Correios de Portugal 125 Anniversary of Railways in Portugal

CTT - CORREIOS DE PORTUGAL in 1981 issued a series of four commemorative stamps marking 125 anniversary railways in Portugal.  The stamps were offset lithographs printed on Esmaltado paper with a phosphorescent band. Shown here is one of the stamps -- a 1948 'Alco' Diesel Locomotive -- affixed to a maxim card.

La Poste Algerie Islamic Architecture

LA POSTE ALGERIE in 1954 issued a stamp depicting an aspect of Islamic architecture. Shown here is a stamp representative of an Arabesque fountain with mosaic motif. It was affixed to a maxim card and postmark Algiers 1954,

Sahara Espanol Correos (Pro-Infancia) Cervantes and Don Quixote

SAHARA ESPANOL CORREOS (PRO-INFANCIA) in June 1958 issued a series of first day cover stamps honoring Miguel de Cervantes and his fictional hero Don Quixote. Two stamps of Cervantes were released. One stamp featured Don Quixote and Sancho Panza talking on horseback, against the background of a windmill is visible. And another stamp of Don Quixote with caged lion was issued at the same time.

The original first day cover cachet depicts Cervantes and Don Quixote and Sancho Panza on horseback.

La Poste France World Cup Alpine Ski Champion Jean-Claude Killy

LA POSTE FRANCE in 2000 issued a first day cover stamp of former World Cup alpine ski racer, Jean-Claude Killy.

Jean-Claude Killy dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, becoming the most successful athlete there. He also won the first two World Cup titles, in 1967 and 1968.

Pochta Rossii 100th Anniverary of Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov

POCHTA ROSSII (Russian Post) on 21 May 2021 released a series of first day cover stamps entitled  “Nobel Prize Winners” -- 100 Years since the birth of Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (1921-1989), scientist and public figure.

Andrey Dmitrievich Sakharov was a Soviet and Russian nuclear physicist, dissident, Nobel laureate, and activist for disarmament, peace and human rights. He was also one of the creators of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, USSR People’s Deputy, and three times the Hero of Socialist Labor.

He is credited with the design of the Soviet Union’s RDS-37, a code name for Soviet development of thermonuclear weapons. Sakharov later became an advocate for civil liberties and civil reforms in the Soviet Union, for which he faced state persecution. These efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. Sakharov also actively advocated the end of nuclear weapons tests, together with V. Chalidze. In spring 1989, he was elected an MP. As a member of the Constitutional Commission, he proposed a new draft Constitution for Russia. The Sakharov Prize, which is awarded annually by the European Parliament for people and organizations dedicated to human rights and freedoms, is named in his honour.

In addition to the release of the postage stamp, envelopes of the first day were published and a special harness for Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ulyanovsk were made.

La Poste France Antoine de Saint Exupery

LA POSTE FRANCE in 2000 issued a first day cover stamp honouring Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of "The Little Prince (La Petit Prince)".

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote and illustrated "The Little Prince" in 1943 while an exile living on Long Island (USA). He was a well-known French aviator who drew much of the book's content from his experiences in North Africa, WWII and his personal life. Various chapters and characters were deleted in the final draft. The book went from 33,000 words and several drafts till it was finally distilled to a little less than 70 pages.

Although the book is considered a simple children’s tale, it is filled with profound riddles that speak to adults as well as children. The novella has been translated into over 180 different languages and is one of the best selling books of all time.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry died in 1944 while flying a Lockheed P-38 Lightening on a reconnaissance mission over the Mediterranean. Hence the image featured in this cachet.

USPS 200th Annversary of Captain James Cook's Visits to Hawaii and Alaska

USPS in 1978 issued a first day cover stamp marking Captain James Cook’s 200th anniversary visits to Hawaii and Alaska in 1778.  A two stamp se-tenant was also released. This issue was unique in that one of the stamps was printed vertically and the other printed horizontally. Shown here is his  visit to Alaska.

British explorer and navigator  Captain James Cook volunteered  to search for a Northwest Passage (1776-79) – a way to sail from the northern Atlantic Ocean to the northern Pacific Ocean.  During that expedition, Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to set foot in the Hawaiian Islands on 18 January 1778. Cook named Hawaii the “Sandwich Islands,” after the British chief naval minister, the Earl of Sandwich.  The Hawaiians believed Cook had divine powers and considered him a great chief.  After engaging in friendly trade, Cook left the islands after two weeks.  

