371. Auktion

1918, 7 Press photos from the time of the presence of German troops in Georgia from June to October 1918

SHIPMAIL: "Corcovado Marineabtlg. KONSTANZA" violet two-line handstamp with adjacent cds. "Kais. Deutsche Feldpost 12.5.8" on picture postcard with handwritten "Feldpost 757" to Germany, fine In the spring of 1918, the ship was taken over by the German Navy as an auxiliary warship and operated as a transporter for the Caucasus company on behalf of the "Mediterranean Division" under its old name "Corcovado". The ports of departure were Constantinople, Odessa and Sevastopol.

SHIPMAIL: "R.P.D. General" violet straight-line with adjacent cds. "K.D. Feldpost -4.7.18" in cover endorsed "Schiffsarzt S.M. Hilfsbeischiff 'General'" to Berlin, fine, a very scarce cover with only two known copies, this cover being described in Crüsemann "Deutsche Marine-Schiffspost" Volume II, 4th edition, page 406 and depicted on page 411 At the beginning of May 1918, the steamer "General" was put back into service when the Caucasus delegation had to be transported across the Black Sea. Therefore the equipment of the navy ship mail was returned to the station yacht "Loreley".

SHIPMAIL: "Corcovado Nateko SEWASTOPOL" violet two-line handstamp with adjacent cds. "Kais. Deutsche Feldpost 15.10.18" on cover endorsed on reverse "...Mil. Mission Constantinopel" to Berlin, some minor ageing spots, otherwise a fine and very rare entire In the spring of 1918, the ship was taken over by the German Navy as an auxiliary warship and operated as a transporter for the Caucasus company on behalf of the "Mediterranean Division" under its old name "Corcovado". The ports of departure were Constantinople, Odessa and Sevastopol.

SHIPMAIL: "DEUTSCHE SEEPOST OST-AFRIKANISCHE HAUPTLINIE n" violet strike, used as field post cancellation, on picture postcard endorsed "Bayer. Res. Jägerbatl. 1., 3. Komp.....Durch Feldpost 555" with adjacent cds. "Kais. Deutsche Feldpost 17.6.18" addressed to Bavaria, with some interesting text "..was again 40 hours on the sea and now soon in Little Asia..", light corner creases otherwise a fine and rare entire showing the only alien official postmark used during the war on a warship

1918, cover sent from "Ltn. Sevecke, Bergw. Abtlg. des Kgl. Preuß. K.M. Konstantinopel z.Zt. Tiflis" with adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost 18.6.18" of the fieldpost office 555, to Dortmund, a fine and scarce cover from the German Fieldpost in Georgia

1918, "BEVOLLM. d. LGL. PREUSS KRIEGSMINST. Bergwerksabteilung Konstantinopel" blue offical senders cachet as three-line and circular on picture postcard, showing the mines Dsansuli, written in Batum on the 12th of June 1918 and sent via the Military Mission in Constantinopel with adjacent cds. "FELDPOST MIL.-MISS KONSTANTINOPEL 20 6 18" and blue straight line "Durch Berlin C.2." to Germany, attractive and rare depicted in "BATUM UNDER OCCUPATION the years 1917 – 1921", page 27 (by Hans G. Grigoleit & Edward Klempka)

1918, fieldpost cover written in "Poti 26 Juni 18" from a member of the Bayer. Reserve Jäger Btl. 1 Feldpost 555 sent to Trogen with adjacent fieldpost cds. "K.D. Feldpost 6.7.18" applied upon arrival in Braila, fine, scarce, detailed certificate Haspel BPP (2011) Part of the field mail from the Caucasus was delivered untreated to the mail steamers and was handed over to the fieldpost in the arrival ports of Braila, Sewastopol and Konstanza  

1918, fieldpost cover from the Taman Peninsula with boxed military cachet "L. Kun.-Kolonne 1056" and adjacent fieldpost cds. "Deutsche Feldpost 6.7.18" addressed to Berlin, minor crease at lower right, a fine and very rare cover with only a few from the Taman Peninsula known, detailed certificate Haspel BPP (2011) The fieldpost of the units on the Taman Peninsula was handled by the German fieldpost 797 of the 15th Landwehr Division in Kertsch

1918, picture postcard of Tiflis with blue straight line "Bayer. Res. Jag. Batl. 1" and written notation "Deutsche Feldpost 555" and adjacent fieldpost cds. dated 6.7.18, addressed to Petersthal, fine

1918, "Bayer. Res. Jäger Btl. Nr. I AMGK" small blue two-line cancel on picture postcard from Tiflis with adjacent fieldpost cds. "Deutsche Feldpost -9.7.18" addressed to Bavaria, some minor transportation wear, a scarce card

