Postage stamps 1940–1945

The Protectorate's first stamps for the German Red Cross appeared on 29 June 1940, designed by M. Geyer, in sheets where stamps alternated with coupons like a chessboard; they show a nurse with a standing wounded soldier. A new set followed each year: in 1941 a nurse with a wounded man lying down, in 1942 a nurse with a bedridden patient, and in 1943 only an eagle on a red cross – with a surcharge of 8.80 K on a 1.20 K stamp.

Czech Wikipedia reads this sequence as a hidden anti-German joke by the designers – the soldier's condition supposedly worsening year by year, with the soldier on the 1942 stamp described as dying. The Beneš catalogue describes the motifs neutrally, and no other source was found to confirm this reading.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

The second series of landscapes, castles and towns came out gradually from 31 March to the end of 1940; the high values from 5 to 20 K followed on 20 November 1940, showing Bechyně, České Budějovice, Kroměříž, the Wallenstein Garden in Prague and Charles Bridge. They were designed by V. Silovský and J. C. Vondrouš and engraved by B. Heinz and J. Goldschmied. They were printed in sheets of 100 stamps with coupons in the margins.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

For the 100th anniversary of the birth of Antonín Dvořák, born on 8 September 1841 in Nelahozeves; the stamps came out two weeks early, on 25 August 1941. The portrait was drawn by J. Sejpka after a model by the sculptor and medallist Otakar Španiel and engraved by J. Goldschmied. In the sheet the stamps alternated with coupons in a chessboard pattern.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava, Wikipedia: Antonín Dvořák, Wikipedie: Otakar Španiel

Four stamps were issued on 7 September 1941 for the Prague Fair: a ploughman for agriculture on the 30 and 60 h values and a blast furnace for industry on the 1.20 and 2.50 K. They were designed by J. Sejpka and V. Silovský and printed in photogravure in 2 million sets. The Prague Sample Fair had been held, usually twice a year, since 1920 and carried on in the first years of the occupation; in 1942 it was cancelled on the propaganda pretext that the Protectorate was engaged in the Reich's war effort, and it was not held again until after the war.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Pražský vzorkový veletrh, german-reich.de: Briefmarken-Verausgabung im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren

The issue for the 150th anniversary of Mozart's death recalls his tie to Prague: Don Giovanni had its premiere at the Estates Theatre on 29 October 1787, the only theatre in the world where Mozart himself premiered an opera and which is still in use today. The lower values show the theatre, with coupons beside them bearing music from Don Giovanni and the premiere date.

Sources: Wikipedia: Estates Theatre, Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

For the 3rd anniversary of the Protectorate, on 15 March 1942, two landscape stamps of 1941 – 1.20 K with Prague and 2.50 K with Brno, both designed by J. C. Vondrouš and engraved by B. Heinz – received an overprint with an eagle and a date, blue on the lower value and red on the higher. The overprint was applied by flat-plate recess printing in blocks of 24 stamps taken from the right-hand part of the sheet. A total of 1,050,000 sets were issued, valid until 31 December 1942.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

The German Reichspost issued surcharged stamps for Hitler's birthday on 20 April every year from 1937; the Protectorate took up the practice in 1942–1944. The first four stamps came out on 20 April 1942, all with the same picture of Hitler at a lectern, engraved by J. Goldschmied and printed by rotary recess. A total of 2.13 million sets were issued, valid until the end of 1942.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), german-reich.de: Briefmarken-Verausgabung im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, Wikipedia (de): Briefmarken-Jahrgang 1937 der Deutschen Reichspost

The definitive series with Hitler's portrait appeared in July 1942 and was among the first to carry 'Deutsches Reich' as well as 'Böhmen und Mähren / Čechy a Morava'. It was designed by J. Sejpka; the 1 K to 2.40 K values were engraved by J. Schmidt, the 2.50 K to 50 K values by J. Goldschmied, and the heller values were printed in photogravure. The series stayed valid until 16 May 1945 – a week after the war had ended.

Sources: Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

The definitive series with Hitler's portrait appeared in July 1942 and was among the first to carry 'Deutsches Reich' as well as 'Böhmen und Mähren / Čechy a Morava'. It was designed by J. Sejpka; the 1 K to 2.40 K values were engraved by J. Schmidt, the 2.50 K to 50 K values by J. Goldschmied, and the heller values were printed in photogravure. The series stayed valid until 16 May 1945 – a week after the war had ended.