Cook then sailed north and explored Alaska.  His voyage there added an enormous amount of information to the blank spots on the maps of the northern coast.  However, large walls of ice forced Cook to leave the area and he returned to Hawaii in November 1778.

Cook’s arrival in Hawaii coincided with an important festival.  Many historians speculate that the islanders believed Cook was fulfilling a Hawaiian legend – the return of their “sea god,” Lono.  Regardless, the Europeans were welcomed with great hospitality.  However, friction soon developed between the crew and the islanders.

USPS 100th Birth Anniversary of American Poet Robert Frost

USPS on 23 August 1970 issued the first stamp in the American Poet Series honouring Edgar Lee Masters. Over the decade, stamps dedicated to Emily Dickinson, Sidney Lanier, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg,  Edna St. Vincent Millay and Robert Frost followed.

In 1974, the US Post Office honoured Robert Frost.  The stamp was released on his 100th birthday – 26 March 1974 – in Derry, New Hampshire, where Frost lived for nine years and produced some of his best-loved poems.  The graceful, plain-language poems were inspired by New England’s beauty, landscapes, folkways, and speech patterns.  Frost won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry four times.  He also received a gold medal from Congress and was the first poet to read at a presidential inauguration, that being at the behest of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Singapore Post Covid-19 Series II - "A Tribute to Frontline Heroes"

SINGAPORE POST on 6 August 2021 issued their Covid-19 Series II  called "A Tribute to Frontline Heroes". Ten stamps dedicatd to each pf the frontline heroes and and a mini souvenir sheet (shown here) were released.

We live among heroes, the everyday folk in our neighbourhoods who are the vanguard in the war against COVID-19. From healthcare workers to transport workers, from hawkers and cleaners to safe distancing ambassadors, migrant workers to teachers and volunteers; they fight an enemy unseen while fighting their own anxieties yet hold their posts with responsibility and diligence.

Overcoming fear, fatigue and discomfort, in the face of risks and restrictions, these heroes go about their work with dignity. They inspire confidence for Singapore as they bring a semblance of normality to the country in the strangest of times: what a mighty force — physical, psychological, economic — they are.

Specifications
Date of Issue: 6 August 2021
Denominations: 1st Local x 2, 2nd Local, 40¢, 50¢, 60¢, 70¢, 90¢, $1.15, $1.40
Stamp Sizes: 33mm x 38mm
Miniature Sheet Size: 140mm x 75mm
Perforation: 13
Paper: Unwatermarked
Printing Process: Offset Lithography (Stamps)
Printer: Secura Singapore Pte Ltd
Sheet Content: 10 stamps per sheet
Designer: Agnes Ta

Isle of Man "Carry Us Through" Covid-19 Series

ISLE OF MAN POST OFFICE Office on 4 May 2020  issued  a collection of eight stamps  in response to the global pandemic health crisis brought about by Covid -19, Coronavirus.

The stamps reflect the unique response of an Island population to the challenges brought by coronavirus; highlighting the message that Love, Faith, Care, Compassion, Work, Community, Words and Science will #CarryUsThrough these unprecedented times.

The issue is presented on the underlying themes of strength, fortitude and love during a global crisis, celebrating the people making such a contribution to our lives; NHS workers, key staff including postal workers, carers, volunteers, our community and the scientists and educators who will develop vaccines and educate our children.

The stamps proudly display the three legs of Man, its meaning: “Whithersoever way you throw us, we will stand”. This motto summarises the Manx spirit and the determination of our people to fight on through this crisis.

A donation from the sale of these stamps was made to the Manx Solidarity Fund.

Source: Isle of Man Post

Deutsche Bundespost Carl Schurz in Conjuntion with U.S. Bicentennial

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST in 1976 issued a commemorative stamp honouring German-American Carl Christian Schurz (1829-1906) who was a German revolutionary, lawyer, newspaper editor, American Major General during the U.S. Civil War, U.S. Ambassador to Spain, American statesman, U.S. senator and reformer. He was featured in this stamp with the caption "Fur die Freiheit in Deutschland und Amerika" (For freedom in Germany and America"). The stamp was released in conjunction with the celebration of the U.S. bicentennial in 1976. He was previously honoured in a 20 pfennig West Germany stamp in 1949 and a 4 cent U.S. postage stamp in 1982.

