VILNIUS 1939-1944: SOVJET, LITHUANIAN, GERMAN, SOVJET


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The polish period endured until 19-22 September 1939, when Vilnius was occupied by the Sowjet-troops:

On 10 October Vilnius was ceded on Lithuania and from 28 October 1939 Vilnius belongs (again) to Lithuania.
On 27 October the Lithuanians begin marching in and sunday 29 October 1939 the Lithuanian troops have ocuupied Vilnius completely. After that only Lithuanian atamps are permitted for postage. From this period mixed postage is known: the postage itself can be mixed, postmarks are used indifferently, the postal rates can be Polish-Lithuanian-Russian.
For commemorating the capture of Vilnius overprints has been issued on 28 October 1939:
vilni03.gif

Also later the Post payed attention to the return of Vilnius:
vilni01.gif
Issue 6 May 1940: Block nr. 28 “Vilnius recuperata”, that is “Vilnius recovered”.



The influence of the Sovjet-Union becomes however more and more greater: at 16 June Vilnius has been occupied and at 21 July the LTSR has been proclaimed.
On this occasion stamps of Lithuania are been overprint with "LTSR 21 VII 1940" (Lietuvos Tarybu Socialistine Respublika (Lithuanian Socialist Sovjet Republic).
After 15 March only stamps of the Sovjet-Union may be used.


At 26 June 1941 Vilnius has been occupied by German troops. The Lithuanian Post is still working, but the connections are bad.
Therefore stamps were overprinted also locally, among others in Vilnius:
At 31 August 1941 there comes a prohibition of the use of this overprinted stamps. Then only stamps of "Ostland'' may be used. These occupation-stamps were used in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and White-Russia. Also the regular German stamps were allowed. Besides the "Deutsche Post Ostland" functioned in this area also still the "Deutsche Dienstpost Ostland".


The German troops leaved at 13 July Vilnius, but this did not mean a re-establishment of the independence.
“Making-work” on the occasion of the liberation of Vilnius: overprint of German stamps with the Lithuanian cross, but something being ahead of events:

Lithuania came again by the Sovjet-Union and only much later it should become independent again.

Periodicals:
BLPSNY = Bulletin of the Philatelic Society of New York [in English] HBG = Het Baltische Gebied[in Dutch]
Lituania [in German]

Wilna - Post und Politik im Oktober 1939 (Fälschungen und Echtheitskriterien / 6. Fortsetzung) / Udo Klein
In: Lituania 1998 ; nr. 10. - p. 649-656
Noch Einmal: Wilna, Post und Politik im Oktober 1939 / Udo Klein
In: Lituania 1998 ; nr. 12. - p. 785-788
[About: the Sovjet period between the Polish and Lithuanian Government in 1939, with Polish-Russian mixed postage]
Wilna-Zeittafel In: Lituania 1996 ; nr. 5. - p. 235
[About: Vilnius chronological table]



VILNIUS AREA


Tsaristic period 1914-1918 World War I 1918-1920 Independence 1920-1939 Central Lithuania and Polish Period 1944-1990 Sovjet period 1990- Independence

LITHUANIA GENERAL


Tsaristic period World War I Independence 1939-1945 Sovjet - Lithuanian - German 1944-1990 Sovjet 1990- Independence
Timetable: Vilnius and Lithuania