The Expansion of Italy Following World War I 1918-1926 (Text Content)

This web page, published by the Military Postal History Society, contains the text content of the single frame The Expansion of Italy Following World War I 1918-1926 . This exhibit was created by, and is the property of the late Al Kugel, and is being supplied by his heirs as a courtesy to the Military Postal History Society.

Introduction Text

This exhibit examines the postal history of the Italian occupation and/or annexation of former Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman territories in the period following World War I. These two former members of the enemy Central Powers surrendered on 3 November and 30 October 1918, respectively, opening up their lands to the entry of Italian and other Allied troops.

To view the exhibit page images, see: web page containing links to the image content of the exhibit frames, including PDF files.

Updated 7/22/2023

Text Content of Exhibit

The Expansion of Italy Following World War I 1918-1926

This exhibit examines the postal history of the Italian occupation and/or annexation of former Austro- Hungarian and Ottoman territories in the period following World War I. These two former members of the enemy Central Powers surrendered on 3 November and 30 October 1918, respectively, opening up their lands to the entry of Italian and other Allied troops.

The first priority of the government was to take over “Italia Irredenta," i.e. Austrian territories inhabited by ethnic Italians, including the southern Trentino, Venezia Giulia and parts of Dalmatia. A second priority was adjacent lands considered strategically important, which included northern Trentino (South Tyrol to the Austrians) and coastal areas along the eastern shore of the Adriatic as far south as Albania.

In addition to sending troops to occupy the Ottoman capital of Constantinople, Italian forces were deployed in Palestine, where they hoped to be assigned to protect the Christian shrines, and southeast Anatolia, where Italy sought special economic privileges. In the end, however, Palestine became a British mandate, and Anatolia was turned over to the Turkish Nationalist government.

Naturally, all of this activity had considerable philatelic consequences. In addition to military mail, civil postal services had to be developed in the various political entities. The Italians were especially attuned to the fact that the issuance of stamps for new territories provided good internal propaganda after the harsh times during the war and served to enhance the country's standing internationally.

The victory over its ancient enemy, Austria-Hungary, was cause for great celebration in Italy. A grand review of the troops, led by King Victor Emmanuel III, held in the newly-liberated city of Trieste, is depicted on the above commemorative postcard.

Since most of the activity shown took place essentially simultaneously, the exhibit is presented geographically from west to east in the order shown on the following Plan Page. There is an imbalance of material from territories that issued more stamps, i.e. Fiume, but a substantial effort has been made to include all areas and significant events.

THE EXPANSION OF ITALY FOLLOWING WORLD WAR I 1918-1926

PLAN OF EXHIBIT

Material in this exhibit will be shown geographically from west to east, starting with the Trentino up to the Brenner Pass and running through Oltre Giuba in East Africa:

Trentino -- 1918-1925
Venezia-Giulia -- 1918-1925
Austria-Hungary Proper -- 1919-1923
Fiume -- 1918-1924
Dalmatia -- 1919-1921
Montenegro -- 1919
Albania --1918-1921
Saseno -- 1922-1923
Corfu -- 1923
Turkey Proper:
Constantinople -- 1919-1923
Smyrna -- 1919-1923
Adalia -- 1919-1921
Scalanova -- 1919-1922
Castelrosso -- 1921-1924
Palestine -- 1918-1920
Oltre Giuba -- 1925-1926

Cover mailed from the newly-liberated town of Borghetto sull'Adige on 3 November 1918, the day the Austrians signed the Armistice agreement ending the war.

TRENTINO

Following the armistice with Austria-Hungary on 3 November 1918, Italian troops advanced to occupy all of the Trentino, a triangular-shaped territory between the former Italian border and the Brenner Pass. Anxious to philatelically commemorate their victory, within eight days of the signing of the armistice they had gathered up the supplies of Austrian definitive Stamps available in the post offices, overprinted them "Kingdom of Italy/Trentino/3 nov. 1918," and placed them on sale. These stamps were theoretically valid for postage until 19 June 1924 but in fact were quickly replaced with Italian stamps overprinted "Venezia Tridentina."

Povo
29 December 1918

Quantities available of the 18 denominations varied widely. Some of the higher values are very scarce and have not been seen on cover by exhibitor. This applies to the 90 heller (200 printed), 2 kronen (350) and 4 kronen (210). In addition, only 11 copies of the 10 kronen were found and overprinted so this value was never sold at the post offices but given out to high dignitaries according to Bolaffi. Due to complaints raised by those not getting an example, 20 more were acquired and a second printing made. However, it is rarely seen for obvious reasons.

TRENTINO
Overprints on Austria
Meran
Civil Postmarks
3 December 1918
Povo
27 December 1918
During the early part of the Occupation, the post offices continued to use the old Austrian labels in conjunction with the Overprinted stamps. Upper cover paid 20 heller postage internally to Italy. Lower example paid 25 heller postage + 25 heller registration to France.
postmarks and registry
+ 25 heller registration