Born in the Kingdom of Prussia's Rhine Province, Schurz fought for democratic reforms in the German revolutions of 1848–49 as a member of the academic fraternity association Deutsche Burschenschaft. While at Bonn, Schurz befriended his professor, Gottfried Kinkel. Together they created a newspaper that pushed for democratic reforms following the German revolutions of 1848. Schurz then answered the call to take up arms to defend the new German constitution. He served in the revolutionary army and fought several battles against the Prussian Army. During that fighting, he was the adjunct officer of the commander of the artillery. In 1849, Schurz and the revolutionaries were defeated at the fortress of Rastatt. Schurz escaped before the Prussians began killing prisoners and fled to Zurich.

After Prussia suppressed the revolution Schurz fled to France. When police forced him to leave France he migrated to London. Like many other "Forty-Eighters," he then immigrated to the United States, settling in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1852. After being admitted to the Wisconsin bar, he established a legal practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also became a strong advocate for the anti-slavery movement and joined the newly organized Republican Party, unsuccessfully running for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. After briefly representing the United States as Minister (ambassador) to Spain, Schurz served as a general in the American Civil War, fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg and other major battles.

After the war, Schurz established a newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri, and won election to the U.S. Senate, becoming the first German-born American elected to that body. Breaking with Republican President Ulysses S. Grant, Schurz helped establish the Liberal Republican Party. The party advocated civil service reform and opposed Grant's efforts to protect African-American civil rights in the Southern United States during Reconstruction. Schurz lost his own 1874 re-election bid and resumed his career as a newspaper editor.

After Republican Rutherford B. Hayes won the 1876 presidential election, he appointed Schurz as his Secretary of the Interior. Schurz sought to make civil service based on merit rather than political and party connections and helped prevent the transfer of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the War Department. Schurz moved to New York City after Hayes left office in 1881 and briefly served as the editor of the New York Evening Post and The Nation and later became the editorial writer for Harper's Weekly. Although he opposed William Jennings Bryan for president in 1896,  four years later he supported William Jennings Bryan's anti-imperialist position.

His wife, Margarethe Schurz nee Meyer, opened the first kindergarten in the United States.

He remained active in politics until his death at age 77, in 1906. 

Source: Wikipedia

India Post Swachhta Pakhwada Campaign

INDIA POST in 2019 issued a first day cover stamp series called  "Swachhta Pakhwada". This year-long cleanliness drive was part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan of the Government of India from 16 November 2019 to 30 November 2019. Shown here is a souvenir sheet of the campaign.

Additionally, all Postal Units, Post Offices and Mail Offices undertook the campaign. The Pakhwada campaign commenced on 10 November 2019 by displaying “National Post Day” banner on main gate of Postal Offices and organising a debate competition on subject relate to “India Post”. 

As per the directive of Government of India for creating awareness among the public about the Swachhta Abhiyan and preserving of water, all post-related units also carried out painting of letter boxes, cleanliness of post offices, mail offices and postal colonies, weeding out old records, shramdaan by staff members, planting trees, essay competition on Swachh Bharat Mission, and awareness to "Discourage the use of Plastic Carry Bags".

USPS Comic Strip Classics

USPS in 1995 issued a series of stamps entitled "Comic Strip Classics" to honor the centennial of the newspaper comic strip. The 20 stamps all are listed in the Scott catalogue as No. 3000 for a pane and 3000a through 3000t for the individual stamps. The stamps were printed on both sides: comic strip illustrations of the front; text about each strip on the reverse side.

The series was restricted to strips created before 1950, and the series featured drawings of comic-strip characters with their logos. The stamps were arranged in five tiers with four stamps to a tier. The featured strips are listed here in the sequence as published:

The Yellow Kid

The Katzenjammer Kids

Little Nemo in Slumberland

Bringing Up Father

Krazy Kat

Rube Goldberg’s Inventions

Toonerville Folks

Gasoline Alley

Barney Google

Little Orphan Annie

Popeye

Blondie

Dick Tracy

Alley Oop

Nancy

Flash Gordon

Li'l Abner

Terry and the Pirates

Prince Valiant

Brenda Starr, Reporter 

 

Source: wikipedia

Australia Post Golden Days of Radio

AUSTRALIA POST  in 1991 issued four first day cover stamps entitled "Golden Days of Radio".

