POSTAGE STAMPS
(1943)

This page was last updated
16-Jul-2024 11:55

3RD ANNIVERSARY OF WEHRMACHT CONTROL

The following souvenir sheet was only used in Holland and was issued by 'Die Deutsche Arbeitsfront N.S. Gemeinschaft "Kraft durch Freude" - 'The German Labor Front National Socialist Community "Strength through Joy" to commemorate three years of the German Army's occupation of Holland.

This sheet is almost always only found with the 1943 Tag der Briefmarke stamp Michel 828 and with the "DEN HAAG" Tag der Briefmark 'Mercury' handstamp. The example below features a random selection of stamps but also has the commemmorate stamp, Michel 828, and the Den HAAG handstamp.



This particular example was very generously donated to my collection by Ronald Visser who lives in the Netherlands. There is an interesting story behind this sheet that is told by Ronald in his own words as follows:

"It's a miracle how this sheet with stamps ended up in a book owned by a Dutchman who suffered quite a lot during the Second World War. He was 19 years old when he was hiding at a farm in the north of the Netherlands. He was betrayed by a policeman and transported by train to Germany. He had to live in devastating circumstances in a German labour camp near Hannover.

Every day the workers (mostly young Dutch boys) marched to the Hanomag factory to help manufacture ammunition for the German Army. Together with 5 other boys he escaped from the camp in 1944 by jumping on a train at Hannover Railway Station. Once in the countryside he left the train and found shelter at a German farm. He could not pass the border, so he worked there for over a year, until the friendly farmer told him the war was over. The next day he walked to the nearest railway station and travelled back home.

He had a very long life afterwards and died in 2019 at the age of 98. After his death his son was clearing the house and discovered this sheet in a book. We'll never know how and why it came into his possession".

Many thanks again to Ronald for his generosity and for sharing this heartwarming story, we can only hope that his father's four companions also made it home and managed to live long lives.