LATVIA : SOVIET PERIOD : LPSR 1940-1941

Soviet troops occupied Latvia on 17 June 1940. On 14 July 1940 'elections' were held, but not really free: the soviet press association came too early with the results and 24 hour before closing the ballot-boxes the election results are published in a Londen newspaper.
The LPSR - short for Latvijas Padomju Sociālistiskā Republika (Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic)- is established on 21 July. This Republic is incorporated in the Soviet Union on 5 August 1940 as 15th republic of the USSR. On 22 June 1941 start the war between Germany and Russia. Riga is occupied by Germany on 1 July.
More about the LPSR in Wikipedia.



MACHINE POSTMARKS

The two machines for the application of postmarks, in function in independent Latvia, were used further in the soviet period 1940-1941.

In the beginning the Latvian postmarks were used, but later -from October 1940- you see the postmark changing: bilingual indication of the place and the soviet star.
According the classification of Juris Mors:

  • M-SL1-A: 7 wavy lines, beginning upwards, serial A
  • M-SL2-A: 7 wavy lines, beginning downwards, serial A
  • M-SL3-B: 7 wavy lines, beginning downwards, serial B
  • M-SL4-B: 7 wavy lines, beginning upwards, serial A
    • The type here, M-SL3-B, with serial Б is used 11-11-1940 until 24-12-1940, with the flag-waves first going down (for the other type -with the flag first going up: see the card at the bottom of this page).

    This picture and all pictures below on this page, if not mentioned otherwise: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and cut out - noted the actual print size-, resized 25 % of this image and saved as jpg.


    Serial B

    The postmark, resized 50 %.


    Card with the same machine-postmark (serial letter B), but now the LPSR-postage stamp is used.
    Intial the Latvian postage stamps are used, but on 21 October the first postage stamps of the Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic are issued. On these postage stamps we see the Latvian indication Latvijas PSR. The Latvian postage stamps were allowed to be used upto 20 April 1941, with the exception of the 'Ulmanis'-stamps.



    On the other side, a nice view.

    'Skats uz Talsiem', view Talsi, a town in western Latvia. The city is located near two lakes and in the center is the ancient Curonian hill fort.







    The postmark, resized 50 %.

    Another card with machine-postmark, used in the LPSR-period.




    The postmarks, resized 50 %.


    Original print size of this image: 13,801 x 8,797 cm
    (is something more as the postal item).

    The arrival-postmark of Vecmilgrāvis is still Latvian: with LATVIJA.


    Type M-SL4-B. The type with serial letter Б, used between 27-12-1940 and 14-6-1941, sub-type with the flag first going up.

    The picture on the other side of the card:
    'Daudz limes vārda dienā', Happy name day.