 

Insomuch as I have a love for all things radio, the nostalgia of these stamps, and in particular the maxim cards drew my attention rather than the FDC envelope with the stamps. I grew up  listening to old radios similar to the ones highlighted in the maxim cards. When I saw the canvas mesh/wooden cabinets, the valves (vacuum tubes), analog radio dial and the radio dramas/plays I had to have these cards.

 

By the way, a book on the radio heritage of  Australia was published at the same time, using the silhouette concept for its cover. 

 

Netherlands Antilles Post Trans World Radio Bonaire

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES POST  in 1970 released two first day cover stamps of the Trans World Radio Bonaire transmitter/studio site. This stamps affixed to this envelope is one of two known cachets. A postcard of the station with a stamp of the studio was also issued.

Trans World Radio (TWR) was one of the world's early religious broadcasters utilizing shortwave, actually started out as the Voice of Tangier, the location from which it operated from 1954 until 1959, the year private stations in Tangier were required to close down. The following year the station was rebranded Trans World Radio and commenced transmissions from Monaco over a 100 kw. transmitter purchased for Radio Monte Carlo and then leased back to TWR. (The Monaco station increased power to 500 kw. in 1982. TWR now transmits from Monaco only on medium wave). In 1964 TWR opened a 250 kw. shortwave transmitter, and 500 kw. medium wave, on Bonaire, from which it would broadcast on shortwave until 1993 (it is still on medium wave). Another transmitter came into use in Swaziland in 1974, first at 25 kw., later 100 kw., and this was followed in 1977 by a 100 kw. station, KTWR, on Guam, from which TWR had been broadcasting on medium wave for several years. Shortwave was added to medium wave in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1989, and again from 1993 to 1995. Swaziland and Guam are still on shortwave. Over the years TWR has broadcast on shortwave from many other relay locations on a leased-time basis, and on medium wave from still others.

Sri Lanka Post "Unseen Sri Lanka"

SRI LANKA POST in 2016 issued 12 first day cover postal stamps entitled "Unseen Sri Lanka" which featured the natural beauty to be found in Sri Lanka. Three souvenir sheets were issued as well, each with artwork and a map pinpointing the location of each site. Each stamp had a denominational value of LKR 25.00.

Souvenir Sheet No. 1
- Fort Hammenthiel - Jaffna
- Queen's Island - Delft Island
- Wild Horses Sanctuary - Delft Island
- Kudiramalai Point - Wilpattu

Souvenir Sheet No. 2
- Sir Frederick North's Bungalow - Arippu, Mannar
- Sand Dunes - Kawtharimunai, Poonerwyn
- Mini World's End - Pitamaruwa, Madulsima
- Lighthouse and Old Pier - Talaimannar

Souvenir Sheet No. 3
- Bambarakanda Falls - Kalupahana, Balangoda
- Hummanaya - Kudawella, Dikwella
- Govinda  Hela - Siyaambalanduwa
- Senanayaka Samudraya - Inginiyagala

Sri Lanka Post Let's Rise Up Defeating Covid-19

SRI LANKA POST in 2020  issued a  series of postal stamps called "Let's Rise Up Defeating Covid-19". Each stamp had a denominational value of LKR 90.00. Four stamps with envelope and souvenir sheet were released at that time. 

Sri Lanka Post 50th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation

SRI LANKA POST on 5th January 2017 issued a  postal stamp to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. It had a denomination of Rs.10.00. Stamp designer was Mr. Pulasthi Ediriweera.

The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Service commenced on 22nd July 1924 as a test transmission. It was launched officially on 16th December 1925. The test transmission was initiated by broadcasting a speech made by the then Governor Sir William Henry Manning, addressing the Lanka Electrical Engineers' annual meeting. The broadcasting service was officially inaugurated by broadcasting the speech made by the then Governor Sir Hugh Clifford addressing the general public from his office situated at Fort.

On 5th October 1945 the Ceylon Broadcasting service was instituted as a separate government Department while arrangements were made to construct a new building for the Service at the Torrington Square.

