German Field Post during WWII (1939-1945)

Last edited: April 7, 2000

With the beginning of World War II 1.9.1939, the German field post service was activated. Different German military front units with regular field post offices were present on Czech territory (split at that time into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and Sudetenland that was part of Germany) only temporarily. That was especially in 1939 in connection with the Poland campaign and in 1945 when the front returned. Also during 1940-1944 some front units stayed there while being restored or transferred from one front to another. Stationary military units posted their mail at regular post offices (in Bohemia-Moravia also at offices of the German Service Post "Deutsche Dienstpost"). Mail from stationary units with hidden address (using five-digit field post numbers) had to be postmarked with anonymous cancels that did not show the name of the post office. In Sudetenland, dumb date stamps were used for this purpose; in Bohemia-Moravia, such mail had to be posted only at Dienstpost offices which marked it with anonymous "Deutsche Reichspost" circular date stamps.

Contents


Basic postmark types

field post offices
dumb date stamps  
Deutsche Reichspost markings
(Bohemia-Moravia)

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List of field post offices and units

This listing is far from completness, help wanted !
 

FP # C # (1) unit (2) subunits time period location(s)
59 548 PzD 8 SchB 8, SchR 8, SchR 28, KSchR 9, PzR 10, AR 80 5/1941-6/1941
4/1945-5/1945
near Praha
?
68 114 MD 3 ? 5/1945 eastern Bohemia
101 718 LID 101 ? 2/3/1941-5/1941 near Praha
175 546 ID 75 ? 4/1945-5/1945 southern Moravia
219 832 ID 183 IR 330, IR 343, IR 351, AR 219 7/1940-3/1941 ?
235 629 ID 198 IR 305, IR 308, LAS 235 12/1939-3/1940 Praha-Plzen
255 342 ID 255 IR 455, IR 465, IR 475, AR 255 9/1939-4/1940 central Bohemia
256 477 ID 256 IR 456, IR 476, IR 481, AR 256 9/1939-11/1939 eastern Bohemia
389 872 ID 389 IR 544, IR 545, IR 546, AR 389 27/1/1942-5/1942 Milovice
492 401 Pz AOK 1
AG Heinrici
- 3/1945-5/1945 northern Moravia to
eastern Bohemia
563 235 Leibstandarte SS
"Adolf Hitler"
- 6/1941 ?

(1) camouflage number - this appeared in the date stamp on certified (e.g., registered) mail
(2) AG - army group, AR - artillery regiment, ID - infantry division, IR - infantry regiment, KSchR - motorcycle infantry regiment, LAS - light artillery section, LID - light infantry division, MD - mountain division, Pz AOK - high tank army command, PzD - tank division, PzR - tank regiment, SchB - light infantry brigade, SchR - light infantry regiment

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Anonymous "Deutsche Reichspost" markings

distinguishing letter (1) used by the "Dienstpost" office in

a

Prag 1

b

Prag 2

c

Prag PLST (2)

ch

Klattau (?)

d

Prerau

e

Tabor

f

Theresienstadt (1940), Prossnitz (1944-1945)

g

Ungarisch Hradisch

h

Wischau

k

Iglau

l

Kolin

m

Königgrätz

n

Mährisch-Ostrau

o

Mährisch-Weisskirchen

p

Melnik

q

Olmütz

r

Pardubitz

s

Pilsen

t

Deutschbrod

u

Budweis

v

Brünn

w

Beraun

x

Prag PLST (2)

y

Zlin (?)

z

Millowitz (?)

(1) the character that appears in the bottom part of the postmark
(2) PLST=Postleitstelle

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Field Post Numbers of Stationary Units

The location on Czech territory of the units listed below follows from their open name. Many other units with assigned field post numbers were also located on Czech territory; these can be identified only from postmarks on covers etc.
 

field post number time period unit (1)

00377

1939-1940 Armee-Verpflegungslager Sternberg
03306 1939-1942 Trsp. Kdrt. Prag

08019

1939-1942 Trsp. Kdtr. Brünn

09258

16.1.1945- SS-Sonderlager Eger

10500

1939-1940 Fl. H. Kdtr. (E) z.b.V. 108 Mähr. Trübau

13850

21.2.1945- Höh. Pi. Führer Neutitschein

15930

1939 Nachr. Kdtr. Brünn

16283

1939-1940 feste Brieft. St. Ungar.-Hradisch

16891

23.1.1945- Pol. Nachsch. Kol. Mähr.-Ostrau

18248

1939-1940 feste Fu. Stelle Brünn

20052

1939 Nachr. Kdtr. Prag

21504

1943 Nachr. Kdtr. Prag

25941

14.2.1945- Res. Uffz. Schule Tetschen

27419

1939 Fl. H. Kdtr. (E) 228 Beneschau

27950

1939-1941 Lw. San. Bereitsch. Beneschau

29974

25.8.1944- Sonderlager Tepl i. Tepl b. Marienbad (Sich. Pol. SD)

30302

1939 Lw. San. Bereitsch. Brünn

31850

1939-1940/41 Stab Ob. Bef. Böhmen

31980

1939-1942 Stab Wehrmachtsbevollmächtigter Prag

32823

16.3.1945- Kdr. d. Sich. Pol. Brünn u. Einh.