1918, fieldpost cover from the Taman Peninsula with boxed military cachet "L. Kun.-Kolonne 1056" and adjacent fieldpost cds. "Deutsche Feldpost 11.7.18" addressed to Berlin, a fine and very rare cover with only a few from the Taman Peninsula known The fieldpost of the units on the Taman Peninsula was handled by the German fieldpost 797 of the 15th Landwehr Division in Kertsch

1918, picture postcard of Tiflis with blue straight line "Bayer. Res. Jäger Batl. 1, 3. Komp" and adjacent fieldpost cds. "Deutsche Feldpost 23.7.18", addressed to Sonntheim, fine

1918, postcard written in Tiflis on the 25th. of August 1918 with senders address "...Feldpost 555 Kaukasus" with blue military cachet "Kraftwagen-Kolonne Nr. 108" and adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost 28.8.18" addressed to Andernach, fine

1918, envelope with violet cachet "Kaiserl. Deutsches K-do der  Truppen im Kaukasus" on front and reverse and adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost -2.9.18", reverse with manuscript censor mark "Militärisch geprüft Postprüfungsstelle 1/IX/18", slight transportation wear, a fine and rare entire

1918, postcard written in Tiflis on the 3rd. of September 1918 with senders address "...Dt. Feldpost 907.." and blue military cachet "Feldflieger Abteilung No. 28" and adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost -4.9.18, written by Lieutenant of the Reserve Kurt Atholdt addressed to Germany, a fine and very rare card, only very few mail of the airborne troops in the Caucasus ist known On 1.8.1914 the field pilot department No. 28 was set up by the air force battalion 3 (2nd comp.), on 10.1.1917 it was renamed in air force department 28. The department was stationed in Macedonia and briefly in the Caucasus. At the request of the chief of the delegation in the Caucasus, Kress v. Kressenstein, the field pilot department 28 was relocated in parts to the Caucasus in order to fly aerial reconnaissance. A transfer from there apparently took place at the end of July 1918 (see also ArGe Deutsche Feldpost 1914-1918, Rundbrief 138/2000).

1918, registered cover from German Fieldpost Delegation in Caucasus with violet straight-line "Deutsche Feldpost Exped. 907" and adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost -4.9.18 * 907 a" addressed to the accounting office in Berlin, opened a little rough and some minor transportation wear, very rare and one of only three known registered covers, detailed certificate Haspel BPP (2009) depicted in Ahrens "Die Feldpost der Deutschen Militär Mission Türkei 1914-18", number 12, page 137  

1918, postcard with senders address "...Deut. Feldp. 907" and blue military cachet "Minenwerfer Komp. W. Kp. 176" and adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost -5.9.18" addressed to Altona, small tear at bottom, otherwise fine, detailed certificate Haspel BPP (2011) Due to an agreement between the Georgian government and the German Reich, German troops were sent to Georgia in staggered numbers from June 1918. The German delegation in the Caucasus was given German Field Post No. 907, which was established in Tbilisi

1918, postcard written in Poti on the 7th. of September 1918 with senders address "..Feldpost 907.." with adjacent military cachet "Masch.-Gen.-Komp. Res.-Jäger-Batl Nr. 9" and cds. "K.D. Feldpost 17.9.18" applied in Braila, some minor ageing, otherwise fine

1918, envelope from "MÜNCHEN 9.9.18" addressed to Oberarzt Dr. Fritz Niedermayer at the german Delegation in the Caucasus Fieldpost 907, small water stains at left, otherwise fine, a rare entire, certificate Haspel BPP (2012) Dr. Fritz Niedermayer was the brother of Dr. Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer and participated as a doctor in the expedition to Persia and Afghanistan in 1915

1918, postcard written in Tiflis on the 15th. of September 1918 with adjacent military cachet "S.B. III. Res. I.R. 21" addressed to Großkarben, upon arrival in port of Braila cds. dated 26.9.18 applied, some minor ageing, otherwise fine, scarce

1918, postcard with barely readible blue military cachet "Bayr. Kav. Pion.-Abt. Nr. 1" and adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost -6.10.18" addressed to Eltersdorf, fine, detailed certificate Haspel BPP (2012)

1918, picture postcard with blue military cachet "Kgl. Sächs. Nachrichtenabteilung 1750" and adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost -9.10.18" addressed to Löbau, fine

1918, postcard written in Tiflis on the 12th. of October 1918 with senders address "D. F. 907 Tiflis Kaukasus" and adjacent fieldpost cds. dated 28.8.18, addressed to the german fieldpost 276 in Ploesti, Rumania, minor edge wear, otherwise fine