The station was known by many names from time to time such as "Wireless Broadcasting" and "Colombo Broadcasting". It functioned under the purview of the Postal Department until 30th September 1949.

From 5th October 1979 it was made independent and came to be known as Radio Ceylon.

On 5th January 1967 the Department of Broadcasting was converted to a government Corporation by way of Act No.37 of 1966.

The Corporation was inaugurated by the Hon. Prime Minister and came to be known as the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation.

On 22nd May 1972 with the enactment of the first Republican Constitution, the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation was renamed as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.

On 5th January 2017 the SLBC celebrates its Golden Jubilee by relocating its core functional Divisions in a new Administrative Building to be declared open by H.E. President Maithreepala Sirisena and the Hon. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. A major Project aiming to renovate SLBC's studio complex was to have been completed by the same date.

Source: Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and Philatelic Bureau - Sri Lanka

Brasil Correio Lufthansa Flight Brazil to Germany

BRASIL CORREIO on 17 August 1971 cancelled these Brazilian stamps with a special postmark commemorating the first Lufthansa jet flight from Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro to Frankfurt. It also marked the 40th year since air travel began between Brazil and Germany -- note the overprint of a Zeppelin (1930), prop-propelled aircraft (1934) and jet (1971).

Three Brazilian stamps are featured on this envelope:
1. "Cabeça de Homem" (A Man's Head) was painted by Brazilian artist Victor Meirelles de Lima (1832-1903) who is best known for his works relating to his nation's culture and history.

2. "Rabequista Arabe" (Arab Fiddler) was painted by Pedro Américo de Figueiredo e Melo (1843-1905) who was a Brazilian novelist, poet, scientist, art theorist, essayist, philosopher, politician and professor. He is remembered as being one of the most important academic painters of Brazil.

3. "Natal"  (Madonna & Child) is an old Christmas stamp (1969).

 

All three stamps were printed by Casa da Moeda do Brasil which is the Brazilian mint, owned by the Brazilian government and administratively subordinated to the Ministry of Finances.

Nippon Post Philatelic Week Issue -- Kanbun Beauty

NIPPON POST Philatelic Week issue for 1978 depicted the Kanbun Beauty. One in the set shows a woman in a chair holding a flower in her right hand, while the other illustrates a lady dancing lightly with some ornament. The stamp design was adapted from the original  Kanbun genre (1655 - 1673), which generally featured a single woman standing alone rather than a group of people.

 First day: April 20, 1978

Denomination: 50 yen & 50 yen (se-tenant)
Design: Kanbun Beauty
Lay-Outer: Yoshiaki Kikuchi
Color: Multi-color( 6 colors)
Printing: Photogravure
Size: 30 x 42 mm, vertical, each
Paper: White gravure paper, unwmkd
Sheet: i0 stamps (Z x S ),5 sets
lmprint: Printing Bureau, Ministry of
Finance, under the 1 Oth
Quantity: 47,000,000 (23,500,000 sers)

Nippon Post XVIII Olympiad in Tokyo 1964

NIPPON POST between 9 September and 10 October 1964 released their eighth and last series of stamps for the XVIII Olympiad held in Tokyo, Japan. This first day cover issue features the main stadium (10 yen), fencing hall (30 yen), indoor stadium (40 yen) and Komazawa hall (50 yen).  

Hellenic Post XXXII Olympics in Tokyo

HELLENIC POST (Greece) issued two miniature sheets (MS) on 2 June 2021 to commemorate the XXXII Olympics held in Tokyo (23 July to 8 August 2021). The MS first day covers included Kano Jigoro and a painting of the game of Hanetsuki and badminton birdie.

The 2.40 Euro miniature sheet shows Kano Jigoro (1860-1938) founder of Judo. He represented Japan at the Olympic Games between 1912 and 1936. Judo was first introduced at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The MS also features a view of Tokyo communication tower with fireworks. Print run was 20,000. 

The second 2.40 Euro miniature sheet features a painting of the game of Hanetsuki and badminton birdie. Print run was 20,000.

Russian Post 100th Birth Anniversary of Soviet WWII Heroes (Married Couples)

RUSSIAN POST in 2021 issued a series of 100th birth anniversary stamps of Soviet WWII heroes, chiefly the couples A.F. Solomatina and L.V. Litvyak and S.I. Kharlamov and N.V. Popova. Shown here are two first day covers of these couples.

