LITHUANIA : LTSR

After the invasion of the Soviet army, June 16, 1940, the Lithuanian Soviet Republic is founded on July 21, 1940. The official name is the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, LTSR, in Lithuanian the Lietuvos Tarubų Socialistinė Respublika.
August 3, 1940, the 'request' for admission to the Soviet Union is accepted by the Supreme Soviet. Stamps with the overprint 'LTSR 1940 VII 21' were issued on 21 August. Also Lithuanian postcards and stamps were used further, so mixed frankings are possible.
After the occupation the old Lithuanian postmarks are used, but also new soviet date-stamps are made.

In an article -in German- F. Löhrich gives a schematic division of the Soviet hand-date-stamps in six types. An article of Aivars Cimermanis gives another division for the Latvian Soviet postmarks: this division is also useful for classification of the Lithuanian postmarks.
The first type are the Provisional postmarks
Type 1a: handwriting 'postmark' (not seen in Lithuania)
Type 1b: rubber-hand date=stamp (not seen in Lithuania)
Type 1c: old -interbellum period- postmarks are used

For the Soviet postmarks 1940-1941 we now have 'The Handbook' of Vytautas Fugalevičius and Martin Bechstedt

Type 12 White star, large, without ЛИТ ССР

• The 5-ray Soviet-star is white (positive) star, so the hammer and sickle within the star are in black
• Date is in a box with the left and right side rounded
• One ring, large, diameter 30 mm.
• Serial letter in script-letter
• Without ЛИТ ССР (LIT. SSR)

Type 13 White star, small, without ЛИТ ССР (Cimermanis type PL-4)

• The 5-ray Soviet-star is white (positive) star, so the hammer and sickle within the star are in black
• The date is in a box with the left and right side rounded
• Lines, date, and CCCP are normal thin letters
• One ring, small, diameter 24-25 mm.
• Serial letter in Latin typefaces
• Without ЛИТ ССР (LIT. SSR)

Here left a postmark of Kaunas, 1941, from a card sent to Germany. This type: only KAUNAS C. Right a more clear illustration from the book of W. Fugalewitsch.

Type 14 Postmarks with date in rectangular box or curved sides,

This postmarks were made 1941.

• The 5-ray Soviet-star is white (positive) star, so the hammer and sickle within the star are in black
• The Lithuanian name on the left side, the Russian indication at the bottom. Also in these postmarks the abbreviation ЛИТ ССР [LIT. SSR] but on the right side.
• Serial in little latin letter.
• Left and right of CCCP at the top: a little star

Type 15

• The 5-ray Soviet-star is black (negativ), and here we see a clear example: the hammer and sickle within the star are white
• One ring, small (25 mm)
• serial latin
• Also in these postmarks the abbreviation ЛИТ ССР [LIT. SSR]

Type 16

• The 5-ray Soviet-star is black (negativ), and here we see a clear example: the hammer and sickle within the star are white.
• One ring, large
• serial cyrillic
• Also in these postmarks the abbreviation ЛИТ ССР [LIT. SSR]

Cover send from Kaunas to the (again) German Memel with mixed franking: Lithuanian stamps and LTSR-overprints. This letter is sent 25-12-1940. The rate for an international letter was 55 centų or 50 kopecks between 08-12-1940 and 15-02-1941.
The postmark of Kaunas is an old interbellum postmark. According the handbook of Vytautas Fugalevičius and Martin Bechstedt used 25.XII.38 - 15.II.41.

The LTSR-overprints, issued August 21, 1940, Mi. 449-456, are on the Lituanian stamps Mi. 408, 416 and 437-442. The postage stamps on this cover are Mi. 450, overprinted on Mi 437.


15 February the last Lithuanian stamps -inclusive LTSR-overprints- were on sale. March 24, 1941, was the last day of circulation. The next dat, 25 March the Lithuanian currency, the litas, was withdrawn from circulation.

De Sovjetbezettingen in Europa 1939-1941 / Joseph Stier In: HBG 2015 ; 67. - p. 4-14. - About: Soviet occupations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: historical background, illustrations (also mixed franking), postal rates



Die Sowjetische Post in Litauen 1939-1941 / von M. Schmuely In: ZfRSP 1985 ; Heft 38. - S. 53-65. - About: Sovjet-Post in Lithuania 1939-1941


The German censorship on the backside.

Handbook:

• Litauen : Handbuch der Philatelie und Postgeschichte
  Teil 4 : Poststempel in Litauen : Normstempel und provisorische Entwertungen 1918 1940/41 = Pa353to antspaudai Lietuvoje = Postal markings in Lithuanua with tables in English / Vytautas Fugalevičius, Martin Bechstedt
  . - Bargteheide : Martin Bechstedt Verlag, 2015. - 380 p. - ISBN 978-3-942841-02-6
  Postal markings of Lithuania 1918-1940/41, illusatrations with types and dates of use: Lithunian standard postmarks, maritime postal markings, railway post, fieldpost markings, commemorative postal markings, postal machine (slogan) markings, commercial machine prepayment, provisional cancellations, cyrillic standard postmarks 1940/41, Data-facts-information-literature, supplement.
  Lithuanian Standard Postmarks 1940/41: p. 259-281

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.

The postmark, resized 50 %.

About the LTSR stamps

• The stamps of Lithuania during the first Sovjet occupation / Ričardas Vainora. - In: Rossica 1997 ; 128-129. - p. 215-217. - About: postage stamps of Lithuania during the first Sovjet occupation, last day on sale and last day in circulation of the Lithuanian stamps, 1940-1941