Revised Sept. 1, 2004

Synopsis
 Carpatho-Ukraine, 1944-45 Postal Stationery

Background

The region known as Carpatho-Ukraine was liberated by the Red Army in late October, 1944.  Representatives of the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile accompanied rear echelon Soviet troops, and set up operations in Chust.  In mid-January 1945, this body moved on to Košice in Slovakia .  Government authority in the region then devolved to the National Council of Carpatho-Ukraine, commonly known by its Ukrainian initials - NRZU.

During the period of Czechoslovak authority, some officially overprinted postal stationery items were issued at Chust.  These saw little if any actual use.  In addition, a wide variety of privately overprinted postal stationery items appeared in Mukačevo (which likewise saw almost no use).

Under NRZU authority, Carpatho-Ukraine was (de facto) autonomous from mid-January to November 15, 1945 (when the region was incorporated into the Soviet Union ).  In addition to issuing a large number of stamps, the NRZU was responsible for several items of postal stationery.

Purpose of Exhibit

This exhibit begins with a few local items from Chust and Mukačevo, but the bulk of the material consists of NRZU issues.  In my case at least, this is well-suited to a single frame exhibit since I only had to omit a small number of items.  In contrast, a complete collection would probably fit in two frames (at most three) and would be hard pressed to win a decent award.  

References

The Michel Ganzachen-Katalog Europa-Ost 2001/2002 expanded its coverage of Carpatho-Ukraine to 4 pages, but unfortunately introduced many typographical errors into the revised text (mostly the omission of all special characters such as ä, ö and ü in the smaller text).  A photocopy of this section is attached.

Two pertinent articles are available on the Internet as part of an eventual Handbook of Classic Ukrainian Philately.  See <http://www.upns.org/new/handbook/index.htm>.

Chapter   7 – AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STAMPS OF CARPATHO-UKRAINE, 1939 and 1945
Chapter 15 – CARPATHO-UKRAINIAN POSTAL STATIONERY, 1939 and 1945

The bibliography from the Chapter 15 article is reproduced on the next page.  A more comprehensive bibliography on Carpatho-Ukraine philately may be found at <http://www.jaypex.com/C-U/CUlit.html>.  The absolute best reference on this subject is the catalog by Georg von Steiden published in 2000 (bilingual German and Ukrainian).

The exhibit itself has also been uploaded to <http://www.jaypex.com/Exhibits/CUps.html >.  Last minute changes are of course a possibility.

Challenge Factor

There are a few Carpatho-Ukraine postal cards that can be obtained without much difficulty.  However, the majority of cards are very difficult to find and some are next to impossible.  Used cards are about ten times as scarce as mint ones.  This exhibit represents the culmination of over 30 years of collecting Carpatho-Ukraine material.

Exhibit History

Recently, two used Mukačevo cards have been added to the exhibit, replacing two Berehovo cards that were duplicative. 

Bibliography

1.        Blaha, Miroslav. Zakarpatsko. Prague : Svaz Ceskych Filatelistu, 1989. (In Czech)

2.        Bulat, John. “Postage Stamps, Postcards, and Cancellation Stamps of the 1944 Czecho-Slovak Republic .” Ukrainian Philatelist No. 40 (1977): 2-5.

3.        Carrigan, Jay T. Carpatho-Ukraine: The 1945 People's Council Issues. Fairfax , VA : JayCorp, Inc., 1992.

4.        Michel Ganzsachen-Katalog Europa Ost 2001/02. Munich: Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH, 2001. (In German)

5.        Petretsky, Vasyl. “Pochtovye Marki Zakarpatskoi Ukrainy” (The Postage Stamps of Carpatho-Ukraine). Sovetskii Kollektsioner No. 21 (1983): 23-41. (In Russian)

6.        Rauch, Walter J. Anmerkungen zur Postgeschichte der Karpaten-Ukraine, Teil 1: Stempel, Marken, Überdrücke, Ganzsachen and Teil 2: Postorte, Katalogisierung und Bewertung. Hamminkeln: Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Tschechoslowakei e. V., 1975. (In German; despite the titles, Ganzsachen (postal stationery) are treated in Teil 2.)

7.        Richet, Roger. Les diverses emissions et obliterations de la Russie Subcarpathique et de la Slovaquie du Sud (1860-1965). Societe Philatelique France-Europe Centrale. (In French)

8.        Simády, Béla. Kárpátalja Postatörténete. Budapest : Magyar Bélyeggyüjtók Országos Szövetsége, 1991. (In Hungarian)

9.        Shulewsky, Michael. A Listing of the Postal Stationery of Transcarpathian Ukraine 1944-1945. Kensington , CT : Tryzub Stamp Co., 1995.

10.    Táborský, František. Zakarpatská Ukrajina. Brno , 1968. (In Czech)

11.    von Steiden, Georg. Spezialkatalog Karpaten-Ukraine. Munich : Privately issued, 2000. (In German and Ukrainian)