TRENTINO Trento First Overprints on Italy 10 January 1919 Tie Posta Militare 124 29 December 1918 6 January 1919 te wee reer eee S, Wax Sheet ates: = aa PRODUZIONE 43870 Fototipia Miele Fe a y JZ e ee indirizo del ¢ Nome | : (Br, de It was soon decided that it would be more politically correct to use Italian stamps instead of Austrian ones. As a result, a new issue of 4,100 sets consisting of nine denominations of the King Victor Emmanuel III definitives and issued on 20 December 1918. was overprinted "Venezia/Tridentina" TRENTINO Trento Second Overprints on Italy 3 January 1919 Meran 7 February 1919 LA GLA ZUZ come Because Austrian currency was still in general circulation in the occupied territories, the Italians issued a new set in January 1919 of the three most common denominations with the "Venezia Tridentina" Overprint but also surcharged in heller. A similar postal card was also printed. These were valid for postage until 19 April 1919. TRENTINO Trento Third Overprints on Italy 20 April 1919 Meran 2 April 1919 5. D. Wassermann Photographie und Optik Meran, Siidtirol Apne Stefaniepromenade, Pension Neuhaus ay i Oe i j : —— ° eae e if eter g 2 Sommersaison: Karersee b. Bozen SESS aan | , ee > es ao Lhechesinr:Hala 3 > e Sel J g In order to have stamps that could be used interchangeably in all of the occupied territories, including Dalmatia, a new set of Italian stamps surcharged in Austrian currency was issued between January and April 1919. It consisted of eleven denominations of regular stamps plus two special delivery values. These were theoretically valid until 19 June 1924 but, in fact, they were replaced by unoverprinted Italian stamps well before then. TRENTINO Obermais b. Meran Third Overprints on Italy 9 May 1919 7 : 2 lb . Bozen prs 19 April 1919 ‘ [eee Olu, ‘ oe Trento Fas, 16 April 1919 oo ve Llowsig se. Soh Tete rw { | ee | Express x thio bie Examples of the overprinted stamps on registered covers are shown, including local and international usages. TRENTINO Meran Postal Card 15 March 1919 Provisional Postage Due Stamps Bozen 16 April 1919 oT ST & é 7 A OCARTOLINA POSTALE ITALIANA | J \f (CARTE POSTALE D'ITALIE) “WD Op 7 Pe. “TD pore: oy at os er pe Olin nec 4 oti é: PartrA Jhon 2 ty Slip Upper example is a postal card with a similar overprint used from Meran to Innsbruck. Postage due stamps were not immediately available, so normal surcharged postage stamps were sometimes overprinted "Porto" and used as dues. In this case, the fee for a domestic letter would have been 20 centesimi. However, no credit was given for the 2 cent. stamp that was affixed, and a full 40 cent. double deficiency was assessed. A very unusual usage. TRENTINO Algund Local Delivery Stamps 26 November 1918 27 November 1918 7 December 1918 ee i: Weta geslldo una { ss 5 ¥ preter Gi Ant. octet ts ey Soe es eo é I u ae | ‘pSeBoft 1918 Huy Q | - iS dye : = a i : fain eee * ae ) oa Ow L "ah sy et Zee at \ \ ( Siege me Sago | meeicsieas ig ae, fete es asee& See 8 & fee A go sGge4 8656 See oS - # = Gs N Boe eee ee ee A eRe 7 88 s Se 3S gS a ee B = ‘ : : o es TROPPO 5. t = Aes Sppscilspott 2 | 3 a : me: e¢ 8 se “a Hohmiinden Serrn Romedins Gitrtler, Ze ae Ef re = Lathh, Vinidaar. ii 4 Ses eq? Bees EN. The only “locals” used in the liberated territory were issued by the Chamber of Commerce in Merano for local delivery of business mail. The first set (in small format) was issued on 20 November 1918. This was followed by a second series depicting the coat of arms of the city that came out on 1 December 1918. The entire operation was discontinued on 20 December, when normal service was resumed by the post office. TRENTINO Arco Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 25 October 1924 Campo Tures (Sand) 9 June 1925 Colle Isarco (Gossensass) 14 August 1925 « Purger & Co., Miinchen, | rs After 20 April 1919, normal Italian stamps and new Italian postmarks began to be introduced into the liberated territory. Examples shown here are from some of the small villages, not often seen. These have "Trento" at the bottom of the dial so that the area from which they originated would be clear. TRENTINO Maia Bassa (Untermais) Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 18 May 1925 agate a ee Pergine 24 December 1920 -Bollo dell*ufficio d’ origine. Tin.bre du bureau d’origine. _... Svizzera Avviamento Acheminement k lalla dogana del paese di destinazione.| _ on par le service de la douane du} Totale Se oe panes : Total [Quadro da riempirsi dail? ufic "| Cadre & remplir par lebur | pays de destination. In some cases the new postmarks included the former Austrian name of the town as well as the new Italian one, as was the case with Maia Bassa (Untermais) shown above. (The Pergine postmark is still the old Austrian one.) TRENTINO St. Ulrich in Groden Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 15 August 1922 eT ae Pea 3 San Candido py ( ee (Innichen) 19 July 1923 Tarvisio 20 November 1923 a eo Q. 14012. Cortina st at PED ATS, : nsadloeotdtag / y 5 ; ae Udy ce Baad | Covers showing different types of postmarks. The St. Ulrich postmark is the old Austrian one; San Candido is a new Italian one but includes the Austrian name of Innichen; Tarvisio is entirely in Italian. VENEZIA GIULIA Also quickly occupied by the Italians following the armistice with Austria-Hungary was Venezia Giulia, a diamond-shaped area at the head of the Adriatic Sea, known today as Istria. On 3 November 1918, the first Italian troops arrived at Trieste, the major city in the territory. To commemorate their victory, supplies of Austrian definitive stamps available in the post offices were collected, overprinted "Kingdom of Italy/Venezia Giulia/3. XI. 18," and placed on sale between 14 November to 4 December 1918. These first stamps were theoretically valid for postage until 19 June 1924 but in fact were quickly replaced with Italian stamps overprinted "Venezia Giulia." — ; = oie Posta Militare/Trieste ; 3 November 1918 21 November 1918 | 3_NOv.19! POSTA AEREA TRANGAY NOVEMBRE / MoS 2Co. No.3 The first actual philatelic event in Venezia Giulia was the use of a special cancel inscribed "Military Post" in Trieste. It is recorded from 10 November to 1 December 1918. However, in order to provide souvenirs of the liberation of the city, the postmark was officially backdated to 3 November and used to cancel various cards. Two such examples are shown above -- one with a stamp not issued until 15 November and a cachet of the Naval Air Mail Service that was not used until the 23rd. (One of these cancels has a dash after the "3," not the other.) VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Overprints on Austria 28 December 1918 A few copies of the 90 heller were overprinted, “3: but the supply was too low to warrant issuing the stamp. The certificate from Oliva indicates that only 20 copies came on the philatelic market. way Vue cy Wis VENEZIA GIULIA Parenzo Overprints on Austria 25 February 1919 Trieste 18 January 1919 There were 18 different stamps and a postal card overprinted "Venezia Giulia." However, this set excluded the 90 heller and included a 3 kronen. Quantities of some denominations were modest, i.e. 2,000, 1,800 and 1,600 of the 2 kronen, 3 kronen and 4 kronen, respectively. (Only 37 copies of the 10 kronen were overprinted, and it is rarely seen.) In view of the depressed state of the economy at the end of the war, there was no commercial need for high values, which are only seen on covers used philatelically, such as the front of a registered letter above. VENEZIA GIULIA Posta Militare 63 Overprints on Austria 26 November 1918 Military Postmarks Posta Militare 46 28 November 1918 Posta Militare 55 CARTOLINA POSTALEY 13 December 1918 NM 2 nue pele... Pole pes a 4 - A1-/§ 4 —, ponte. ee i ase fo eee Be ttilly.te, Ke cece eZ ee Heed Lr on 2 Ce. Fay? 4 (? Cg EN. DL ARF] es A074 DP » a eee Te ee a ae 25) Proprieta artistica The "Venezia Giulia" overprints were used at both the military and civil post offices in the liberated territory. Examples shown are properly paid at 10 heller for postcards and 20 heller for a letter. These items were mailed from FPO 63 (14th Army Corps), FPO 46 (HQ of the 3rd Army) and FPO 55 (Supply Corps of the 4th Army). VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Overprints on Austria 4 December 1918 Civil Postmarks 9 December 1918 Or Lede ©. ou 2 GacerritAc. Wad, a f j . oe . - : ba lorsed oe x During the early part of the occupation, the post offices continued to use the old Austrian postmarks and registry labels in conjunction with the overprinted stamps. In this case, the old cds with bilingual German and Italian lettering, i.e. Triest/Trieste, had the German word excised. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Trial Overprint on Italy 8 December 1918 16 January 1919 (CARTE POSTALE D'ITAL] CARTOLINA POSTALE ITALIANAE] (CARTE POSTALE DITALIE T ié ste |i ] ee wa \ Wf = ; qj wa GN) wet mi oes Oto 4 Priglon.e RG 4 fan + as eee Intanin na ae DOr aAanvonloe at tae 4 FUE aac we me OAS Ag “ oz aa i. SQmnrrr 8% g APS Tt Yemen ts ike /GIRDO Mk ¢ IGE HR ULFTaAME DLO 2 TE ht SOK LAE g Y bl Ga og be aes See a ey A decision was made that it would be more politically correct to use Italian stamps depicting the King instead of Austrian ones. As a result, a trial printing was made of 200 copies of a thin overprint reading "Venezia/Giulia/3. XI. 18." on the 50 centesimi stamp. Although not sold at the post office, an example is shown here used on a postal card; it is signed by F. A. Zanetti who describes it as "probably unique." Although this format was not approved for overprinting stamps, it was used for postal cards. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste First Overprints on Italy 30 December 1918 17 February 1919 (Hee A decision was made that overprints inscribed "Venezia/Giulia" should be made on Italian stamps. The first nine values were issued between 6 and 21 December 1918, but the 1 and 2 centesimi stamps were not issued until January 1919. Only 12,000 copies of the 60 cent. denomination were printed, and stamps from this series are | seldom seen on covers as they were replaced by those surcharged in Italian currency issued on 7 January 1919. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste First Overprints on Italy 21 April 1919 17 December 1918 CARTOLINA POSTALE PRALIAN. Yo : - (CARTE POSTALE D'ITALIE) ve pas. 21 aprile eee Spett. DL tta Sax = os j Vi prego al spedt: a1 pit presto possibite, il Vostro cathlogo ca | 4y ee { vostri prezzibpia | rigtrettl,. BM Tommasini 2 co, C on g/t a “> aaa S x ENSURA PO S ~atrieste - N. 16 = GZ pata pa anon TON a In addition to the stamps, the same overprint was used on a postal card. Franking on the cover below was 70 centesimi to pay postage, registration and the special delivery fee. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Second Overprints on Italy 22 February 1919 17 March 1919 SRPMS. Pe age ee 7194 GOW APPR, UFFICIO REV. STAMPA, MILANO 4 Austrian currency was still in general circulation in the occupied territories, so the Italians issued 5 and 20 heller denominations on 20 February 1919 with the "Venezia Giulia" overprint but also surcharged. A similar postal card was also overprinted. Lower card shows mixed franking with the subsequent issue. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Third Overprints on Italy 15 April 1919 21 February 1919 epico Pusha, Oe fia. S.Lazzara 2/1V., “Generic” overprints that could be used in all of the occupied territories, consisting of Italian stamps surcharged in Austrian currency, were issued between January and April 1919. There were eleven denominations of regular stamps plus two special delivery values, as well as postal cards. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Third Overprints on Italy 13 February 1919 tee ; 20 February 1919 ; 1 April 1919 AAA a aha nn AgGlA : feat Leff [Cterfare. hile ( aw fee A eo 4 Gg lenarttrecte ff oS tla odalti © 2eSeH HOSE OLa YOR Se Sea Unusual usages of generic overprints in Venezia Giulia, including cover sent special delivery to England that paid 110 centesimi (25 postage + 85 express fee). Postcard to Livorno franked with bisected 20 cent. stamp to pay 10 cent. postage -- the only officially recognized bisect of this series. Registered postal card has unusual "Venezia Giulia” overprint with bars obscuring the portrait of Emperor Karl of Austria. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 1] June 1921 ae 0 ny ee Capodistria DEMETRIO AMURGIS a mean So ‘\ yg Se Sd : 1 August 1921 CASELLA POSTA CENTRALE 596. A set of three commemorative stamps was issued on 5S June 1921 in honor of the annexation. POUISTRIA : 303 ISTITUTO PENSIONI ce, «WO a —— | PER IMPIEGATI :: fra oe TRIESTE ees IL DIRETTORE In franchigia. UsTer suo fKobhw Gata With the formal transfer of Venezia Giulia to Italy on 5 February 1921, Normal Italian postage was introduced into the territory soon thereafter. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 25 August 1920 edola — Coupon. seciceiacadl = s - : “Aiaaieap dine aNGaractdnthididdana b¥e des déclarations.en douane lore assicurato aleur assurée & Nomee indirizzo del mittente - Nom et domicile de : aie s, oe P expéditeur Luogo di destinazione _ -- : Lieu de destination __ 4 Via e numero di casa \4 a. ~ || Rué et numéro Paese di destinazione “? Pays de destination 3 7 = = : Peso — ,Poids Ee id Saree Avviamento _ Diritti di dogana * ,) cS - {Ss is. YAO. ae g Droits de donane | : UGE kg eB i ak C eos MB ee a CU ee Bs adre a remplir par le bureau d’ échange ad’ entrée ou par le service de la douane du pays de destination. i 3 ao * 0 JQuaaro da riempirsi dal?’ ufficio di cambio d’entrata o dalla dogana del paese di destinazione. Unusual usage of unoverprinted stamps used on an Italian parcel address card with provisional "Venezia Giulia" overprint from Trieste to Switzerland. VENEZIA GIULIA Abbazia Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 20 September 1922 Brioni 7 March 1923 Porto Rose 15 September 1919 Brionische Inseln co Istrien co a ee a ste After 20 April 1919, normal Italian stamps were introduced into the liberated territory although, as shown above, old Austrian postmarks continued in use if they didn't include German names. Examples shown here are from smaller towns, not often seen. VENEZIA GIULIA Posta Militare 53 27 December 1918 Posta Militare 87 12 January 1919 Military Postmarks pee | F = y PGR. F7 §F hn ae & ; A #e : 5 AS ES TUCK'S POSPCARD: z S CARTE POSTALE. i, Co oe : i 4 Se eae (For Ape ite Sed Ae le." Leer 'ear.! feuds, 2 a i 9 a & ’ : dD iy B prope & ofaerrety da | NS Fa g g le AD oe c f ~) De blere tar lalehh! aunty, ao Baphat’ tuck @ Bons’ “C) IIE & nwalata < cn! wwleerm avvede pursed,’ ° opyright Londen Ten. . PY haces une 26°70 J Brus, ' Printed in England bua ane parser - nas i ‘ a & 2 . : al He 5 i a ‘sd Pree Mi get} anh be ots ye ; Z ade " ¢ m6 ceman pee cacy ° CoS ] é ‘ a Cpe Re “ Coe CeCe _ As the Italian troops spread out through the liberated territories, so did the field post offices. The above cards sent from P.M. 53 (11th Army Corps in Gorizia) and P.M. 87 (26th Army Corps in Pola). VENEZIA GIULIA R. Nave/Admiraglio Saint Bon Naval Mail 3 January 1919 Parenzo 26 February 1919 S16 O2uered ‘yte1N “Dp “PE “wyujora auormposdny “4 “aE The Italians took over Pola, which was the main Austrian naval base in the northern Adriatic. Upper card mailed from there by a sailor on the warship Admiral St. Bon. Lower card mailed from Tug Hercules at Parenzo. VENEZIA GIULIA Aviazione R. Marina/Trieste Royal Naval Air Service 27 November 1918 Aviazione R. Marina/Pola 10 December 1918 e ee eerocse Voveeccos magS © cae vcccecuceroueeew asses Se SONGS as Cee Paes banc Pew ccnb ccc shbetsfheuy san eeuce Verl. Buchhandlung Karl eevee ere weer ce ses es Mun cease secse ences cescreersesces In the occupied territory, roads were in bad condition and ports were mined, so there was no good way to send important communications. As a result, the Royal Navy Air Service inaugurated a Transadriatic air mail route using military seaplanes, which functioned from November 1918 into 1919. Special boxed cachets were applied to such mail. Lower example is backstamped with the RNAS arrival cachet of Venice dated 13 December. VENEZIA GIULIA Aviazione R. Marina/Trieste Royal Naval Air Service 4 March 1919 Trieste 21 February 1919 # op tty. 9G i — oe | Wordlet ALio? oD . \G = : a J PMU Upper example is official mail flown by the Royal Navy Air Service. Note circular cachet of the "Headquarters of the Royal Seaplane Station/Trieste." Lower postal card has a different type of rectangular cachet of the Naval Air Service. VENEZIA GIULIA Trieste American Sailors Mail 1 February 1919 Posta Militare 92-A 27 March 1919 Dd Yeragus. EFC. (RO) USAT." Beek Leork” p Aaneghe. ‘ oe: : i gi ¢ ee Oe : Pe IPAL) FEE, Were CIEE Stange Ee 7a Ig TO = ares ‘ we fies, 75 a fet dntilf er fF UO G7 | SO Va Des pe EILGL| Yor Ue BLP CL, Ltt py ary J OE | = ee Soe eg | Ee vgatn jf C FFE Wil AVAL IEE | PS gece veep till, Pintle PLD ae iP ALP "Fo : “ayer hf ad “Hd sue *p 109 ey & eee At the end of the war, American warships in the Mediterranean sailed into the former Austro-Hungarian naval bases, including Fiume, Pola, Spalato and Trieste. Mail from U.S. sailors sent through the Italian military or civil post offices provides one of the most unusual usages of the Italian overprinted stamps. AUSTRIA - HUNGARY In addition to occupying the Trentino and Venezia Giulia, Italian troops moved north into Austria-Hungary proper. In Austria, military post offices were operated in key locations, such as Innsbruck and Vienna, while the handling of civil mail was left to the newly-declared Republic of German-Austria. In Hungary, an Italian Military Mission functioned in Budapest. All of these forces were evacuated after the new boundaries were finalized. Posta Militare 2 17 February 1919 2 fe ne Se Pay ye ae fie L & Posta Militare 87 18 June 1919 LY => 97Yf C0 ; : a rf i il Picture postcards of Vienna sent from the Austrian capital. Upper example has cachet of the "Telegraph Service if the Italian Military Armistice Mission/Vienna.” Lower card franked with German-Austria 20 heller adhesive and sent to Bologna. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY Armistice Commission Posta Militare 81 19 January 1919 wo er a stim sn oe : r : {ee Posta Militare 151 \ te: Spee ee 24 ee 3 October 1919 as ae p Ke é - ‘S 2 : aE ae R. ESERCITO ITALIANO y COMANDO SUPREMO 2 ss # ~~ COMMISSIONE D'ARMISTIZIO. J < | Si i \ v git Fr eR | -Missione Armistizio : - Commissione affari clvili e¢ rimpatrl 010 COO ater eo : : 7 Wa ef Z22e4cZ 2 me @ Lee eee ey vy “ eS —o = Upper cover was sent by an Italian Colonel from the High Command of the Armistice Commission in Vienna. Lower cover from PM 151 in Innsbruck to Milan was sent by a member of the Civil Affairs and Repatriation Section of the Italian Armistice Commission. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY Posta Militare 124 Military Mail 13 July 1919 "Missione di Vienna" Airmail Vignette FAMED th s x i, ef & < « « Sy S Ss a SHILSCHAPT F GRAPHISCHE PV ee In April 1919 a special semi-official vignette was printed for the Italian Military Mission in Vienna to prepay fees on airmail flown back home on Italian planes. These were affixed to letters and cancelled with a two-line marking reading "Aspern Airfield." Only 42 copies of this label were issued. The sender's address on the reverse of the cover is noted as "Italian Armistice Commission Caproni, Aspern Field, Vienna, Austria." AUSTRIA-HUNGARY Posta Militare 124 Military Mail 27 April 1919 Trieste 4 September 1919 Surcharged stamps for the liberated territory were not valid in the military post offices in Austria proper, so a normal Italian stamp was added to pay postage on the upper cover. Lower example is inbound from Trieste to Vienna, where it received a censor marking inscribed "Special Courier Office Vienna" on the reverse. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY Gorizia Courier Mail 15 August 1919 Antonio ‘Cerniqo/ se ee atotta ve fadeqname con poacei ince - QORIZIA, Via Trieste 16. ARES B IES While Italian troops were stationed in Austria, the military ran a courier service to deliver mail between Trieste and Vienna. Most such letters seen by exhibitor were franked with the "Venezia Giulia” Overprinted stamps, postmarked in Trieste and turned over to the couriers for delivery. Thus, this example is unusual in that it is obviously a commercial letter but without any evidence of postage being paid. (This may reflect the fact that it was sent from Gorizia, which was also in the annexed territory.) Backstamped with a straight-line marking inscribed "Special Courier Office Vienna." AUSTRIA —- HUNGARY Boundary Commission Bolzano 26 May 1919 4 June 1923 m Autti (lon. COMMISSION DE DELIMITATION DE LA FRONTIERE ENTRE L’AUTRICHE ET L’ITALIE Oe > A delimitation commission was charged with determining the new frontiers between Austria and Italy. Above examples show mail sent by Austrian and French delegates to the Commission. In the former case, a special red seal was applied on the reverse, which is the only such example seen by exhibitor. sass ion insta AUSTRIA — HUNGARY Bolzano Boundary Commission 19 July 1921 Wien 2 November 1923 COMMISSION DE DELIMITATION DE LA FRONTIERE ENTRE L’AUTRICHE ET VITALIE —_o——— Mademodselle PiuKNet, - Chemin de Blémur PISCOP, par. St-BRICE ( Seins-et-Oise) Frankreich In fact, the boundaries of the South Tyrol remained in dispute between Austria and Italy for an extended period, even until the end of World War I. As a result, the Delimitation Commission continued its work substantially longer in this area than elsewhere, which explains the late use of the envelopes and cachets of the group in 1923 and 1924. Upper cover is an imprinted envelope of the French Delegation sent from Bolzano to Vienna, with a special cachet on the reverse. Below is a cover with the cachet of the French Delegate from Vienna to France. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY Budapest Military Mail 7 October 1919 Most of the Italian troops sent north were deployed in Austria, but a small military mission was sent to Hungary proper. Above card was sent by a telegrapher stationed in Budapest, most likely by military pouch. It was censored in Trieste en route. FIUME Fiume was the primary Hungarian port on the Adriatic. When Croatia seceded from Hungary on 29 October 1918, Croatian volunteers moved in and occupied Fiume. They remained in control until 17 November, when an Interallied occupation force arrived. The Allies then administered the city until 12 September 1919, when the adventurer-poet Gabriele d'Annunzio staged a coup and took charge. Under the Treaty of Rapallo signed in November 1920, Fiume was designated as a Free City; it was later annexed by Italy on 12 January 1924. Forerunners Fiume 17 November 1918 PRES em IES > gc - ete RS EO OEE ELE ETA x . te i J = : a E. CORENICH - FIUME- — Via Fratelli Branchetta 78 ‘Ufficio Informazioni ed Incassi | Informations-Incasso-Bt fos ‘ me -.. “Rappresentanze. ee Vertretungen. St Sa VERIFICATO , LATISANTA “x Sects somal tinea: A few of the Croatian "SHS Hrvatska" overprints are known used in Fiume on 16 and 17 November 1918, just prior to the arrival of the Allied troops. This presents an unexplained anomaly as the overprinted stamps were supposedly not issued until the 18th. Nevertheless, the cover shown above is backstamped for arrival at Latisana in Udine Province on the 20th. FIUME Italian warships arrived in the port on 4 November and landed troops the following day, dispossessing the Croatian forces. In due course, an Interallied Control Commission was set up to administer the territory. Although the Peace Conference wanted to establish a Free City, Italian insurgents headed by d’Annunzio seized control on 12 September 1919. His forces were eventually dislodged at the end of 1920, and a Free City government functioned until the area was annexed to Italy on 22 February 1924. Poste Militare 83 5 February 1919 23 April 1919 IIINIG) il ICO ~ gas yee Pi ice Seth aes i Ca Le A Ake ofS Sg Lom KR igioaech ino. Saracen 2 ae ie RIMS tee THE i 8 ne j tan ee a nv an hind A DIR} 4 s * J: 4 y\ A na a f A Ca al WSIS A ASO If In order to calm the situation from threats by local militia demanding immediate annexation to Italy, the occupation troops functioned on behalf of the “Interallied Occupation Corps in Fiume,” as reflected in their unit cachets. FIUME Regio C.T. Vincenzo Orsini Naval Mail 7 December 1918 R. Nave/Emanuele Filiberto 26 April 1919 Fiume 22 September 1923 | Va. r Ch icrerbec G1? I.D.N P. 69 including a card from the Vincenzo Orsini and a free frank card from the Emanuele Filiberto to the Italian consul As a major port, Fiume saw a number of Italian warships using the harbor. These examples are sailors mail, | | in Pensacola, as well as an official cover from the Cirenaica to the Naval Ministry in Rome. FIUME Overprints on Hungary Fiume 15 January 1919 4 February 1919 £ ee al ae R 3| Finme A, Fi. 2). -@5 “ee bt a, The first Fiume stamp was handstamped on the 20 filler stamp of Hungary with the name of the city in thick letters This was intended as a trial printing, but the demand for stamps was high so 300 copies were released for sale in the post offices on 1 December 1918. Moreover, between 3 December 1918 and 7 January 1919, the authorities issued a total of 31 different stamps with a thin "Fiume" overprint, some applied by typography and some by hand. Most were on the "wheat harvesting" and "parliament building" designs, but others were included. Fiume 29 March 1919 Overprints on Hungary FIUME 480d UL odAJE UBISOT = GD = pe aQUd ISA — OpUQeAIY ULPIIAR” = BLL open muUusep 10> a x Z2pugZor x x : :(ouogzowysap vp ova) ‘(SpITAT} 189}0}TopuEy) ' i Ne 2 (ozztapuz) 50] aUuorznjoduipue DyJap auorzporpU. ‘ Muza iC vy fL ‘ (esezqef soqezey WOTAS @- A eRWMUDYyDSA auHnorpriy a ang hha) DLoVUDW UD 2.002408 La]0a Ip DBaLd I) ~., LEGS Sony = ax = | WURALYY VOUIZ sozuod $9 ISRAL OPVYSVATO Ss “ORDP NVUWLOIIDL 4 j : ‘vysodeit sTug te u gS = oP -98, idee 2 Z oe . oper oieoesee) a aj0.avd 2 SSD} | ap ayowod Hl o~toaa ‘ssn? UP 21040q ; Peis eared) | : 19} . i i on ae 2 4 auooip a ozyfn.p a0N | ow.tow8 -p wa0daet vie y ouLori S09 UP Nr Of } Auyaryn so yosazXsofsom sopuyealyy | eyezsdeuy” : dew WYeS TIN | f i , ZS Sd. 9} 89 - Ge i | | 1 ceptrer pe ane ged| Sse oAjon ed pee = Xai = T | i \ IDA. Lproind ie ee nyphod vjsodsvp i i : / eR oad wa} Za WA MULOTS ani oUutorwb orevinayn | UE ~ ae = » vooda DLO 8 asouL ee | DUG) DING AS - mee — ezsdeu | Zorod “vig | deu so OU ple ea WYO OZOA as OJWIQIIL JOP VWUWLONT *, Fae 0 ie iy ib = = ees Se *Q ee | ee OSSAIUUSDAL MYT E vaso ae JAIU OPBoOdjja ZV Boos, = 2BYPB QqQBAOT, | Wiaereste en as, | fa Seek eR eee ech BON me i Telegram sent to Trieste and franked with various of the high values, including the elusive 10 korona, among others. FIUME Fiume Overprints on Hungary 14 January 1919 16 January 1919 In addition to the "harvesters" and "parliament building" stamps, overprints were made on those depicting King Karl and Queen Zita. (Many varieties exist, including a missing "I" on those on the upper cover.) There were six denominations of this issue, three of which are quite common. However, three values -- 15 and 25 filler with the King and 50 filler with the Queen -- were found in such small quantities that they were never issued. These were not sold at the post office but a handful was given out to high officials. Sassone estimates that four or five each of the 15 and 50 filler and only two of the 25 filler exist. (One each of the 25 f. and 50 f. were postmarked by favor.) FIUME Fiume Overprints on Hungary 14 January 1919 15 April 1919 PO Ey pv lO oe The demand for postage was high relative to the supply, so the authorities overprinted other types of stamps, including semi-postals, special deliveries, postage dues and even postal savings stamps -- all of which were used at their face value for regular postage. The above covers were franked with overprints on the semi-postal stamps that had been issued for the benefit of war charities. FIUME Fiume Overprints on Hungary 22 January 1919 29 January 1919 Fiume 1 1800. : = : - | - fg je AD P| ajantost Covers with postage due stamps overprinted "Franco" to qualify them for regular postage and surcharged to pay the rate for registered letters. Sent to nearby Susak, where they were backstamped for receipt the following day. FIUME Fiume Interallied Pictorial Stamps ; 3 October 1919 21 June 1919 Between 30 January and 3 April 1919, the Interallied authorities issued seventeen new stamps with scenes of Fiume. These were valid for postage until 30 April 1920. Above examples show use of the lowest (2 centesimi) and highest (5 corona) denominations. FIUME Posta Militare 83 Interallied Pictorial Stamps 16 March 1919 Official Usage Fiume 19 July 1919 ERR, Poste cowanno corpo eceurazione TALEO § Photocopy of the Ry cachet on reverse. s oe js * (Pray yneny Upper cover was sent to Rome from a member of the Interallied Occupation Corps and bears a cachet of that body on the reverse. Lower cover addressed to the "President of the Interallied Occupation Corps. FIUME Interallied Pictorial Stamps Fiume 20 May 1919 ae ‘COMANDO AERONAUTICA - __ dN FIUMB D'ITALIA - |R é| Finme 1 Fi1| 377 : OLE CAEL a This example of a heavy official registered military letter from the Aeronautical Headquarters in Fiume was franked with a large number of stamps of the first pictorial issue, paying a total of 60 centesimi in postage. Has circular mark of the Military Telegraph Censorship Commission in red. FIUME Aviazione R. Marina/Fiume Royal Naval Air Service 8 April 1919 Fiume was one of the ports served by the seaplanes of the Naval Air Service. Thus, it used a rectangular box marking to postmark mail intended to be flown. FIUME Fiume Second Pictorials 21 September 1919 ~\K “ . - any - Se a re r = i | a (a Re MaS OSS | | CRS eiaekae wale E Realizing that the pictorials were inscribed only "Fiume" with no recognition that the stamps were intended for postal use, the Interallied authorities ordered them to be reprinted with the wording "Posta Fiume." These were duly issued on 28 July 1919. However, as quantities of five denominations were stolen from the printing works, these were invalidated (with most of the remainders being used later after surcharging). A small quantity of the unissued stamps eventually came into philatelic hands as shown above. FIUME Fiume Annexation Souvenir Booklets 11 December 1919 27 March 1920 Li a2 es age pee By On occasion, the authorities in Fiume provided special commemorative booklets for important personages containing stamps related to the specific occasion. These examples contain the set issued for the first proclamation of annexation to Italy (an event that did was postponed until 1924 due to the D'Annunzio affair).  