Sources: Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

The Protectorate marked Stamp Day on 10 January 1943 with a single 60 h stamp showing a mounted postilion, designed by A. Erhardt. On the same day the German Reichspost issued its own Stamp Day stamp with an old mail coach. The Protectorate stamp was valid only until 30 June 1943.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava, Wikipedia (de): Briefmarken-Jahrgang 1943 der Deutschen Reichspost

The Winter Relief charity stamps came out on 29 January 1943, designed by A. Langenberger, and show three figures of 14th-century Bohemian history: Charles IV (60 h), the master builder Peter Parler (1.20 K) and John of Luxembourg (2.50 K). From 1356 Parler led the building of St Vitus Cathedral, where he built the choir, and the Old Town Bridge Tower is also his work. Two million sets were issued, valid only until 30 June 1943.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava, Wikipedie: Petr Parléř

On 15 February 1943 a second issue appeared with the same Benda dove, now with 'DEUTSCHES REICH' at the top; the nine values from 2 h to 1 K kept their colours. The new official stamps inscribed Deutsches Reich came out on the same day – from 1942 the Protectorate's stamps carried that inscription more and more often.

Sources: Burda Auction: Protektorát ČaM – Novinové, Burda Auction: Protektorát ČaM – Služební, Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

For Hitler's 54th birthday two stamps came out on 20 April 1943, designed and engraved by J. Schmidt; according to the POFIS catalogue they show Hitler at Prague Castle. Hitler had spent a night there on 15 March 1939, the day German troops occupied Bohemia and Moravia. The surcharge exceeded the face value – 140 h on 60 h and 380 h on 1.20 K; 2.4 million sets were issued, valid until 30 September 1943.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava, Wikipedia: Prague Castle

The stamps came out exactly on the 130th anniversary of the birth of Richard Wagner, born on 22 May 1813 in Leipzig. The portrait was designed by A. Langenberger, the scenes from The Mastersingers of Nuremberg and Siegfried by A. Erhardt. Wagner had close ties to Bohemia: as a boy he often visited Prague, where his sisters acted in the theatre; he later performed his works there; and a stay in Teplice with a trip to Střekov castle inspired Tannhäuser. The Mastersingers opened Prague's New German Theatre in 1888.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Richard Wagner

The stamp for the first anniversary of the death of Deputy Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich, who died after an attack by Czechoslovak parachutists, appeared on 28 May 1943 and shows his death mask. The 4.40 K surcharge went to a foundation in his name. It was on sale for only nine days and valid for four months.

Sources: F. Beneš: Protektorátní aršík R. Heydrich 1943

For the 5th anniversary of the Protectorate three surcharged stamps came out on 15 March 1944, designed by A. Erhardt and printed in photogravure, showing Chod and Haná folk costumes and an eagle with the arms of Bohemia and Moravia. The surcharges exceeded the face value – 20 K on the 10 K. On part of the 10 K printing, position 41 of the sheet has a plate flaw: an F instead of a T. Three million sets were issued, valid until the end of 1944.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava

The third and last Protectorate issue for Hitler's birthday came out on 20 April 1944, designed by A. Erhardt – this time in photogravure, whereas both earlier ones had been printed by rotary recess. The two stamps, with surcharges of 140 and 380 h, were issued in 2,920,800 sets and were valid until the end of 1944.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), german-reich.de: Briefmarken-Verausgabung im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren

For the 60th anniversary of the death of Bedřich Smetana – the stamps appeared on the very day, 12 May 1944; the composer had died in Prague on 12 May 1884. They were designed by J. Sejpka and engraved by J. Goldschmied, the same pair as for Dvořák in 1941. Three million sets were printed, and they were valid until 16 May 1945.

Sources: F. Beneš / POFIS: Protektorát Čechy a Morava 1939–1945 (katalóg, PDF), Wikipedie: Seznam poštovních známek Protektorátu Čechy a Morava, Wikipedia: Bedřich Smetana

For the 600th anniversary of St Vitus Cathedral, whose foundation stone was laid in 1344. The building was finished almost six centuries later, in 1929.

Sources: Primus: Böhmen und Mähren