33182

1939-1940 Fl. H. Kdtr. (E) Milowitz

33224

16.3.1945- SS- u. Pol. Sonderlager Forstwarte b. Marienbad

33943

1939-1940
1940
Fl. H. Kdtr. (E) 48 Freiwaldau
Fl. H. Kdtr. (E) Freiwaldau

36090

1939
1939-1940
Flak-Trsp. Battr. A Mähr.-Ostrau
Flak-Trsp. Battr. A Mähr.-Trübau

36687

1939-1940 Ln. Stelle (mot. Z) E Brünn

37788

1939-1940
1940-1942
Ln. Stelle (mot. Z) E Pilsen
Fl. H. Nachr. Zug Pilsen

37906

14.10.1944- Sich. Pol. (SD) Amt VI Dienststelle Prag XIX

38156

1939-1940/41 E-Hafen-Ausr. Kol. Beneschau (3/VIII)

38690

10.7.1944-23.12.1944

11.2.1945-
 

Wehrm. Bev. b. Reichsprotektor u. Bef. b. Wkr. Kdo. Böhmen-Mähren u- dtsch. verb. Stab d. Regierungs-Tr. i. Chiari (Pol.)
Wehrm. Bev. b. Reichsprotektor u. Bef. i. Wkr. Böhmen-Mähren, dtsch. verb. Stab f. d. Regierungs-Tr. i. Chiari (Pol.)

39688

1939 Fl. H. Kdtr. (E) Prag

44090

1940/41-11.10.1944
12.10.1944-
Abw. Stelle Prag
Kdo. Meldegebiet Prag

45603

21.3.1945- Abschn. Kdt. Mitte d. Mährisch-Ostrauer Sperriegels

45808

14.4.1945- Fstg. Kdt. Olmütz

45863

23.1.1945- Pol. Nachsch. Lager Mährisch-Ostrau

46565

1941/42-1942 OKW/Ag WNV/Fu. Aussenstelle Prag

46756

14.4.1945- Res. Laz. I-III Olmütz

47654

15.4.1945-28.4.1945 Stab u. Einh. Pi. Sonderstab 27 (Fstg. Olmütz)

56360

12.2.1945- Heeres-STandort-Verw. Olmütz u. Einh.

56984

23.4.1945- Stab Pz. Ausb. Verband Böhmen

56989

23.4.1945- Pz. Nachr. Ausb. Abtl. 82 Pz. Ausb. Verband Böhmen

57996

28.4.1945- Volkssturm-Kreisstabführung 32 Freiwaldau

64027

17.4.1945- Aussenstelle Prag Armee-Verpfl. Amt 567

64435

20.3.1945- Fstg. Kdt. Brünn

64585

28.4.1945- Trsp. Kdr. Brünn

65038

17.2.1945- Stab Pz. Aufkl. Abtl. Sternberg

65913

28.4.1945- Trsp. Kdtr. Prag

65929

28.4.1945- Trsp. Kdr. Brünn, Aussenstelle Olmütz

66978

4.12.1944- Sich. Pol. (SD) Amt VI Dienststelle Quelle Marienbad

67234

23.1.1945- Techn. Kp. (Hb) 121 Bauzug Prag

67848

28.4.1945- Trsp. Kdtr. Prag, Aussenstelle Königgrätz

(1) original German unit name

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Example

Cover sent on May 23, 1941 from the Staff of the Commissioner of the Wehrmacht in Prague (Stab Wehrmachtsbevollmächtigter Prag), field post number 31980. Postmarked "DEUTSCHE REICHSPOST/x" (= Deutsche Dienstpost Böhmen-Mähren, PLST Prag).

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References

E. Hamann: Deutsche Dienstpost, Übungspost, Feldpost und Reichspost im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren. ArGe Böhmen-Mähren, Tübingen 1987. (German Service Mail, Training Post, Field Post and "Reichspost" in Protectorate Böhmen-Mähren) (In German)

N. Kannapin: Die Deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945, Vol. 1-3. Biblio Verlag Onsabrück 1980-1982. (The German Field Post Numbers 1939-1945) (In German)

N. Kannapin: Die Deutsche Feldpost 1939-1945. Biblio Verlag Osnabrück, 2nd ed. 1987. (The German Field Post 1939-1945) (In German)

A. Ochell: Die Feldpostämter im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, 1939 bis 1945. ArGe Böhmen-Mähren, Mbl. 110, Beilage 101. (The Field Post Offices in Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia 1939-1945) (In German)

H.H. Paetow: Feldpostämter im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren in der Zeit des Polenfeldzuges, Herbst 1939. ArGe Böhmen-Mähren, MBl. 94, Beilage 95. (Field Post Offices in Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia During the Poland Campaign, Autumn 1939) (In German)

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Acknowledgement

Michal Prikazsky, Brno, CZ

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