FIUME British Naval Transport Office/Fiume British Forces 26 March 1919 Army Post Office L.14 18 October 1919 Covers shown above attest to the presence of British Army and Navy personnel in Fiume during the period of the Interallied occupation. Examples are quite elusive. FIUME Tresor et Postes 520 French Forces 13 January 1919 Poste aux Armees *_* 9 March 1919 330. E. Modercin, SuSak. Following the armistice with Austria-Hungary, Allied troops occupied Fiume, the main Hungarian port on the Adriatic on 5 November 1918 and remained there until 13 September 1919, the day after the d'Annunzio coup. FIUME Fiume D'Annunzio Memorabilia 1920 In a coup d'etat against the Interallied Commission, Gabriele D'Annunzio and his band of black-shirted "Legionnaires" seized control of Fiume on 12 September 1919. Rather than resist in the face of great popular support for the insurgents, the British and French forces withdrew on the following day. As a result, D'Annunzio remained in command until finally being forced out by Italian troops on 31 December 1920. Upper photo postcard has 5 cent. overprinted semi-postal stamp cancelled with circular cachet inscribed "City of Fiume/The Commandant" for the personal use of D'Annunzio -- not otherwise seen by exhibitor. Lower photo postcard of the Commandant is personally autographed. FIUME Fiume Pictorial Surcharges 30 November 1919 ; 5 January 1920 FRENOG oe 2 aN ea : | | oO Z CO N Sess us ats 130 UNUlIU BZheeosy ——— v x O° Ge a 3 AESOBoRGR } x a“ ase 4 a0 aa EooES EB e ausgve .& "= ofa nne EXFa 5 HES as ~ 3 OREM ESS Og = EGO MDE WA MA aia oS Bag PSCe ee O_- Ss SBP Ese eosy 5 Sb =F VPUERwose ee a «5 oO Bos 3 a oT F o - 4 AO, Oo OH wo (q] #2 4 gy gO co > ep & Le a The Italians operated both military and civil post offices in Sebenico after the armistice, with the latter using old Austrian postmarks with Slavic and Italian names. Manuscript endorsement on the postcard reads “Troop Headquarters Dalmatia/24th Division." The civil post office remained opened until Sebenico was turned over to the South Slav Kingdom in 1921. DALMATIA Posta Militare 78-A Military & Civil Mail 31 December 1920 Zara 16 February 1921 Zara-Barcagno 28 August 1919 04978 Prop. ris. Libr. Intern. E. de Schonfeld - Zara : RECARTOLINA POSTALE: Both military and civil post offices were opened in Zara after the armistice, with the latter using old Austrian postmarks with the Slavic name excised. Unlike the other parts of Dalmatia, Zara was officially annexed to Italy on 2 February 1921 and remained Italian until World War IL. DALMATIA Arbe Overprints on Italy 22 November 1919 Civil Postmarks Bozava 16 July 1919 .- GARTOLINA POSTALE IT: (CARTE POSTALE D’ITALIS AMicltewole | Curzola 18 October 1920 — ee Be “ £ As compared to ports such as Sebenico and Zara, mail from the Adriatic islands is distinctly difficult to acquire. Examples shown here are from Arbe (Rab), Bozava on the island of Lunga (Dugi) and Curzola (Korcula). As indicated, they continued to use the old Austrian postmarks and registry labels, but with the Slavic name excised in the case of Arbe. These islands were later assigned by treaty to the South Slav Kingdom. DALMATIA Drnis Overprints on Italy 23 March 1919 Civil Postmarks Lesina 8 April 1919 Lagosta Ce: Phings » dl pea 7 ; | Byar—terma TTTNA POSTALE ITALIANA Registered letters from Drnis on the Dalmatian mainland (about 15 miles east of Sebenico), Lesina (Hvar) and Lagosta (Lastovo). As indicated, they continued to use the old Austrian postmarks and registry labels. Of these three locations, only Lagosta was retained by Italy; the other two went to the South Slav Kingdom. DALMATIA Lussin Piccolo Overprints on Italy 10 April 1919 Civil Postmarks ee Pago 5 December 1920 Mail from two other Adriatic islands: Lussin (Losinj) and Pago (Pag). As normal, they continued to use the old Austrian postmarks and registry labels during the Italian occupation. Of these, Lussin was retained by Italy and Pag was assigned to the South Slavs.  DALMATIA 4 Silba Overprints on Italy 13 January 1921 Civil Postmarks Ulbo 28 March 1920 Veglia 11 April 1919 Ne SS ete ss es “ re Elusive examples of mail from three of the other Adriatic islands: Selve (Silba), Ulbo (Olib) and Veglia (Krk). Silba used a postmark during the Austrian period with the name only in the Slavic version, suggesting that Italian influence there was negligible. These islands were turned over to the South Slav Kingdom in 1921. DALMATIA Lussingrande Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 17 May 1921 Civil Postmarks Lussin Piccolo 20 May 1920 In the Gulf of Quarnero near Fiume, the island of Lussin (Losinj) was assigned to Italy. The two principal towns used Italian stamps and had postmarks with Italian inscriptions only. To Jugoslavia after World War II. MONTENEGRO Austro-Hungarian forces occupied Montenegro from 1916 until they were withdrawn in October 1918. The Italians were interested in any territory on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, but especially in Montenegro because the Queen of Italy was a Montenegrin Princess. Thus, they took advantage of the opportunity to briefly land a small contingent at Antivari. However, this action was short-lived as Serbian troops soon arrived from the Salonica front and proclaimed Montenegro a part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (whose name was changed to Jugoslavia in 1929). Antivari 25 January 1919 ‘reg teig SraoxQUT “| wey. ‘euezipez eavid eas orSaus uo] ‘Teg weIg Proy.NyT “| rey “UdITBYSqIOA aI4yDoy OTT y Postcard datelined "Antivari (Montenegro)" three months after the end of the war. Transported by ship to Brindisi Where an Italian 10 centesimi adhesive -- the proper rate for an international card --was cancelled on 30 January and the card forwarded to addressee. It is not known if the stamp was affixed by the sender or applied in Brindisi, but there is an oval mark of the letter carrier who delivered it in Rome. The only such usage seen by exhibitor. ALBANIA The Italians were highly interested in this territory across the Adriatic Sea and, when World War I broke out, troops were sent to occupy the port of Valona and the nearby island of Saseno. In 1916, when Austro-Hungarian forces came down from the north, Italy expanded its occupation zone to all of southwest Albania to block them. This situation remained at a stalemate until the Austrians withdrew in early October 1918. At that point, the Italians occupied the balance of the Adriatic coast, creating both military and civil postal services for the area. Posta Militare 50 5 February 1919 8 February 1921 PM 50 operated in Albania from 20 September 1918 until 31 December 1922, primarily located at Durazzo. Examples shown include a letter from a Sergeant in the Engineers to Padua and a registered cover to Switzerland. ALBANIA Posta Militare 115 Military Postmarks 7 February 1919 Posta Militare 116 14 September 1921 Zef Préndushi _Scutari (Shkoder) Albanig ie: es ili st a dcitacaa PM 115 was used in Albania from August 1917 until the end of 1919. At the time the patriotic postcard was sent, it was located at Argirocastro -- note cachet of "HQ Argirocastro-Berat." PM 116 was officially open from 1917 until the end of 1922. It functioned primarily at Scutari from which the registered cover to Australia was sent. ALBANIA Posta Militare 118 Military Postmarks 7 July 1919 PM 118 was officially assigned to the Macedonian front, but when activity there ceased at the end of 1918, it moved to southern Albania. Registered cover from the American Mission in Kortcha to Boston has unusual marking "Censure Civile/Argirocastro." ALBANIA Argirocastro/Telegrafo Civil Postmarks 14 October 1918 Poste Italiane/Argirocastro 11 January 1920 Civil postal service was restored in the main towns occupied by the Italians, including Argirocastro. Upper example shows a telegraph cancel used on a message from a Captain in the Military Tribunal at PM 115 confirming that he had received a remittance. No special stamps were issued for the Albanian offices, so postage was paid by normal Italian definitives. 8 A bee day Wa ALBANIA Poste Italiane/Berat Civil Postmarks 25 July 1919 Poste Italiane/Delvino 24 October 1918 a Bug i ee L Sypneennrerreenanmmetas mae fT} B. TSONIDES ~~ ANTI 40 BETRE GRIN “ArLUNMG hayes Leas TE ITALIANE! [ | a Registered covers from Berat and Delvino, the latter sent to Switzerland. When the Peace Commissioners confirmed the independence of Albania, Italian forces were gradually withdrawn, starting in May 1920. By August of that year, they remained only in Scutari and Valona, which they left in 1922-23. ALBANIA Poste Italiane/Himara (Albania) Civil Postmarks 20 March 1919 Poste Italiane/Liascoviki (Albania) 22 November 1920 Himara and Liascoviki to Egypt and the U.S. Some of these towns were so little known -- even to the Italian postal clerks -- that "(Albania)" was added after the name in the postmarks. Both examples are very elusive. ALBANIA Poste Italiane/Valona Civil Postmarks 16 October 1919 Valona Scalo/Uff. Postale Italiano 31 August 1920 PREFETTUBA Dl VALONA VERIFICATO Sera bseg — A ee ee In Valona, the Italians had a main post office as well as a branch called Valona Scalo located at the port. This was the last town to be evacuated, which did not occur until 1923. ALBANIA San Giovanni di Medua Naval Base 28 November 1919 - Shkoder Shqypénii. Shoqnjia Tregtare. San Giovanni di Medua, a port in northern Albania, was occupied on 28 October 1918. It was used by the Italians as a naval base so no civil post office was ever established. However, mail sent from there received an oval cachet inscribed "Royal Post/Naval Base/San Giovanni di Medua." Examples are quite elusive. SASENO Italian forces occupied the Island of Saseno off the coast of Albania on 30 October 1914. There was no normal postal service during World War I except military mail routed through Valona. The first postmark for Saseno did not appear until 1922. When the Peace Commission confirmed the Italian possession of the island, a set of eight definitives overprinted "Saseno" was issued and used between April and October 1923. Subsequently, normal unoverprinted Italian stamps were in use until the island was given up in 1943, Distacc. R. Marina/Saseno (Valona) 6 January 1922 25 January 1923 The initial postmark was inscribed "Royal Naval Detachment/Saseno (Valona)" as shown above on a piece from a registered letter and a cover bearing Esperanto propaganda. SASENO Saseno/Isole Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 30 March 1923 20 March 1923 @ ) : *. a = a @ Z MOI 2 5 a 6 = 2 a ; a c elle Peste e dei Telegrafi d'Italia et des Télégraphes d’ltalie - = ee ee 4 = | a é { Ss © 3 = id =| DI RICEVIMENTO AVIS DI PAGAMENTO S97 Di @ecice c DE REGEPTION | LLL, de Pobjet 3 || di an vaglia pos di isto 4 \ || @un mandat degpo' | wue Fis. u "Y dall’afficio | | emesso dall’uffigio :} ee e au bureau | émis par le buré Po j |} i 5 Es feotto LN, } le gous le N. e indivieaes|| a favore del Sig.: oS = S 4 © et adrossé i au profit de M. d VUAAAM AAA || = — ul When the Peace Commissions finished their work, the 1913 boundaries of Albania were confirmed except that Italy received Saseno. As a result, a civil post office was opened on 6 February 1923, using a new postmark inscribed "Island of Saseno." Examples shown on a postcard and a receipt for a registered letter. SASENO Saseno/Isole Overprints on Italy 12 June 1923 Once the Italian sovereignty was confirmed, it was time to issue new stamps to publicize the augmentation of the national territory. Thus, 2,000 sets of eight Italian definitives showing King Victor Emmanuel III were overprinted "Saseno" and issued in April 1923. The complete set shown here on a philatelically-influenced cover. SASENO Saseno/Isole Overprints on Italy 18 May 1923 12 July 1923 | ~)) a .. “J : s >. os = > co Nr. 1583 Printed am Aj Commercial use of these stamps is exceedingly scarce, with only six such covers recorded (per Buzzetti). Upper example is a postcard sent to the Naval Ministry in Rome. Lower cover to Denmark is regarded by the exhibitor as the most important example of postal history showing franking with the overprinted stamps, being a commercial usage, registered and to an unusual destination. SASENO Saseno/Isole Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 12 September 1923 As the overprinted stamps were used up, no new printings were made. As a result, unoverprinted Italian definitives were placed back in use. In the case of the above cover, a pair of | lira stamps was used to pay postage and registry fee to Switzerland and then on to Austria. CORFU In August 1923, members of the Interallied Mission operating on site for the delimitation of the border between Albania and Greece were ambushed by Greek terrorists. Their leader, Italian General Tellini, and two of his aides were killed. Italy demanded that Greece pay a heavy indemnity to the families and, when prompt action was not forthcoming, sent warships and landed 8,000 men on the Island of Corfu on 31 August. Shortly thereafter, Greece backed down and paid 50 million lire, which resulted in an Italian withdrawal on 27 September. Poste Italiane/Brindisi Transiti September 1923 Commissions Internazionale = Delimitazione Confini d’ Albanis BELEGAZIONE ITALIANA Above cover is an example of an unfranked official registered letter from the Boundary Commission through the Italian Consulate in Santi Quaranta to Bologna. Mail sent from the Commission is most unusual. R. Nave San Marco CORFU Naval Mail 7 September 1923 R. Nave Conte di Cavour 22 September 1923 op TAoniden-Képxoga, XpwporwnodOoypageiop ‘Adedg The earliest examples of mail from the punitive expedition to Corfu have the marking of the San Marco and were sent through the Greek post office. Later mail is recorded with naval postmarks from the on board offices, such as the Conte Cavour on the lower card. CORFU Corfu/Poste Italiane Unoverprinted Italian Stamps 21 September 1923 ia = Seer Ege ee eee 7 = - = EAAAX - GRECE EMNIZTOAIKON AEATBS Bod “Axowpis Kegxuveuc Panorama de la Ville de Corfou Iavoogapatix) An Italian post office was opened on 11 September. Initially, unoverprinted Italian stamps were used, as shown here on a postcard to Milan. CORFU Corfu/Poste Italiane Overprints on Italy 25 September 1923 On 20 September, a set of eight Italian definitives depicting the King and overprinted "Corfu" were placed on sale. Reportedly, 20,000 sets were printed, but at least half of these were sold as remainders at the philatelic office in Rome after the occupation had ended. CORFU Corfu/Poste Italiane Overprints on Italy 23 September 1923 24 September 1923 CORFOU - Ponticonissi - Le Navire a ee, ; Commercial usage of the Corfu overprints is very scarce since the period of validity was only 12 days. Although overfranked, the lower example has reportedly the only 60 centesimi stamp used on a cover other than philatelic ones with complete sets. CORFU Corfu/Poste Italiane Overprints on Italy 25 September 1923 ETMZTOALKON CARTE POSTALE Ala thy addndoypagiav There were complaints that stamps with Italian denominations were not practical on an island where Greek currency was in circulation. As a result, additional stamps were surcharged in Greek lepta and drachma. Three such values were issued on 24 September. Three additional ones were prepared but did not arrive before the occupation ended, thus remained unissued. BULGARIA In 1919, Greek forces occupied Western Thrace, a territory along the Aegean Coast formerly part of Bulgaria. In order to determine the new boundaries between the two countries, a delimitation team of French and Italians was sent in 1920 to do a topographical and ethnological study. In the end, the entire area was assigned to Greece. Salonica 20 October 1920 The above picture postcard of Salonica was sent to Italy by a member of the Italian Delimitation Commission for the frontier between Bulgaria and Greece. Sent unfranked but bearing the appropriate official cachet. The only example of such usage seen by exhibitor. TURKEY Italian military activity in the Ottoman Empire consisted of two aspects. The first troops arrived in Constantinople on 6 February 1919 to participate in the Interallied occupation of the former enemy capital. The Italians operated a post office there until 1923. In addition, an expeditionary corps was sent to occupy several cities in southwest Anatolia in an attempt to establish an Italian zone of influence. Eventually, the Ottoman regime was replaced by a Turkish Nationalist government and the foreign troops withdrawn. ("7 Ma! = ar Sy Posta Militare 15 | ee be is ue i : sner “4 4 57 ie Om ve ee “= * ew ay, Aer? wel gles Og, Sahat "eh" ea bis —Ae KOk: fl GIP OVEN ks Coy sBL | Meackinieette hk. Maphar AZ 3 cro Cisls yw - ne eolleSeiyl Sige Ose at % oS “eee let. era Wo, asiy fists ano J Ce : Poo" GQlas ber ash aol WEL Se oe heer of-E ~-COMANDO DWISIONE NAVALE DEL LEVANTE Sal As arule, PM 15 did not datestamp incoming non-registered mail. However, the postcard above received an unusual boxed marking inscribed "Italian Military Post/Mummane Sokak," the location of the Headquarters. Official military mail had free postage as shown by the cover from the "HQ of the Naval Division in the Levant." Ges Constantinopoli 7 November 1921 eV Zepuemo ooey b oN TUVIMVE op CT A NOHT INVETIVD /3rn “29 OLTOVELIMIVELNOD LOUSTS OWLSSTZPUTIE _ HINVAd Tad FIVAYN ANOISIAIC OGNVWOO TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Naval Mail TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Civil Mail The foreign post offices abroad in Turkey were closed down at the beginning of World War I on 30 September 1914. However, with the postwar Allied occupation, some of these offices were reopened -- the Italian one located near the Galata Bridge took over from the military office on | July 1921. Constantinopoli 5 December 1921 fi At first, ordinary postage stamps of Italy were used to pay postage, serving as forerunners for the forthcoming issues surcharged in Turkish currency. Used here to pay postage on a registered letter to Czechoslovakia. Note the postmark which dates back to the prewar period but has the branch name "Stamboul" excised. TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinopoli Civil Mail 20 January 1922 The first new stamps consisted of 3,400 sets of five values of the current Italian definitives surcharged locally in Turkish currency and issued in November 1921. This series is shown here on a registered cover to Switzerland. TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinopoli Civil Mail with Instructional Marking 18 March 1922 21 March 1922 COMPTOIR COMMERCIAL DU LEVANT Sinasson Han, Perchembé Bazar, Galata CONSTANTINOPLE. The first surcharged stamps sent out from Italy were issued from December 1921 to March 1922. These were similar to the first local overprints but with different values. 8 However, some of the postal clerks back in Italy, not accustomed to seeing Italian stamps ay AOTAN . surcharged in a strange BUREAU TE POSTE ITALIEN CONSTANTINOPLE cen | diempied to collect postage due. afranchissement en Piastres ecdmis oar le Bureau international ce Berne. PAS TAXER OA Se OT BANCO DI ROMA _ SEDE I COSTANTINOPOLI ITALIEN CONSTANTINO: Piastres admis p+ 1 de Berne: y Se Se rl: O07 \P ORRTEGIE |. BUREAU DE POSTE : | 5155 Afranchissement ely | , : = ; je Bureau internationa This effort was thwarted when the Constantinople post » : PAS eS ; ‘ . a —————— one een eam office applied an instructional marking reading "Payment in Piasters is authorized by the U.P.U. in Berne. Do Not Tax." Note the two different postmarks in use at this time, with the name of the city and "Italian Post" reversed. TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinopoli Civil Mail 24 August 1922 é bee 2 a Posta italiana = oe St) | ie < + ie ne ce On the theory that Constantinople was the only Italian civil post office functioning in the area, the next set sent out was overprinted "Constantinopoli" as well as being surcharged in Turkish currency. In this case, there were 9,000 sets of five denominations issued from May to September 1922. As there was no stamp of 3.75 piasters that would pay the postage for frequently-encountered double-weight letters to Europe, a local overprint in this denomination was produced and issued on 5 August 1922. TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinopoli Civil Mail 27 November 1922 30 January 1923 Ae | aie Ne 4, 8 tema ht | SOCIETE OTTOMANE discs Soil >.) on" | ’ - 6 Ae OI OL | POUR RECLAIRAGE Réecommandé , es a de la Ville de Constantinople ibis Sal gue | . Glin erees | R Posta italianal’ ; So Ut So. Se Later, a set of 10 surcharges with large letters and numerals was issued in October and November 1922. Shown here on registered covers to Germany and Switzerland, the latter sent by the Ottoman Society for Electricity. TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinopoli Civil Mail 12 October 1922 PANGEE HOLLANDAISE POUR LA MEDITERRANEE : SUCCURSALE» DE CONSTANTINOPLE Credito Italiano In August 1922, as part of a seemingly never-ending