In important cities a 'Militärgouvernement were established, Mitau, Grodno, Kowno (Kaunas) en Wilno (Vilnius). The coordination and central leadership of the Etappenverwaltungen came on 3-11-1915 under the staff of Oberbefehlshabers Ost in a 'Zentral-verwaltung', under which came the Verwaltungschefs.
This 'Verwaltungsgebiet des Oberbefehlshabers Ost' were the 'Postgebiet Ob.Ost' by the philatelists. The ares near the frontline, the Etappengebiet of the front-troops, fell outside this area.
Postgebiet Ober-Ost
In the beginning of the German occupation every post-mailing was forbidden for the civilian population. In an decree of the Governor of Vilnius, von Wegner:
" Nr. 19 Bekanntmachung
Jede Beförderung von Briefen, Karten, Schriftstücken aller Art, Drucksachen und Zeitungen von Ort zu Ort ist verboten. Zuwiderhandlungen werden mit Geldstrafe bis 5000 Mark und Gefängnis bis zu einem Jahre, wahlweise oder nebeneinander, in Wiederholungsfalle mit der doppelten Strafe bedroht.
Wilna, den 12. Oktober 1915
Der Gouverneur
gez. Wegner
Generalleutnant"
"Nr. 19 Decree
Every sending of letters, cards, all kind of writings, printed matter and newspapers from place to place is forbidden. Offences were punished with a money-punshment to 5000 Mark and gail to one year, option or both, in case of repeat with the double punishment.
Vilnius..."
Yet on initiative of the Oberbefehlshaber Ost was set up: "Deutsche Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung im Postgebiete des Oberbefehlshabers Ost", P.T.V. Ob.Ost for short.
In a decree of 14-1-1916 the Oberbefehlshaber Ost established the 'Kaiserliche deutsche P.T.V. Ob.Ost' in the 'Etappengebiet' of the Oberbefehlshabers Ost.
During the German occupation the post of Lithuania came under the "Postgebiet Ober-Ost", the postal service of the Oberbefehlshaber Ost (supreme commander East). In the postmarks the Polisk "Wilno" is not used longer for Vilnius, but the German name "Wilna".
On 15 January German post offices were opened, wich had to see to the private postal traffic of the citizens with the postal area of "Ober-Ost", Generalgouvernement Warsaw, and with Germany.
Also in Vilnius a post office were opened for this at the Grosze Strasse 12, where citizens could bring and get mail.
There was no postal delivery, but besides the German Post Office there was local mail in Vilnius, which delivered post. This delivery brought along with one additional costs and one had a special postmark "GEBÜHR 10 PF".
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Vilnius and the rest of Lithuania were no longer part of 'Russian-Polen', so new overprintings were maked on German postage stamps. The overprinting for 'Postgebiet Ob. Ost' had the same type as the stamps for 'Russian-Polen'. Original print size of this image: 15,680 x 10,244 cm (is something more as the postal item). 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. |
Registered letter with German postmark WILNA 23-5 1916 (Vilnius) to Breslau. With a German registering-label. The violet postmark "M.P.k." is of the censorship in Königsberg. In a wide border zone of Germany offices were established for the control of the mail., whre all mail had to be controled. more inside the country there was no checking of interior postal traffic. A "Postüberwachungsstelle", a mail control-office, were set up also in Königsberg, where the supreme command of the First Army Corps had its seat. "M.P.k." is short for "Militärische Postkontrolle" (military postcontrol). The M and P are 5 mm high, the k is 3 mm. The postmarks were used from 1916 to 1918, especially for mail from and to the Baltic area and the Postal area Ober-Ost. General instruction was, that in foreign countries all letters had to be send open. If letters arrived sealed by the postcontrol, they were send back to the sender. Inland post was opened only by suspection, by example in consequence of a suspected adress. Illegible or difficult legible writings were not allowed. In case of impermissible statements attachment or returning followed. To 26 December 1918 Ob. Ost stayed in Vilnius.
From many cities there are papers with these stamps, but mostly only adressed to 'Dahmann', 'Noske' or other philatelic producers.
Literature
 Original print size of this image: 14,131 x 7,832 cm (is something more as the postal item). | Registered letter, with German registering-postmark and the stamp "EINSCHREIBEN" (to register), to Berlin. The censorship-postmark "M.P.k." is black. This postmark occured in violet, red, and black. Three Types cancellation were used: Type I: at the top the placename and at the bottom three stars Type II: when a place has more postmarks, at the top the placename an at the bottom two stars with a identifying character between Type III: at the top the placename and at the bottom a n addition, for example (Kurland) In Vilnius Type I and two times Type II (a and b) were used. The letter up here is cancelled with Type II, identifying character 'a', of the Main Post Office of Vilnius. Further below we see a card with Type I of Vilnius. The cancellations were used also as arrival stamp. |
| Postal stationery of Ob. Ost with postmark of the censorship in Königsberg: Geprüft und freigegeben Überwachunsstelle Königsberg i. Pr. = Checked and Released Censor's Office Königsberg i. Pr. (in Prussia) Original print size of this image: 14,182 x 9,153 cm (is something more as the postal item). |
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Censorship in Vilnius
On 6 january 1916 a censorship-office has been set up in Vilnius.
In the beginning the post is censored by the Government, and in this perios is used a 3-line postmark, something as above:
Geprüft und freigegeben
Kaiserliches Gouvernement, A..
Wilna, den .......
Here below a cover with censorship mark: a "W" (Wilna = Vilnius) in a circle (diameter 13 mm). This type is used between June 1916 and november 1917.
A second type, with a more thick "W" and diameter 15 mm is used from january to july 1918. This last type seems to me to see on the cover here below.
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Original print size of this image: 18,855 x 12,404 cm (is something more as the postal item). The postmark and censorship-mark of Vilnius, resized 50 %:  |  |
The censorship-office of Vilnius was used for censoring the post from Lithuania to occupied Russia.
The post between Ob.Ost and Germary was censored in the Überwachunsstelle Königsberg i. Pr., Censor's Office Königsberg i. Pr. (in Prussia). The postmark of this office we have seen on the card, postal stationery, above.
More about censorship in Vilnius:
Card with the Ob.Ost-postmark of Poniwiez, in Lithuanian Panevezys.
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Original print size of this image: 14,283 x 9,305 cm (is something more as the postal item). The postmark, resized 50 %:  |
There is used a fieldpostcard, but the card is considered as private post.
