Flemish
Legion Stamps and Postal History
Postal
History
During
late May 1941, free postal privileges for mail weighing up to
250gms, were given to Belgian nationals while serving in the German
armed forces. A fee of 3 Francs was charged in Belgium for mail
weighing 250 to 1000gms. A 20Rpf for mail posted by Germans nationals.
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The Belgian government issued a number of Propaganda labels for
the Flemish Legion. They are as follows:
On 23 December 1941, the Brussels firm of De Reume printed four miniature
souvenir sheets with four labels each, shown above.
Each label shows a symbolic propaganda
representation between the medieval Flemish Knights and the Legionnaires.
Each label also bears the Legion emblem with the inscription reading
"Volunteer Legion Flanders/Military Mail/Eastern Front/1941."
The labels have a surtax value of 50 Francs each. The proceeds
were used to benefit the Legionnaires or family members. A total
of 30,000 sets was issued.
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The same Flemish designs were reissued in 1943. They are overprinted
with German planes flying in different directions and the year
1943, printed in a different typed face. The colors of the overprints
are green, red, blue and orange. About 920 miniature sheets
or 3680 sets were overprinted.
On 9 August 1943 six miniature sheets of four were printed in serial numbered
identifying the following emperors and an empress of the Teutonic Holy Roman
Empire and Hapsburg Dynasty:
5 Francs - Blue-green - Otto the Great
10 Francs - Orange-red - Joseph II of Austria
15 Francs - Black-brown - Maria Theresia of Austria
20 Francs - Lilac-pink - Maximilian of Austria
50 Francs - Orange-brown - Charlemagne
100 Francs - Blue - Charles V
Each label has either shields with crests of the monarchs depicted or shields inscribed
"Wapen SS." All labels bear the inscription "SS Feldpost," and the
names of the rulers are printed in Flemish and German. A total
of 30,000 complete sets, were issued. They illustrate a facet of SS
ideology, an interest of many SS leaders in medieval history, especially in the low
countries.
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In 1944 a set of 4 miniature sheets illustrating Flemish Waffen-SS
in military scenes were printed in horz. format, perf. and imperf.
These labels are inscribed "SS FELDPOST /Wapen SS," all bearing
values from 10 Francs to 100 Francs.
These issues were prepared
for sale but never issued. Only 6000 perforated and 1200 imperforate
sets were printed.
In late 1944, the 50Franc Waffen-SS label was
issued with overprinted "LANGEMARK" in red. This issue commemorated
the Assault Brigade Langemark. This unissued label was the last
to be printed. A total of 3600 labels were overprinted.
The Flemish
Legion labels issued from 1941 to 1943 were used extensively on
canceled to order philatelic covers and on propaganda postcards.
There exist many varieties in imperf., inverted overprints, etc.
Flemish Feldpost labels were used with FPN 07515, which was the
mailing address of the SS-Flemish recruiting headquarters in Brussel.
The following feldpost numbers were assigned to the SS Flemish recruiting offices:
FPN 07515 - Sammelfeldpostnummer Brussels
FPN 07515 AP - SS-Abschnitt Flandern
FPN 07515 CA - Ersatz-kommando der WSS Flandern
FPN 07515 CN - Führsorge-offizier der WSS in Flandern und Wallonien
FPN 09425 - Sammelfeldpostnummer Antwerpen.
Many propaganda, recruiting postcards were printed for Flemish
volunteers. In addition there is another set of four labels, issued
to aid Belgian POWs in Germany. These bilingual stamps have the
inscription "BELGIQUE-BELGIE/POUR NOS PRISONNIERS DE GUERRE/VOOR
ONZE KRIJGSGEVANGENEN." Three labels have 5 Franc values and one
with 10 Franc.
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Flemish Postal
Covers
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Flemish
Legion Postal Covers
The
cover shown on top was prepared by family member or collector from
Flanders. The cover contains the complete set of four different
charity labels addressed to designated SS-recruiting station at
FPN 07515AP. The cover was placed inside a SASE with a payment
of 200 Francs and was sent to the "VLAAMISCHE VOORZORGSCOMTIG"
(Flemish Charity Committee), Laken- weversstraat 1, Brussels.
The cover has been censored, the back shows a SS sealing tape
to cover up the open slit were contents were removed. The sale
of these charity labels were only available for a limited time,
usually for one month. Below is another postal cover showing four
different labels with the "airplane and 1943" overprints. This
cover went through the German Feldpost system uncensored, probably
because it was sent to a soldier. It was mailed on November 1943 to
Feldpost No. 12428 (36th Pz-Gren Division).
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