Alexey Frolovich Solomatin (1921-1943) was Squadron Commander (Captain) of the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment/268th Fighter Aviation Division of the 8th Air Force on the Southern Front. By February 1943 he had claimed 12 individual and 15 shared kills, in 108 combats and 266 sorties. His unit was renamed 73 GvIAP (73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment) and he was promoted Captain. While in 73 GvIAP, he often flew with Lidya Litvyak as his wingman. On 1 May 1943, he was awarded the title and Golden Star (no. 955) of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak (1921-1943) was Senior Lieutenant in the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment/9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment/73rd Guards Fighter Regiment. Historians' estimate her total victories range from five to twelve solo victories and two to four shared kills in her 66 combat sorties. In about two years of operations (1941 till 1943), she was the first female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft, the first of two female fighter pilots who have earned the title of fighter ace and the holder of the record for the greatest number of kills by a female fighter pilot. She was shot down near Orel during the Battle of Kursk as she attacked a formation of German aircraft. On 5 May 1990, by the decree of the President of the USSR of  for courage and heroism in the fight against the Nazi invaders, the first lieutenant of the guard L.V. Litvyak was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Lidia Litvyak (nicknamed White Lily or White Rose) met Alexei Solomatin, her future husband, in the winter of 1943 when she was transferred to the 296th Aviation Regiment. Their family life consisted of encounters between missions and did not last long, as both died in combat missions. Litvyak was called the "White Lily of Stalingrad" in Soviet press releases; the white lily flower may be translated from Russian as Madonna Lily. She has also been called the "White Rose of Stalingrad" in Europe and North America since reports of her exploits were first published in English. 

Semyon Ilyich Kharlamov (1921-1990) was originally deployed with the 821st Fighter Regiment in 1942, in December that year he transferred to the 249th Fighter Aviation Regiment as a senior pilot. There, he flew for the rest of the war and quickly rose through the ranks from senior pilot to Squadron Commander. As a skilled reconnaissance pilot, he discovered, radioed information about, and photographed positions of enemy forces before Soviet advances, having to fly past intense anti-aircraft artillery and enemy fighter cover to complete missions. In September 1943 during the battle for the Taman Peninsula he documented a convoy of 300 enemy vehicles and barges in the port, enabling attack aircraft to close in on the target. Later on in the war he documented enemy positions on the Kerch peninsula before gathering information about enemy defenses on various rivers in Eastern Europe. On 23 February 1945 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his accomplishments. Throughout the war he piloted the Yak-1, LaGG-3, and La-5 fighters, totaled 575 sorties, 419 of which were reconnaissance missions, tallying four solo and two shared kills of enemy aircraft over the course of 85 aerial engagements. After the end of the war he married fellow military pilot Nadezhda Popova, who he met during the war and had received the title Hero of the Soviet Union on the same day as him

Nadezhda Vasilievna Popova (1921–2013) was a Squadron Commander in the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Regiment during the Second World War who achieved significant domestic publicity after completing 18 bombing sorties in one night with navigator Yekaterina Ryabova. Awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 23 February 1945 for completing 737 sorties, she was featured in Ogonyok magazine. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 23 February 1945 for courage and heroism shown in battles against Nazi forces, the First Lieutenant of the Guard, N.V. Popova was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Nadezhda Popova and Semyon Kharlamov first met in August 1942, She returned to the unit after losing her plane during a combat mission, and he went to hospital after being wounded. By the end of the war, they had several chance encounters and eventually married shortly thereafter.

Source: Wikipedia

Russian Post 100th Birth Anniversary of Top Soviet World War II Ace

RUSSIAN POST in 2020 issued a 100th birth anniversary stamp of Soviet World War II fighter ace Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub (1920–1991). Most historians have credited him with over 60 solo victories. Others claim he made his 61st and 62nd victories – his final claims of the War – over Berlin on 16 April 1945. Additionally, he is considered to be the highest scoring Soviet and Allied fighter pilot of World War II. Shown in this maxi card (one of only 10 printed) with the first day cover stamp is one of the Soviet aircraft he flew while in combat with Nazi Germany aircraft.