stream of different issues, stamps with a new type of surcharge were provided. In this case, a particularly heavy type face was utilized. Examples shown here on bank correspondence from Constantinople to Rome. TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE March 1923 Prepared but Unissued Stamps for Civil Mail |) Paap - (Cee In March 1923, what was to be a final set of eight Italian definitives surcharged in Turkish currency was prepared. However, before they could be issued it was decided that since Constantinople was the only Italian civil office still functioning in Turkey, the stamps should also be overprinted with the name of that city. Thus, the set shown above was never sold at the post office, although a few sets subsequently came into philatelic hands. \ TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinopoli Civil Mail 27 March 1923 1 August 1923 POSTE is Tau ea eGo A final set for the civil post office was overprinted "Constantinopoli" and issued in March 1923, including a special delivery stamp. Shown here on a philatelic "set" cover and commercial registered letter to Germany. TURKEY - CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinopoli Civil Mail -- Last Day Cover 25 September 1923 Complete set of large surcharges on a philatelic locally-addressed cover. It is a souvenir of the last day of service of the Italian post and has an example of the 90 piaster stamp that exhibitor has never seen commercially used. TURKEY - SMYRNA Posta Militare Italiana/Smirne Naval Mail 28 February 1919 any EL ARLE x JOSEP eff Pare Noy OCHAZIAN- SMYRNE_ a ET The first activity outside Constantinople occurred at Smyrna on 28 February 1919. The circular postal marking was used only on the first day of the occupation, as it was almost immediately replaced by a field post office that became operational on the following day. Thus, mail sent on the first day went to shipboard offices for processing -- R. Nave Piemonte in this case.  TURKEY - SMYRNA Posta Militare 171 Military Mail 5 June 1919 7 July 1919 14 December 1919 PM 171 operated in Smyrna from 29 February 1919 until 16 June 1923, except for a brief period following the great fire of September 1922. Its initial postmark was typical for the period with "171" at the bottom of the dial. TURKEY - SMYRNA Posta Militare 171 Military Mail 21 March 1922 A second version of the PM 171 cancel appeared in February and March 1922, thus is seldom seen. It is inscribed continuously across the top of the dial "Posta Militare 171." This marking disappeared after the fire, presumably being destroyed along with the Italian post office and its other equipment. TURKEY - SMYRNA Prepared but Unissued Stamps for Civil Mail The Italian authorities had planned to open a civil post office in Smyrna as well as in Constantinople and even went so far as to have a set of five denominations suitably overprinted. However, the military office proved sufficient to handle the civil mail, which had diminished as a result of the great fire at the time of the reoccupation by the Turkish nationalist forces, pending the final closing on 15 June 1923. June 1922 The above examples show the five stamps that had been prepared for use in a planned civil post office in Smyrna. TURKEY - SMYRNA R. Poste/Italiane/Smirne Military Mail 26 September 1922 Rohe “AN fy el ¥ AAW oy on oan. oy yrs" onenre mata) } PNY wed Wetome v4) = mo by ve ao A uy ory c oe Marry ce ey . 5 ¢ ha oe F The scarcest postmark of the Italian offices in Turkey is the provisional marking used in Smyrna following the Great Fire. It is a rubber stamp inscribed "Royal Italian Post Smyrna” in three lines. As the earlier cancels were not recovered, this was put into service temporarily in late September 1922. Fewer than five examples recorded. TURKEY - SMYRNA Posta Militare (171) Military Mail 20 December 1922 —-$@ HENRI SPERCO & FILS -SMYRNA 3-— Bance di Roma . ; Succursale de RKhedes Re@i OR Me OS EE see me AS ME eee ee cee one The postal authorities in Rome sent out a new metal replacement postmark that was similar to the initial one but with "171" being in parentheses at the bottom of the dial. It is recorded used from 3 October to 20 December 1922 (LRD shown above). TURKEY - SMYRNA Posta Militare No. 171/Smirne Military Mail 21 February 1923 aaa , “ 30 May 1923 The fourth and final definitive postmark for PM 171 is the only one that mentions the name of the city. It is recorded as used from 3 January to 12 June 1923, just before the final closing of the office. TURKEY - ADALIA Posta Militare Italiana/Adalia Military Mail 12 April 1919 SL see A detachment of Italian marines was landed at Adalia on the south coast of Anatolia at the end of March 1919, followed by the 31st Besagliere Battalion on 3 April. Initially, an undated postmark inscribed "Italian Military Post/Adalia" was used as a cancel. However, this temporary measure was soon discontinued and the mail of the Expeditionary Corps in Anatolia was sent back to PM 94 on Rhodes for processing in the period from 11 May until 18 December 1919. TURKEY - ADALIA Posta Militare 94 Military Mail 16 June 1919 7 August 1919 ALLA GENTIL SIGNORINA LAMANNA ROSINA (BART) “ These examples of mail from the troops in Anatolia were sent back to PM 94 on Rhodes for processing. They have a special cachet or corner card of the Anatolian Expedition. The exact origination cannot be determined, but itis probably Adalia. TURKEY - ADALIA Posta Militare 115 Military Mail 29 June 1920 15 November 1920 The troops at Adalia were eventually allocated their own fieldpost station, #115, which operated from 4 February 1920 until 28 February 1921. TURKEY - ADALIA Poste Italiane/Adalia Civil Mail 19 July 1921 3 September 1921 : ‘Mahmoud Hirsi HN avoan gaye oe Sw er eae nice See cee eet soaeeeeee : ” 7 € }? a é LA soi g- | as LID bebo 2; a oe : . py o. “t LOD 2.05 Jo Lote og = S77 9 ‘ \ . — fy : off VAL rtan Shu the toned Fu, Ke Poser ADALIA 465 | : POSTE ITALtA ae A oyu i An Italian civil post office replaced PM 115 at Adalia on 28 February 1921 and continued to operate until 18 June 1923. Two different datestamps were used, one with "(Anatolia)" following "Adalia" at the bottom of the dial. TURKEY - SCALANOVA Posta Militare 162 Military Mail 25 October 1919 27 December 1919 ; xt ‘WRIPRODUZIONE | E VENDITA #R ESERCITO 6 8 ART. 268 £ 270C.P\ eda riprodurre nelle risposte Osh \ 4: MOAAC.- MILANO ' Indirizzo del mittent On 15 May 1919, the port of Scalanova on the west coast of Anatolia was occupied by the Italian 34th Infantry Regiment. PM 162 opened on 3 June to provide postal service to the troops. This office continued to function until 20 March 1921. TURKEY - SCALANOVA Poste Italiane/Scalanova Military Mail 31 January 1922 28 February 1922 pape ee ae PM 162 was replaced on 23 March 1921 by a civil post office that continued to operate until] 10 August 1922, using only a single datestamp. TURKEY - SCALANOVA Military Mail | RESERCITO # Corrispon enZg. RIPRODUZIONE PUNITE ARY. 268 E 2706, P. durre nelle rf; ‘Indirizzo. del tpittenteeda ri Riparti speciali Compagnia Squadrone Batteria slate ur. esercito svie ,, | Ne ViBindauele hi oa oe = E VENDITA R: ESERCITO a Li NEB) th franchigia — rc Poste Italiane/Scalanova 11 September 1921 22 November 1921 13 March 1922 PTT AEIRNO |/ Free frank patriotic cards distributed to the troops and used from Scalanova. Three different unit cachets are used: Anatolia Expeditionary Corps/Engineer Corps," "Battalion Scalanova,” and "Engineer Office of Scalanova." CARTIERE BINDA ~ INILANO CASTELROSSO This small island off the south coast of Anatolia was occupied by French naval forces at the end of 1915. The Peace Commissioners awarded it to Italy under the Treaty of Sevres which was signed by Turkey on 10 August 1920. The French forces withdrew on 28 February 1921 and the Italians took over the next day. Italian stamps overprinted "Castelrosso" were introduced and used for several years but the territory was soon attached to the Aegean Islands colony for administrative purposes and used the stamps issued for that area. Castellorizo April 1921 - KAZSTEAAOPIZON . CASTELLORIZO ANTONIOS N. STAMATOFAOYE ~~ | ANTOINE N. STAMATOGLOUS ote naple ote Mil erwik PEGS Initially, the available postage consisted of Italian stamps overprinted "Rodi." As the special datestamp had not been received by the time the Italians arrived, a temporary device featuring the Italian coat of arms and inscribed "Castellorizo/Poste Italiane" was used to cancel stamps for a few weeks. A scarce provisional use. CASTELROSSO Castellorizzo (Isola) Overprints on Italy 23 October 1922 Although it was located in the Mediterranean Sea and not in the Aegean at all, the island was attached to the Aegean Islands colony administratively. To publicize the new acquisition, a set of Italian definitives overprinted "Castelrosso" was placed on sale on 11 July 1922. Three values shown used above on picture postcard sent to Genoa; these remained valid for postage until 19 June 1924. CASTELROSSO Castellorizzo (Isola) Mixed Franking of Italian & Overprinted Stamps 17 October 1922 The name of the island means "Red Castle" and it is spelled differently depending on which language is used, i.e. Kastellorizon in Greek today. As shown, the Italians used two versions initially -- "Castelrosso" for the overprints and "Castellorizzo" in the postmark. Mixed franking is very unusual. CASTELROSSO Castellorizzo (Isola) Overprints on Italy 25 October 1922 ———— _ — 26 October 1922 : Cs lai Slibacty SUYB asl as . “ = Ve ge gate : Sess ss nae Ee a 2. GRR | ‘5, TAZHS PDS Oe __KARAMAKION | < 2 les 3) i Ew IUY | L4 ae La OLiLLO ou: ee ie Gevassimidi Nhourtalet (06 C | % | LAGE , fii TE 2 ‘ : #5 Sof 5 can ‘nF alt ee 1 Re 3 & « CEA, Bike co = A yee The “Castellorizzo" postmark .and single-line handstamp for insertion of the post office name in registry labels were in service from 1921 until 1925, and their use on commercial mail is elusive. Upper example is a registered cover to Castoria, Greece with Lire 1.25 in additional postage on reverse. Lower cover shows a block of 4 of the 20 cent. sent to the Head Agency of the Suez Canal Company in Ismailia, Egypt. CASTELROSSO Castellorizzo (Isola) Commemorative Issue 15 June 1924 i 2 ‘Saluti da Castelrosso - Inferno della chiesa Cattedrale di S. Costantino A group associated with the Municipal Council arranged for a set of labels with a map of the island to be printed and asked the postal authorities to issue them as stamps. This was rejected, probably because of the crude design, but the Italians liked the idea and sent a set on to Rome. A few of the essays exist overprinted "Italian/Occupation/Castelrosso" and the date. The actual stamps were issued in March 1923 to commemorate the second anniversary of annexation; this example used to frank a picture postcard to Rome. PALESTINE A 1,500-man Italian expeditionary corps was sent to Egypt in 1917 to participate in the invasion of Palestine by the British troops in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force late that year. At the successful end of the campaign in October 1918, Italy did not expect any territorial enhancement, but it was highly interested in serving as guardian of locations considered holy places by Roman Catholics and kept some troops on station until March 1921. In the end, Britain received the mandate for Palestine from the League of Nations, and the Italians withdrew. Army Post Office SZ47 25 October 1918 7 December 1918 RIPRODU } @VEND PUNITE ART. 268 — 270C.R ale ‘ ZIONE ITA _“ Gittadini e soldati Slate un esercito solo .