VILNIUS 1914 - 1918


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For Russia World War I began on 1 august 1914.
There was only one German army (the 8th) in the east and after German reverses Paul von Hindenburg get the supreme command of the eastern front. The greatest part of the 8th Army was transformed to a new 9th Army, from September 17 under command of Hindenburg. On 1 November 1914 he became "Oberbefehlshabers der gesamten deutschen Streitkräfte im Osten" (Ober-befehlshaber Ost) (Supreme Commander East). General-major Erich Ludendorff became his General-Chief of staff.
Now the eastern front had a separate command, that could start operations at the eastern front independently. On November 11 a offensive is started, but in western Poland the front get stuck. In the winter of 1914/1915 the front line runs here. On the end of Junuary 1915 Hindenburg get at his disposal four new army corpses: three new formed reserve corpses and a fourth (21 th) corps consisting of Alsatians and soldiers from Lorraine.
The new 10 th Army (under General-Oberst Hermann von Eichhorn) came north of the railway line Königsberg-Insterburg-Eydtkuhnen. South of this line the troops stay by the 8th Army. A spring-offensive started under leadership of the German chef of the general staff, Erich von Falkenhayn.
After the dager was averted in the east, the function of the 'Oberbefehlshaber Ost' (Supreme Commander East) was stripped more and more: no longer the supreme command of the eastern front, only of the Njemen-Armee, the 10 th Army and the 12 th Army. From 24 August the greatest part of 'Russian Poland' did not fall under the Oberbefehlshaber Ost and became the Generalgouvernement Warschau. Nevertheless there were successes: on August 18 Hindenburg's 10 th Army conquered Kaunas. On 18 September 1915 Vilnius was captured by the Germans and the Headquarters of 10 th Army moved also to Vilnius, but went next moth further to another place.
From 4 November the area between Poland and the front line is designated administratively as Land OberOst.

Following the track of the armies also an administration was set up. By the 'Etappeninspektionen' (staff of the armies) they were putting on 'Verwaltungschefs' (Verwaltung=bestuur) in in the summer of 1915, with under them 'Kreishauptleute'. So the different 'Etappenverwaltungen' came into being:
In important cties a 'Militärgouvernement were established, Mitau, Grodno, Kowno (Kaunas) en Wilno (Vilnius). The coordination and central leadership of the Etappenverwaltungen came on 3-11-1915 under the staff of Oberbefehlshabers Ost in a 'Zentral-verwaltung', under which came the Verwaltungschefs.
This 'Verwaltungsgebiet des Oberbefehlshabers Ost' were the 'Postgebiet Ob.Ost' by the philatelists. The ares near the frontline, the Etappengebiet of the front-troops, fell outside this area.

The Russian State Post and Fieldpost

Before the conquering by the German Army the regular Russian State post functioned of course in Lithuania, but there were also Russian fieldpost-offices in the Lithuanian area. In Vilnius a head-fieldpost-office was opened (July 1914 to September 1915). Also there was established a fieldpost-office of the headquarters 1 th Army (July 1914), and of the headquarters of the 10 th Army, of the Garde-Corps, 26 th Army-Corps, and 3 th Sibir. Army-Corps (August-September 1915). Further the 2 th Army-Corps (april 1915), the 5 th and 23 th Army-Corps (August 1915) and 34 th Army-Corps (May-July 1915) were in Vilnius temporarely.

Postgebiet Ober-Ost
In the beginning of the German occupation every post-mailing was forbidden for the civilian population. In an decree of the Governor of Vilnius, von Wegner:
" Nr. 19 Bekanntmachung
Jede Beförderung von Briefen, Karten, Schriftstücken aller Art, Drucksachen und Zeitungen von Ort zu Ort ist verboten. Zuwiderhandlungen werden mit Geldstrafe bis 5000 Mark und Gefängnis bis zu einem Jahre, wahlweise oder nebeneinander, in Wiederholungsfalle mit der doppelten Strafe bedroht.
Wilna, den 12. Oktober 1915
Der Gouverneur
gez. Wegner
Generalleutnant"
"Nr. 19 Decree
Every sending of letters, cards, all kind of writings, printed matter and newspapers from place to place is forbidden. Offences were punished with a money-punshment to 5000 Mark and gail to one year, option or both, in case of repeat with the double punishment.
Vilnius..."
Yet on initiative of the Oberbefehlshaber Ost was set up: "Deutsche Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung im Postgebiete des Oberbefehlshabers Ost", P.T.V. Ob.Ost for short.
In a decree of 14-1-1916 the Oberbefehlshaber Ost established the 'Kaiserliche deutsche P.T.V. Ob.Ost' in the 'Etappengebiet' of the Oberbefehlshabers Ost.
During the German occupation the post of Lithuania came under the "Postgebiet Ober-Ost", the postal service of the Oberbefehlshaber Ost (supreme commander East). In the postmarks the Polisk "Wilno" is not used longer for Vilnius, but the German name "Wilna".
On 15 January German post offices were opened, wich had to see to the private postal traffic of the citizens with the postal area of "Ober-Ost", Generalgouvernement Warsaw, and with Germany.
Also in Vilnius a post office were opened for this at the Grosze Strasse 12, where citizens could bring and get mail.
There was no postal delivery, but besides the German Post Office there was local mail in Vilnius, which delivered post. This delivery brought along with one additional costs and one had a special postmark "GEBÜHR 10 PF".
Vilnius and the rest of Lithuania were no longer part of 'Russian-Polen', so new overprintings were maked on German postage stamps. The overprinting for 'Postgebiet Ob. Ost' had the same type as the stamps for 'Russian-Polen'.

From many cities there are papers with these stamps, but mostly only adressed to 'Dahmann', 'Noske' or other philatelic producers.

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Registered letter with German postmark WILNA 23-5 1916 (Vilnius) to Breslau. With a German registering-label. The violet postmark "M.P.k." is of the censorship in Königsberg. In a wide border zone of Germany offices were established for the control of the mail., whre all mail had to be controled. more inside the country there was no checking of interior postal traffic. A "Postüberwachungsstelle", a mail control-office, were set up also in Königsberg, where the supreme command of the First Army Corps had its seat. "M.P.k." is short for "Militärische Postkontrolle" (military postcontrol). The M and P are 5 mm high, the k is 3 mm. The postmarks were used from 1916 to 1918, especially for mail from and to the Baltic area and the Postal area Ober-Ost.
General instruction was, that in foreign countries all letters had to be send open. If letters arrived sealed by the postcontrol, they were send back to the sender. Inland post was opened only by suspection, by example in consequence of a suspected adress. Illegible or difficult legible writings were not allowed. In case of impermissible statements attachment or returning followed.
To 26 December 1918 Ob. Ost stayed in Vilnius.

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Registered letter, with German registering-postmark and the stamp "EINSCHREIBEN" (to register), to Berlin. The censorship-postmark "M.P.k." is black. This postmark occured in violet, red, and black.
Three Types cancellation were used:
Type I: at the top the placename and at the bottom three stars
Type II: when a place has more postmarks, at the top the placename an at the bottom two stars with a identifying character between
Type III: at the top the placename and at the bottom a n addition, for example (Kurland)
In Vilnius Type I and two times Type II (a and b) were used. The letter up here is cancelled with Type II, identifying character 'a', of the Main Post Office of Vilnius.
Further below we see a card with Type I of Vilnius.
The cancellations were used also as arrival stamp.


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Postmark of the censorship in Königsberg:
Geprüft und freigegeben
Überwachunsstelle Königsberg i. Pr.
= Checked and Released
Censor's Office Königsberg i. Pr. (in Prussia)

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