1918, German delegation Caucasus, cover with two-language sender imprint "Kaiserlich Deutsches Konsulat in Tiflis", Tiflis changed to "Poti" in manuscript, embossed blue seal stamp "Kaiserlich Deutsches Konsulat in Tiflis" on the reverse, transported via the German field post Katharinenfeld, with cds. "K.D. Feldpost 14.10.18", including the original contents, a official letter "....I humbly request your highness to hand over the attached letter to Mr. Georg Walker...." The Walker family is one of the famous Swabian settler families in Katharinenfeld

1918, "MILITÄRISCH GEPRÜFT Überwachungsstelle des Truppenkommandos im Kaukasus" four line censor mark struck on front and reverse of slightly reduced cover with adjacent cds. "Deutsche Feldpost 16.10.18" to Königsberg, vertical fold, some transportation wear and a little roughly opened at right, an attractive and very rare entire from the fieldpost in Baku, Azerbaijan, detailed certificate Haspel BPP (2009) An Imperial German delegation, Baku branch was set up and on Oct.  2, 1918 the delegation, including about 100 people left Tbilisi by train.  Besides the delegation, a German military commission arrived earlier in Baku for repatriation of POWS.  Via courier every 2nd day Fieldpost was brought from / to Tbilisi via field post number 907. Four weeks later, on Nov. 2, 1918 the delegation left Baku

1918, picture postcard written on Odessa with blue military cachet "Krankentransportabteilung Bagdad" and adjacent cds. "K.D. Feldpost -5.11.18" sent to Graudenz with interesting text "...Allem glücklich entronnen...", some abhrasion before sending, a scarce card

1919, large format envelope "Heeressache" with violet two-line "Kommando der Truppen im Kaukasus" (Command of troops in the Caucasus) on reverse, sent from Berlin June 24, 1919 to Georg Mestemacher. It contained the document about the award of the Tamara medal to him, issued by the Georgian government on December 13, 1918, opened out for display, some folds and imperfections, a very rare and interesting letter including the award certificate, detailed certificate Haspel BPP The Tamara medal was originally founded in 1915 to award it to members of the Georgian Legion, a Germany inspired military unit mostly staffed with Georgians (maximum 1200). Only a few Germans served in this unit. Because the Georgian government could not finance the manufacturing of the medal the persons received only the document and could produce the medal at their own expense.

1919, pre-printed life-sign card with boxed military cachet "S.B. Bayer. Prov. Kol. 19" and  fieldpost cds. "Deutsche Feldpost 28.1.19" send to Neuötting there re-addressed. Written in Nikolajew on 21 January 1919 by the private R. Jäckel, his unit arrived on 6.12.1918 with the steamer "Dotsch" from Sevastopol Nikolayev. The repatriation of the German troops was initially carried out only by rail. From 20.12.1918 the rail transport had become impossible and thousands of soldiers were stuck. From March 1919 the transport by ship took place in the direction of Constantinople. In Odessa and Nikolayev life sign cards were issued to the soldiers. A very rare and interesting card, detailed certificate Haspel BPP (2010)

"Abs. Leutant G.... Deutschen Transkaukasienkommando" as sender's address on picture postcard from Constantinople to Berlin with adjacent fieldpost cds. "FELDPOST MISSION KONSTANTINOPEL 11-6-1918", some minor abrashion on reverse, otherwise fine, signed Wolff

1917/18, interesting group of 9 cards and covers (including one front) with different markings, all carefully written up on pages, fine

Foreigners in the Wehrmacht: Cover from "FRÖHNDENBERG 29.11.42" from mayor Kloeber to members of the german frame personnel Karl Kloeber field post number 02010 "Staff Caucasian-Mohamedan Legion", red entry mark, rare

BRITISH FIELDPOST IN THE CAUCASUS: 1916, one opened out and one mourning cover franked with George V. 1d. resp 2½d. tied by cds. "LONDON", addressed to Capt. G.F. Napier Staff Caucasus Army, Tiflis, Russia (British Military Mission acting as observers information gathering), fine

"FIELD POST OFFICE D.27. 9 AU 19" on censored picture postcard send to Sittingbourne, fine

"FIELD POST OFFICE D.27. 5 AP 19" on censored picture postcard send to England, fine

1919, three Russia postal stationery envelopes 10k., used with "FIELD POST OFFICE T.27." (different dates) and censor mark, sent to the Royal Philatelic Society and one further address, fine These covers were sent by the philatelist Major Darlow. He purchased Imperial postal stationery envelopes at Tiflis post office and used those to write to England