East), already discussed and planned the administrativebody of the future Russian counter-government, including theestablishment of Russian postal authorities with distinctive postagestamps: “…Prop. Abt. W was instructed to produce the planned postagestamps... It is certain that the idea was to achieve an additional pieceof propaganda by means of stamps. It was a well-known fact, even atthat time, that postage stamps can have a very large propaganda value…The designation “Wlassow-Marken” (Vlasov stamps) was coined duringthis period”. These statements are probably true but are not confirmed bywritten sources. They just represent the opinion of the two authors. Theonly existing documentary evidence is the printing contract where thestamps are called “Gedenkmarken”, a term used for both postal and nonpostalcommemorative stamps.Although the contract is dated 12 July 1943, there is a cancelledimperforate proof providing evidence that the stamps were produced inMay 1943 or earlier (Image 11). Mono-colored proof sheets bearing oneof each value are known and must have existed at that date, i.e. at a datewhen a Vlasov army did not yet exist. Furthermore, imperforate proofs ofeach value in the final color inscribed “color template” are known (Images12 & 13). All these trial printings must have been presented for approvalprior to May 1943, i.e. two months before the permission to print thestamps was given. It is unclear which German authority coordinated thestamp printing. Kesselstatt/Heide were convinced that the DepartmentEast of the Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda (RMVP)approved, ordered and paid for the printing. Responsible for the entiremilitary propaganda, however, was not the RMVP but the AbteilungWehrmachtpropaganda (WPr) of the High Command of the Wehrmacht(OKW), the superior body of the Propaganda-Abteilung W. The questionis unsolved and it is therefore unknown who filled out the contract.208German Postal Specialist
Image 11. This lower part of a trial proof was illustrated in Horst Grieger’s article of2010. The date of the Sloboda cancellation is clearly “V.”, i.e. May 1943. A cancelledtrial proof is most unusual. It makes only sense when the trial proofs as well as thecancellation had to be submitted to WPr for approval. Therefore, both must haveexisted prior to May 1943.Write anarticlefor theSpecialist.June 2020 209
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Page 5 and 6: do not get paid, they volunteer the
Page 7 and 8: operations. He was taken to Berlin
Page 9 and 10: Image 3. The original printing cont
Page 11 and 12: To support this propaganda task, th
Page 13 and 14: Images 8a & 8b. (8a). The painting
Page 15: Image 10. The set designer Friedric
Page 19 and 20: It is unknown how many sheets were
Page 21 and 22: north of Baranovichi (470 km west o
Page 23 and 24: Smyslovsky’s statements may be tr
Page 25 and 26: Images 21a & 21b. This cover is, of
Page 27 and 28: AUCTIONGALLERIES Hamburgvormals SCH
Page 29 and 30: of “delayed mailing” of philate
Page 31 and 32: ”Old City”) on July 27, 1967. M
Page 33 and 34: Image 7, front and backThe register
Page 35 and 36: GPS 2020/21 Membership Renewal(look
Page 37 and 38: brief flyover sweep on half power,
Page 39 and 40: NewsNews from the Third Reich Study
Page 41 and 42: primarily from the fact that physic
Page 43 and 44: Design: Thomas Serres, HattingenThe
Page 45 and 46: STUDY GROUPSGerman Colonies Collect
Page 47 and 48: Guidelines for ArticlesTextText sho

GPS June 2020

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