LATVIA DURING WORLD WAR I


LIEPĀJA

Liepaja was occupied in the First Worl War, but before that moment there was still sent mail, which had to be controlled by the Russian censorship. With the outbreak of the First World War, Russia started (again) the war censorship for places in the front area. This card from ЛИБАВА [Libava] to Stockholm with the censorship stamp of ЛИБАВА.


The censorship stamp, resized 50 %.



In an article of Jakimovs we can see two censorship stamps of ЛИБАВА: with Number 2 and with Number 3 in the stamp. The dates of use are: Nr. 2 (26.09.14 - 12.04.15) en Nr. 3 (10.10.14 - 05.11.14). The censorship stamp on this card from ЛИБАВА [Libava] is unfortunately something unclear.



On May 3, 1915, in Memel an army was formed for the spring offensive of 1915:

  • The staff of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade
  • Kürassier-Regiment 2
  • Ulanen-Regiment 9
  • 2 Landsturmbataljons
  • A battery field guns and heavy mortars

The leadership was the commander of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, Colonel von Schulenberg. On May 5, began the march through Skuodas in Lithuania to Priekule in present Latvia.
From Priekule (German Preekuln) begins on May 7 the attack on Liepā and the same night the city was already partially taken. Next day the whole city was occupied and became with the old name Libau part of the same Governorate.
In the postmarks we see also the old name Libau.

On May 16, 1915, a fielspost office was set up in Libau. The field post station was in the old Russian post office on the Helena Straße 4, on the corner of the Jakobstraße.
The number of this fieldpost station we see on the card here: number 168. The connection to Memel was initially done by motor vehicles, but later with naval vessels.



On this card we see the stamp of M.E.D. 5. This was a "Militär-Eisenbahn Direction (MED). MED 5 is established for Lithuania, located in Vilnius (from 10-10-1915, previously located in Kaunas).
The different Militär-Eisenbahn Direction also had their own letter-stamps on the field post. There is no real railway post from this area during the First World War, but the railroad builders, Eisenbahntruppen, do have left their philatelic traces. During the First World War the railways were of great military importance.

The picure-side of this card: the beach of Libau/Liepāja.

On this card the postmark of fieldpost office 161 in Libau. When the "Etappen-Inspektion 8" moved from Tilsit to Libau also fieldpost office number 161 comes to Libau (April 21,1916 - October 21, 1917). A 'Etappe' is the area behind the front and id the connection between the army at the front and the homeland. An Etappen-Inspectoration belongs to each army and the whole was under the Inspector-General of the Etappen- und Eisenbahnwese.
Under the Etappen-Inspektion fell also the fieldpost and further supplies, Lazarett etc.


The letter-stamp, resized 50%.

The card is sent by someone of the 'Kriegs-Lazarett-Abteilung 124.


The picture side of the card: girls-school in Libau.