Originally published in the Czech language in journal TERRA

English Translation by a Mr. Thielk´s Friend of Great Britain

Cesky obsah

Tento clanek se zabyva padelanymi celistvostmi s vymyslenym cenzurnim razitkem Vojtanov (Voitersreuth) z doby první svetove války.

Quite a lot of correspondence of Austro-Hungarian soldiers, and especially of officers in Russian Prisoners Of War Camps, is preserved and it is very popular amongst philatelists. The following, about such a correspondence, is reported so that collectors can be aware of possible problem.

Hauptmann (Captain) Wilhem von Helmfeld, held in Siberian Prisoners of War Camp at Tomsk, wrote very often to his spouse in Vienna (to address Ungargasse 24-9, Wien III). From numbering of his cards we know that he was a very diligent writer. So far nine cards are known to me from the years 1916 – 1917. In most cases they show different military censorship hand stamps and all have received, before delivery, the red triangle censor hand stamp of the ”Gemeinsames Zentrales Nachweis-Büro Wien” (type 2.12 as per Thilek´s catalogue) .

None of the items known to me could be delivered to the addressee in Vienna, so they received the large hand stamp “Abgereist / Parti” (= departed) and the postal hand stamp “Nachsenden” (= forward) . The new address was added in manuscript “Schloss Altenteich, Post Voitersreuth – Böhmen” (= Castle Starý rybník, post office Vojtanov – Bohemia) . Some of the cards could not be delivered at Vojtanov and received another forwarding address : per Adr. Liessen in Cöln a/Rhein, Mauritiuswall 67. So far all the postal and censorship markings should be correct as some of the cards received the arrival post marks of Voitersreuth and Cöln (= Colonia).

However, I believe that some manipulations have been made to increase the value of these items. The cards show hand stamp, made of loose letters “K.u.K. ZENSURSTELLE / VOITERSREUTH” and additionally the single line “ZENSURIERT” . The cards forwarded to Cöln show yet another hand stamp “ Zensuriert / GZ.B. Zensurabt. CÖLN a.Rh. “ . Four of the cards carry a further hand stamp “TOMSK” in exactly the same type of loose letters. All these hand stamps are, to my thinking, from the same source, added later and are forgeries.

To support my assumption I offer the following fact :

• Several years of studies in the archives in Vienna and Prague and inquiries of expert collectors led to the conclusion that there never was a censor station at the tiny village Voitersreuth (in Czech Vojtanov) near the Bohemian – German border. At this time (1916 – 1917) the mail to Germany was no longer censored. Temporary control was made at single border exchange stations by the “Ambulate Zensurkommission” , which belonged to the censor station in Vienna. The locations, with corresponding dates, for this travelling censorship are available in the archive of Prague, but Voitersreuth is not included. Meanwhile the existence of a censor station Voitersreuth would surely have come to our knowledge by now from other postal items.
• According to the most recent research there never existed a “GZ.B. Zensurabt. Cöln a.Rh.”
• And finally the hand stamp TOMSK is totally absurd. If there was a hand stamp at the Russian Prisoners of War camp or the post office of Tomsk, than it would be in Cyrillic letters.

It has to be pointed out again, that all the hand stamps mentioned are made of single letter types. Some of the letters found in each of the hand stamps show the same characteristics. To make the whole thing complete, I know of one card addressed direct to Altenteich / Voitersreuth and forwarded to Colonia that doesn’t show any of these doubtful marks.

To conclude, I think these are indubitable forged censor marks.

I would be very grateful to receive photocopies of any items with these hand stamps. Please send them to my address … . Thank you in advance.