Introduction

Once every so often I will put out a new article relating to Axis and Legion Postal History or Military Awards. This featured article is about the Party semi-postal stamps, enjoy!

Party Postal Issues

Party Stamps

The semi-postal stamp shown above with postmark was a proof design for the mobilization of the Home Guard.
This semi-postal was probably one of a set of five stamps that commemorated the party formations, which were the the Volksturm, SA, Waffen-SS, NSKK and NSFK. The NSKK and NSFK Party issues were designed and prepared for printing when the war ended.

The Volksturm stamp depicts three different party members uniting under one flag. Based on the figures on the stamp one might assume that the design was commemorating the "Volksturm" (People's Army).
The wounded man with the head bandaged is wearing an SA uniform and is carrying the anti-tank weapon or commonly referred by the Germans as the "Panzerfaust."
The youngster in the center is a member of the Hitler Youth and the older person in civilian clothing wears the Volksturm arm-band.
Below the figures show two tanks crossing a burning field. The proof stamp was designed by the famous Third Reich artist von Axter-Heudtlass, which show their initials "Vah" printed on the top left corner. The color proof is olive green, most of the party commemorative stamps were issued in the carmine color. This proof item is more interesting because it was canceled in Berlin showing the November 11, 1944 date, assuming that the stamp was designed during that period. Not sure how many proofs survived the war. This stamp was not approved probably because it illustrates a negative political impact of a defeated army.

The stamp that was approved and issued is shown on your bottom left. This stamp shows the Home Guard holding rifles with bayonets ready. In the background overshadowing the Home Guard an eagle. It was issued in a Postal Directive with Hitler's proclamation for the People's Army on September 25, 1944.

On April 21, 1945, two more semi-postal issues commemorating the SA and Waffen-SS were printed in Vienna and placed on sale on two main postal receiving centers in Berlin.

Both the SA and Waffen-SS semi-postal stamps were sent to the Berlin main post office "C 2" and the main philatelic center "W 8" on or about the 19th April 1945 (central distribution information provided by Mr. Peter Bradford).
There is a possibility that other post offices within the central vicinity could have been distributed with these late semi-postals even when Berlin was being constantly bomb by Russian Artillery. By April 21st 1945 all Government facilities, Post Offices, Banks and Businesses stopped operating.
Legitimate postal covers carrying these stamps are extremely rare only a few might have survived.
Notice the late postal cancel on the Waffen-SS Stamp.