The aircraft he flew included the Lavochkin La-5 (operated in 1943–1944) and Lavochkin La-5FN (operated in 1944). Kozhedub is one of the few pilots to have shot down a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet. And, he allegedly shot down two USAAF P-51 Mustang fighters in a friendly fire incident 17 April 1945.

The story goes he encountered a group of American B-17 Flying Fortresses under attack by Luftwaffe aircraft. His aircraft was apparently mistaken by American escort fighters for the enemy and attacked. Kozhedub, having no other option, defended himself by shooting down two of the P-51s. As of this writing, the story has not been confirmed completely. Film footage exists that had been touted as Kozhedub's actual gun camera film from the event; however, the footage was shot using Zeiss equipment, which was used primarily by the Luftwaffe.

In April 1951, promoted to Polkovnik (colonel), he commanded the 324th IAD (Fighter Air Division) and dispatched to Antung airfield on the China-North Korea border to fly the MiG-15 during the Korean War in support of North Korean forces. He was not given permission to participate in combat missions. Under his leadership the 324th IAD claimed 239 victories, including 12 Boeing B-29 Superfortresses for the loss of 27 MiG-15s in combat and 9 pilots.

Kozhedub was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union three times (1944, 1944, 1945), seven Orders of the Red Banner, two Order of Alexander Nevsky, two Orders of the Red Star, Order of the Patriotic War First Class, and numerous medals. He was promoted to his final rank of Marshal shortly before retirement.

Source: Wikipedia

North Borneo State Stamps (1945-1947)

NORTH BORNEO STATE (Sabah, East Malaysia) issued a series of stamps between 1945 till 1947 depicting the people and fauna of the region. Script was written in English, Chinese and Jawi (Malay). The overprint "Labuan" (the north eastern island off the coast of Sabah) may be found marked on some issues in this set.

Japanese Occupation Stamps of Malaya (1944-1945)

JAPANESE OCCUPATION stamps issued between 1944 till 1945 depicted kampung houses, farming and rubber tapping in Malaya. Denominations were determined according to a different and single colour. Up until this time, from 1942-1944, Malaya stamps featured an overprint either in Roman or Japanese script stating "Dai Nippon" (Japan is Great).

USPS Silent Screen Stars

USPS in 1994 honoured the Silent Screen Stars Theda Bara, Zasu Pitts, Clara Bow. Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, Lon Chaney, Rudolph Valentino, John Gilbert and the Keystone Cops on postage stamps. The stamps were designed and drawn by Al Hirschfeld, and were issued in San Francisco, California.

Theda Bara (1885-1955) was a prominent silent film star of the early twentieth century. Bara is most well known for her role as a femme fatale, also known as a seductress. She played the character of the femme fatale for many of her prominent movies, including Cleopatra and Carmen. However, Theda Bara also enjoyed exploring different roles she could play with the characters she portrayed. Because of her iconic performances as a seducing woman, Theda Bara is remembered as one of the best actresses within silent film. 

The Keystone Film Company’s troupe of comic actors arrived in Hollywood the same day as the town’s annual Shriner parade. Seizing on the opportunity, Mack Sennett, the Keystone’s director, sent his star comedienne Mabel Normand into the parade. Clutching a baby doll, she began searching the ranks of Shriners for the child’s supposed father. In hot pursuit was Ford Sterling, playing the part of Mabel’s irate, two-timed husband. When a brawl erupted between Sterling and an embarrassed Shriner, the police came charging in to break it up. Meanwhile Sennett, who had set up his camera, captured the entire ruckus on film and sent it off to New York as the first Keystone comedy.  master of comic timing, Sennett used this formula of spontaneity and controlled confusion to create more than 1,000 short comedies.

Zasu Pitts (1889-1963) was another important silent film actress. One of Zasu Pitts most well known silent films was All Quite on the Western Front. Although she began her career in silent movies, Zasu Pitts transitioned to talking movies in the 1930’s and primarily performed in films with her comedic counterpart, Thelma Todd. Pitts had an extremely successful career on both the stage and the screen and she continued to act as late as the 1960’s. Because of her successful transition from silent movies to the “talkies” of the mid-twentieth century, Zasu Pitts is remembered as a remarkable and versatile actress. 

