Exhibits
JIM MAZEPA
Poland: Warsaw-Praga Post Offices
October 1944-1945
BACKGROUND
In the summer of 1944 the Russian Army advanced rapidly on the Eastern Front. Vistula River divides Warsaw. The east side of the river is known as the Praga District, the west side is the City Center. Praga was liberated by Polish units fighting with the Russian Army on September 14, 1944. Postal communications were resumed in Praga in early October. A majority of the letters were sent to the Swiss Red Cross.
The Home Army (Armia Krajowa) rose up against the Germans on August 1st (Warsaw Uprising) with the promise the Russian Army would cross the Vistula. Stalin ordered the Russians not to cross the Vistula. He saw the Home Army as anti-communist. Stalin allowed the Germans to totally decimate Warsaw and its citizens. The Russians crossed the Vistula January 17, 1945, and postal services resumed in all of Warsaw
Treatment
The purpose here is to document the eight Warsaw-Praga offices and one suboffice, Rembertow. The first office opened in early October 1944. We think we know the first two offices that opened (#s 04 and 23), and these are noted. Since we do not know the chronology of when the others opened, the exhibit proceeds according to the numerical designation of the offices except closing with office “2” as the last office to open. All known information is included: addresses of the POs, earliest date seen, number of existing covers, special information. The routing is noted to give an idea of the transit time, but an analysis of the complicated routes is beyond the scope of this exhibit and requires a separate study.
IMPORTANCE
These are the first post offices to open in Warsaw as the war was ending. These have an even higher political significance in Polish/Russian relations. Surprisingly as important as this time is to Polish philatelic and political history, I have not seen a recent exhibit in Poland of this area.
KNOWLEDGE/RESEARCH
There is very little written about this subject. Here is an in-depth analysis of each office based on my examination of over 300 covers. I have six original discoveries (noted by an icon). When there is some, but not conclusive, evidence, this is noted with a “?”. Other more important covers are noted by a red mat.
What is shown and analyzed here are the “cream of the cream”, these are not the usual covers, only the most difficult to find and missing in most collections. With the rarity exhibited here, it might be possible to add a few pages, but not a second frame without excessive padding from the commonly found offices.
RARITY
Shown are what is missing in most collections/exhibits: offices #38 (both types), 4 and 7 of each recorded, #50 4 recorded, #2 4 recorded, Rembertow suboffice, only recorded 1944 use, two October 1944 usages (#s23 and 26), only use to Portugal. Thus, I have fulfilled my stated purpose of this OFE, to document all the post offices of Warsaw-Praga district in one place. I believe this has not been accomplished before. (Recorded/seen= census done by the exhibitor)
CONDITION
Some times “ugly and tattered” is beautiful. These covers show the ravages of war as families search via the Red Cross for those missing. A conservative estimate would be that 95+% of Praga covers were sent to the Red Cross in Geneva.
