A Review by Ernest M. Cohen
Kriegsausgaben unter deutscher Besetzung 1940-1945 (War Issues Under German Occupation 1940-1945), by Karl Heimann, 1997, 76 pp. incl. 8 with unnumbered color ills., 51 ills. incl. many maps, 6 x 8¼", softbound, No. 148 (new series) of Poststempelgilde (Postmark Guild), DM 24.00 + 1.50 postage from author, Karl Heimann, An der Turnhalle 40, D-34134 Kassel, Germany.
A recent first exchange of letters led to the author's informing me about his publication, thus prompting me to add it to my holdings of publications about unusual philatelic topics.
In the foreword, Helmut Oeleker, head of the Guild, rephrases a quotation from Brühl's History of Philately (vol. 1, p. 119): "As they get older, they become more genuine," attributed to Kurt Karl Doberer. That will show the reader what the author thinks about the issues described and discussed here.
In his own foreword, the author notes that the German post office had no connection with the stamp issues discussed in this booklet. He also doubts that authenticity can be claimed with certainty, given the possibility that these issues were created years after the end of the war. In at least one case, the 'semipostals' of Brac (p. 28, his quotation marks), he mentions that expertizers have ceased to authenticate such material. (That is precisely what they should do as concerns Buffalo Balloon labels, with but two exceptions, and all Vineta Provisionals.)
Heimann assembled all available information of a geographic, historical, and philatelic character as well as eye witness accounts - many of which are contradictory and untrustworthy before drawing his conclusions. Most, if not all, these products have not seen any postal service.
The collected articles cover local French issues of Dunkirk 1940, Lorient 1945, and St. Nazaire 1945; Balkan issues of Albania, "semipostals" of Brac, 1944 Macedonia; and Saloniki; Soviet Union issues of Ljady, the Ukraine, the areas of Gorochow, Lubomi and WladimirWolynsk, issues with swastika imprint, map stamp of Gorochow, unissued (!) stamps; and the vignettes of the foreign volunteer legions, as listed in the Michel specialized catalogues.
As always in such cases, philatelists are free to collect whatever they wish, of course. They might wish to inform themselves about the nature of their collectibles, however. It is good to know whether an adhesive was created at the time it is claimed to have been in existence, has done postal service at that time, or is a souvenir (bogus, cinderella, or whatever) that was prepared merely to make money for its originators.
The booklet is reviewed here to remind (1) collectors that not everything for which a certificate is issued is necessarily what it purports to be; (2) expertizers that they ought to keep up with the literature about their specialties, and that not everything listed in some catalogue must be expertized; as well as (3) catalogue editors that listings should not be cast in concrete but be reviewed in the light of new knowledge.
Heimann clearly shows how to differentiate between postal history and souvenirs generally. The booklet is highly recommended to those who know German well.
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