* V. Emanuele Ill. rodjimre nelle risposte Fi ‘Indirizzo del mittenterd TIP BUIPRICE 40MAN& a ee 4 Z tite, The Italians used a large circular cachet inscribed "Italian Detachment in Palestine/Headquarters" to mark their mail. Separate fieldpost offices were not opened, but they used British facilities. Although the troops were entitled to free franking for their letters, special service fees were assessed. As a result, a British 2 penny stamp was affixed to pay for registration of the upper example. PALESTINE Army Post Office SZ18 Military Mail 29 October 1918 aie ee, — aaa ais O.E.T.A. - E.E.F./Jerusalem . F a co ae . ho SS 27 December 1918 eye e % ViGieme Ah Rs Registered covers from Jerusalem bearing cachets of small sub-units -- the Royal Carabinieri and the Italian Guards. The latter were assigned to protect the Christian shrines in the city. PALESTINE , Army Post Office SZ17 Military Mail 19 March 1919 18 June (1919) - ROMA DANESI Additional unit cachets were introduced as reinforcements were rotated from other areas. Above are those for the "Ist Company of Italian Scouts in Palestine" and “Italian Military Expeditionary Corps - Palestine." Only two examples have been recorded of this latter marking. PALESTINE Army Post Office SZ17 Military Mail 13 August 1919 . ' note 29 June 1919 6 July 1919 Bee Aa A ey 4 A Port-Said et Jérusalem: on / Litta! Sop fe je Zé : S&S : F PES Sipsspios Fraves A EP V4 A, eg Uf bften, f *« . TUCK’S POS}, GAR ERE PMT POSTALE Le pee BESS? » se 2 . £ t a Ay gona 0 : By Appointment S yO f 7 3 Church of the Holy Sepyitchre “T?®remessag J dl e ; eee ,For Appresg O LY most picturesque part of; : ey = Bs Ay ee % api. fi cod F ; ; / 5 where groups of native di 1 e wate, Z Chto le ff: HOLY LAND. Series VI PP, De a THE KING & QUEEN. 4 > oO 2 8 e g ny s oO : a ° g a rich colours of the rugs andostumes lend Oriental atmosphere to the Syegg -~ WORLD ERIS, pk es H O THEIR M ~- ~~. |e CS ( \ arteeu e J = Me “ WIDE ~ WIDE Raphael Tuck & Sons’ “OUETTE’ Postcard No. 7786 ps bo } } 3 j € f 4 f = ' i bo j 2 8 : / 5 / / { Printed im England : & One type of marking was used as a combination unit cachet and censor verification. It was oval in shape and applied in violet, red brown and red, as shown above. PALESTINE Army Post Office SZ17 Military Mail 4 July 1919 Jerusalem 23 March 1920 | RIPRODUZIONE eae eS, _ EVENDITA RESERCITO @ ART. 268 — 270C RP % 5 ; Corrispondenza Liv \RE - f i- < fe = "=z Oe See | Pan ga Cittadiai e soldati le @ |, State un esercito solo, | a 4 V.Emanuele IT. of < 2 =| = 2 e 2 a. = = oO. i 3 < 2 = = cs © a : Eyes SAS ae HOS 5 x wee 2. e2 S885 é BE SSS8 e 3 os BESS > i ¢ ag = Sy SSBE HM Tiow afi oe Cartolina. Postale f GERUSALEMME. ®. i. ¥ @BERARDI-MILANO Examples of other markings used on military cards. Two-line handstamp reading "Italian Military Expeditionary Corps in Palestine" is unrecorded in the Sorani handbook, shown here used from British APO SZ17 in Jaffa. Lower example has thin circles and wording "Royal Italian Carabinieri Detachment in Jerusaiem/Headquarters." PALESTINE Damas Inbound Military Mail 8 December 1918 As the Turkish front collapsed, the EEF advanced northward from Palestine into Syria. The British force was accompanied by a very small Italian unit, known as the Bertoni Group. This cover was sent from a member of the group to Colonel Pesanti, Commandant of the Italian troops in Jaffa, providing a highly elusive usage. OLTRE GIUBA This territory, known as Trans-Jubaland, consisted of 33,000 Square miles at the eastern edge of Kenya. Italy had complained that it had not been rewarded when the former German colonies were divided up following World War I. As a substitute, the British carved off a 50 to 100 mile slice of Kenya with 12,000 inhabitants (mostly illiterate Somali nomads) and transferred it to Italy on 29 June 1925. At that time, a set of current Italian definitives overprinted "Oltre Giuba" was placed on sale. Kisimaio 6 July 1925 This cover, with a single franking of a 60 centesimi overprint was mailed Just one week after the Italians took over Oltre Giuba. However, the mail service was not yet functioning very efficiently, as indicated by the 24-day transit time to Molfetta (Bari Province). Note the initial "Kisimaio" spelling of the name of the capital. OLTRE GIUBA Kisimaio Overprints on Italy 14 July 1925 Hine Seirrifx [boo § SES ges ea This extraordinary value declared letter was insured for Lire 6,000 and sent to the Bank of Italy in Mogadiscio, Somalia. It was franked with Lire 18.- in overprinted stamps, consisting of all four of the highest denominations. (The Sassone catalogue does not list a price for any of these stamps used on cover above the Lira |.- value. indicating the rarity of this particular franking. Note the use of the "A" label (Assuricate) for insured mail. OLTRE GIUBA Chisimaio Overprints on Italy 24 September 1925 29 December 1925 oa a liane by VA Be me A ee gan goto ge a7 Dons pine pis 2 8 Cac. eet Fig 3 NAGA, a eee ‘ ae ; ee A eae —e., ACT Kes | Cie. ee oe Le wae | Sbarco dal piroscafo “Roma” di §. £. Zoli a Kisimajo (Somalia Ftaliana) | 29 Giugno 1925 The first postmark reading Kisimaio had arrived with a Somali spelling. However, the authorities felt that a cancel with Italian spelling would be more suitable. A second cds was thus produced and introduced in the fall of 1925. Note the picture postcard showing the new Commissioner, Signor Zoli, being transported across the Juba River to take possession of the Trans-Juba colony on 29 June 1925. OLTRE GIUBA Chisimaio Overprints on 25th Anniversary of Reign Commemoratives 10 May 1926 11 March 1926 a ETRE Gide A 34 > CRS Gea arms atnaenare . The first commemorative stamps issued for the new colony were overprints on Italian commemoratives honoring the 25th anniversary of the reign of King Victor Emmanuel III. These two values were issued in November 1925. Note white registry label. Because of the limited use in Oltre Giuba,the name of the town was not printed on the label but inserted by handstamp as required. OLTRE GIUBA Chisimaio Commisariat Commemoratives 7 June 1926 24 August 1926 en eS er SARIATO GENE]. | :COMMISSARIATO GENE). SF oe Ml 4 ~ [ee gpeu OLTRE GI (a J ) Ssineasnssom Le € Mr.G.Russell, 228 Worcester St. . Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND. (Nouvelle Zelande) On 21 April 1926, a new set depicting a map of the territory was issued to honor the creation of the General Commisariat for Oltre Giuba. In addition, a semipostal series was issued for the Italian Colonial Institute on | June 1926, one of which was used on the upper cover. The use of these stamps, even philatelically, is very unusual -- especially to destinations such as the United States and New Zealand. OLTRE GIUBA Chisimaio Overprints on Italian Postal Cards 6 April 1926 7 June 1926 nente aid ih nte. ort t TH We et fA andota ¢ S a ITALIAN Ay 4 uf Zs, L . Postal cards overprinted "Oltre Giuba" were provided in both the 30 cent. denomination and a 30 + 30 with attached reply card. In addition, the second commemorative issue honored the 700th Anniversary of the birth of St. Francis; a 40 cent value from this set is shown on the lower card. Chisimaio 29 January 1926 OLTRE GIUBA Money Order Form 33 ee th | # x CLG Rell’ ULL & ma 2 2 7 a went: _ Pee Z. AL # GIUB Ty ile + me QTR a i * OLTRE Fazicd s WVWAGLIA pagab “Lo §e Ger ® Isl « = OFC» Gi - e 2 fat - & ee er ee Sone aHIT YONI OGUn WiDUA He 0k 4 _ _GINa93ne a8 Y ONis Gomun UoUA | baz | _OLNS9 341 34M Y ONIG BaMwA ynSUA Jase dg y pecial stamps paying the .- was being sent to Milan. ge, Overprints on the tax stamps to pay the remittance fees on mone xamples of money order forms with the s In this case, a remittance of Lire 300 In addition to the stamps for regular posta orders were issued on 29 June 1925. E appropriate fee are highly unusual. OLTRE GIUBA Afandu Commisariat Commemoratives saciid epee. act 17 September 1926 28 & \ nN Rotocalcografia Givicchioni - Se >. oO Ediz. Cattaneo - Genova Other than the capital of Chisimaio, there was little postal activity in Oltre Giuba. One of the small villages that had a post office was Afandu, located about 50 miles into the interior. Mail from there is rarely seen,especially with commemorative stamps. This picture postcard showing Somali natives is franked with Commisariat stamps. OLTRE GIUBA Gobuin Overprints on Italy 26 May 1926 Commisariat Commemorative 7 June 1926 Presso la €osta di Kisimajo . (Somalia Ftaliana) A second village that had a post office was Gobuin. Mail from this office is also rarely seen. Cover above is franked with both types of 30 cent. overprinted stamps. Picture postcard shows a sailing vessel "Off the Coast of Chisimaio (Italian Somaliland)" and is addressed to Bordeaux, France. OLTRE GIUBA Epilogue Chisimaio 17 December 1926 = 1 July 1930 2 March 1931 Montgomery Ward & Co, Representing the final act in the Italian expansion following World War I, Oltre Giuba ended its existence as a separate colony and was absorbed into Italian Somaliland on 1 September 1926, presumably to reduce administrative overhead. Its stamps were replaced with Somaliland issues and the name "Oltre Giuba" was excised from the postmarks. Commerative stamp used to Sweden represents an extraordinary destination.