 Harold Lloyd (1893-1971) was a close rival of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, He was one of the most popular comedians of the silent film era. A member of Mack Sennett’s comedy troupe, he experimented with various comic characters before creating the role of “Harold.” By 1918, the white-faced man in horn-rimmed glasses and straw hat had become Lloyd’s trademark. The first comedian to use physical danger as a source of laughter, he was known as the screen’s most daring star, often performing his own stunts. In his 1923 film Safety Last, he dangled from the hands of a clock several stories above a busy city street. In Girl Shy (1924) he took a thrilling ride atop a runaway streetcar. And in The Freshman (1925) - one of the most successful of all silent films - he stood in for the football team’s tackling dummy. Although his peak of popularity was during the silent film era, Lloyd made numerous sound motion pictures as well. In 1952 he was honored with a special Academy Award for his contribution to motion picture comedy.

Clara Bow (1905-1965) was perhaps the most influential female actress of silent film. She achieved national fame in the 1920s with her roles as a seductress and flapper in silent and talking films. Bow’s revealing clothes and spirited character in her films, greatly influenced American women’s fashion and societal roles during the 1920s. Clara Bow is remembered by American filmmakers to this day for her revolutionary effect on American women and society as a whole. 

 

Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) was idolised as the “Great Lover” of the 1920s, Rudolph Valentino gained enormous fame for his passionate, romantic roles.  Although his performance in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) established Valentino as a star, it was his role as the desert warrior in The Sheik (1921), that gained him a national following - making him the most popular romantic star of the silent film era.

Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) won international fame with his portrayal of the pathetic, yet humorous and endearing “Little Tramp.” During the silent film era he was often hailed as “the funniest man in the world.” The son of British vaudeville performers, Chaplin began acting at an early age. In 1913 he signed on with the Keystone Film Company. Instantly popular, his box-office appeal had become so great by 1919 that no studio could afford to hire him. So together with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and D.W. Griffith, he formed the United Artists film corporation and began appearing only in films produced by himself, including such classics as The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940). 

Lon Chaney (1883-1930), often called the “Man of a Thousand Faces,” is best remembered for hi macabre characterisations on the silent screen. Born of deaf-mute parents, Chaney learned pantomime at an early age, and later became a prop man, director, and actor in his brother’s traveling show. Beginning his film career as an extra, he became an overnight success after starring in The Miracle Man (1919). During the next ten years Chaney earned a reputation as the finest character actor in films, playing such memorable roles as Quasimodo the hunchback in the Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and the dual role of police inspector/vampire in London After Midnight (1927). But his greatest achievement was his characterization of Eric, the demented, acid-scarred musician who haunted the subterranean passages of the Paris Opera in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). A versatile actor, he also won acclaim for his realistic performances in Tell It to the Marines (1927), While the City Sleeps (1928), and Thunder (1929).

 

John Gilbert (1897-1936) learned everything there was to know about the movies - building sets, lighting, hand-tinting film, writing scripts, and directing - before he became an actor. In 1924 he joined the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio, starring in many of the blockbuster movies of his day. The Big Parade in 1925 was his greatest triumph. Gilbert’s performance as a doughboy in World War I not only established him as the all-American boy, fearless hero, and romantic lover, but also earned him the Photoplay Award for 1926 (the predecessor to the Academy Award). In 1926 he starred in Flesh and the Devil with Greta Garbo. This seething melodrama established them as the greatest romantic team in Hollywood.  

Buster Keaton's (1895-1966) stoic manner and poker face was as familiar to movie-goers of the 1920s as Charlie Chaplin’s baggy trousers and derby hat. Born Frank Joseph Keaton, he began performing in his parents’ vaudeville act as the “Human Mop” when he was only four. A zany combination of acrobatics and miming, their act, known as “The Three Keatons,” helped him develop his life-long trademark - a never-smiling face. Following a successful stage career, Keaton entered film making in 1917. Creating some of the most elaborate gags in silent film history, his movies were both harrowing and hilarious - usually centering on his collision with natural disasters and mechanical monsters. But whatever befell him, Keaton’s classic deadpan character “The Great Stone Face” never showed fear or alarm. A writer, director, and actor, he produced and starred in 19 short films and 10 full-length features, including such masterpieces as The Navigator (1924), The General (1926), and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928).

 

Source: USPS Archives