WWII era Military Mail

MAJOR DISCOVERY - the 15 mils EXPERIMENTAL COIL stamp on THICK vertically ribbed paper, in dark greenish-blue, tied to WWII Australian forces in Palestine 2 JUNE 1941 postmarked cover from 2nd Brigade HQ Post Office W.2. (undocumented usage period: either KHASSA or QASTINA) to Barclays Bank JERUSALEM; as not marked "OAS" (on active service), the cover was handled as civilian mail and franked 15m -...

Early WWII air mail rates & 1940 improvisations: 100 mil franking for Ala Littoria trans-atlantic service tied to 24 Apr 1940 postmarked civilian cover (not endorsed "On Active Service"), sent from British Army field post office FPO 122 (TULKARM) to ALEXANDRIA Virginia USA, using 2x dismantled booklet panes of 5m & 10m pictorial stamps (note the upper horizontal perforations) + 5m additional singl...

Army Post Office routing on postwar civilian mail (triple re-routed): 30 MAY 1946 uprated postcard in Polish(?) on Polish postal stationary from Mariam Berlas SŁUPSK to Jewish soldier (Erus Schutzer) in 179 Palestine Company Royal Army Service Corps General Transport UDINE Italy, pre-franked 1.50L (additional 1.50L frank removed at top); backstamped 15 July 1946 BAPO 15 (NAPLES) transit - sc...

Early WWII Palestine military air mail via civilian post: 7 MARCH 1940 airmail cover on civilian stationary from Palestine to SYDNEY Australia, franked 60m in checkerboard pattern using 4x 5m & 4x 10m Pictorals stamps + British "Air Mail" etiquette at top left.As cover itself tied by Australian Army RAILHEAD P.O. R.M.1. travelling post office (TPO) circular date-stamp, the cover originated in the ...

WWII Australian-British military mail in Palestine - last empire-wide airmail: 8 JUNE 1940 airmailed green honour envelope (by J.D. & Co., Apsley) from BASE P.O. B.W.I. (BW1 - Sacher #K53; Advance Base Post Office, JERUSALEM) to SOUTH YARRA Australia, franked 60m per period air mail rate for bi-weekly eastbound (to SYDNEY) mail service via Imperial Airlines/BOAC (as of 18 Oct. 1939 until 10 June 1...

WWII British military mail in Palestine - Italy enters War: 10 JUNE 1940 airmailed green honour envelope from FPO 123 (SARAFAND) to CLEETHORPES, franked 25m using Mandate pictorials & tied by 2 strikes of FPO postmark + air mail etiquette; as per 25m rate used, the cover was to be carried by Italian Ala Littoria airlines (Imperial Airlines charged 60m in this period & the KLM route ceased as of 10...

Interim alternative mail route between Empire Air Mail & Horseshoe Route periods: 15 JUNE 1940 postmarked green honour envelope (by J.D. & Co., Apsley) from FPO 122 (TULKARM) to CLIFTONVILLE (misspelled "-mille"), with additional 25m franking for air mail service, using 5x 5m Mandate pictorals (scarce multiple franking) at the period Ala Littoria Italian air mail rate to the UK (no other possibili...

WWII Australian-British military mail in Palestine / 'Horseshoe Route': 15 SE 1940 airmailed green honour envelope from FPO 122 (TULKARM) to EDINBURGH Scotland, franked 1s/3d (15d = 15 pence = 60 mils) at period 'horseshoe route' rate, using British stamps & tied by 2 strikes of FPO postmark; return addressed to soldier of D Troop, 4th Battery, 2/2 Field Regiment, 6th Division of 2nd Australian Im...

Early Free French censored mail: 6 JULY 1941 "On Active Service" air mail cover on Palestine-made "DOAR" company manufactured airmail stationary from Indian Army FPO 90 (ASMARA, Eritrea) to Barclays Bank JERUSALEM, franked 9 Anna (back) per Indian air rate & tied by 3 strikes of FPO postmark + passed censor with officer's endorsement (triangular cachet on front); backstamped 9 JLY 41 BASE OFFICE 2...

WWII Polish Forces in Palestine mail: 24 JULY 1944 stampless cover from Polish military field post office PP 112 (territorial headquarters of the Polish Army in the Middle East, JERUSALEM) to soldier in 1st Company at BARBARA CAMP near GAZA (eg. "Yunak" - in the post-April 1944 period of Polish forces in Palestine, likely someone unfit or underaged for the military) & tied by full strike of POCZTA...

WWII British military postal markings: OCT 1944 Mandate postal stationary postcard from TEL AVIV to Hebrew-speaking addressee with 'Middle East Force', pre-franked 7m & tied by machine cancel & double-ring postmark; tied by Deputy Field Chief Censor cachet (CAIRO), re-routed 12 OCT with "Last Location at O2E MEF" (Operations 2nd Echeleon, Middle East Force) adhesive applied & backstamped same day ...

Untaxed mail Jewish Brigade soldier: 12 JU 1946 family correspondence cover from TEL AVIV (return addressed GIVATAYIM) to relative in Jewish Brigade (assigned to British Army on the Rhine), franked 10m per inland letter rate (should have been 20m for non-UK surface mail - but not taxed, probably because to a soldier), tied by strike of local postmark; backstamped 22 JU 46 FPO 690 (ANTWERP) arrival...