Deutsche Luftpost Maiden Voyage of LZ129 Hindenburg

DEUTSCHE LUFTPOST issued  two LZ 129 Hindenburg stamps (blue - 50 Pfennig denomination) and  (green - 75 Pfennig denomination). Special franking mail carried on the Hindenburg flights from Germany to North America stated, as shown on this cover,  "Mit LZ 129 nach Nordamerika" ("With LZ 129 to North America"). 

The maiden voyage of the rigid airship LZ 129 Hindenburg to North America  was on 22 April 1936. In addition to the stamps, a red circular "EUROPA-NORDAMERIKA" cachet is printed on the envelope. 

This registered letter was processed in Frankfurt (Main) on 22 April 1936. The recipient addressed on this particular envelope  was Mister E. Wiebe Manager, Chicago Office Hanovia Chemical & MFG. CO. 77, E. Lake St, Chicago, Illinois / USA.

Portugal CORREIO Medical and St. Anthony of Lisbon 700th Death Anniversary - Early 1930s

 

- REPUBLICA PORTVGVESA CORREIO "Ceres" stamp is from the first series of stamps issued after the proclamation of the Portuguese Republic. It depicted the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres. It superseded stamps featuring King Manuel II in 1910–1911. It had an overprinted face value of 40 centavos. This particular stamp most likely was postmarked in the early 1930s.

- PORTUGAL CORREIO commemorated the 700th death anniversary (1232-1931) of St. Anthony of Lisbon (Santo António de Lisboa) in 1931. It featured the interior of the St. Anthony of Lisbon Cathedral (Santo António de Lisboa) and was valued at 40 centavos.

- PORTUGAL CORREIO commemorated the 700th death anniversary (1232-1931) of St. Anthony of Lisbon (Santo António de Lisboa) in 1931. It  depicted the facade of the Lisbon Cathedral (Sé de Lisboa). and was valued at 40 centavos.

- PORTUGAL CORREIO featured the 1937 Centenary of the Medical-Surgical Schools of Lisbon and Porto. The Rod of Asclepius symbol, associated with medicine and healing, represented the school. It was valued at 25

Nippon Post Torii Gate of the Itsukushima Shrine

NIPPON POST on 35.5 (5 May 35th year of Showa era or 1960) issued the third stamp version of the iconic "floating" Torii Gate of the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island. Designers were Kimura Masaru and Kurakichi Kato. 

The postcard quite possibly is from the 1950s.

Posta Romana Centenary of the "Orient Express " Train

POSTA ROMANA on 30 December 1983 issued a "EUROPA" series stamp to commemorate 100 years since the first trip of the "Orient Express " train. It showed the famous train arriving in the Bucharest North railway station (Gara de Nord). The stamp carried a face value of 10 Romanian Lei (10L). This maxim card shows the station. It was affixed with this stamp, but postmark cancellation was 2 August 1987 issued  during the "Transfile '87" philatelic exhibition. 

Nippon Post Kabuki Theatre - 1972

NIPPON POST on 1 March 1972 issued a First Day Cover featuring Japanese Kabuki theatre stamps. The three stamps depicted scenes from Kabuki plays, including "Kumagai Jin'ya" and "Awa no Naruto". Postmark cancellation originated from Osaka, Japan.

The stamps were part of a series showcasing Japanese traditional performing arts, specifically Kabuki theatre. 

Kabuki puppets are typically half-life size and manipulated by three visible puppeteers working in harmony with a narrator and musician.

Imperial Japan 50th Anniversary of Postal Service -1921

IMPERIAL JAPAN issued in 1921 this commemorative postcard to mark the 50th anniversary of their postal service. A 1.5 yen postage stamp and special red cancellation postmark dated  4 December  Taisho 12 (1923), from Osaka was affixed to the postcard.

It depicted early mail delivery in the Meiji era, showing a postal worker on horseback and a horse-drawn carriage, which began in 1871, contrasting past and present postal transport methods (within the card modern transport like rail and shipping is shown).

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 

The first modern postal service connected Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka in 1871. Baron Maejima Hisoka, who proposed the system and coined the Japanese word for postage stamp (kitte), is featured in an inset photo on the original card.

Deutsche Bundespost NASA-ESA Mission with Dr Ulf Merbold

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST issued a 40 Pfennig stamp  the Space Shuttle orbiter showing its solid rocket boosters.  The design was associated with the "Industrie 4.0 Weltraumlabor" (Industry 4.0 Space Laboratory) theme. The cancellation postmark originated from Houston, TX, dated 28 November 1983. It was issued in conjunction with the STS-9 joint NASA-ESA mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The STS-9 mission focused on scientific research in microgravity. 

It was the first flight of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Spacelab module. Ulf Merbold was the first non-US citizen and West German to fly on a NASA space mission. 

The USPS 13c stamp of the US Flag over Independence Hall on this postcard was from the Bicentennial Series, first issued on 12 April 1976. It featured the 13-star Betsy Ross flag above a depiction of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Vietnam Cong Hoa "Strategic Hamlets"

VIETNAM CONG HOA (South Vietnam) on 26 October 1962 issued a First Day Cover  set of stamps and cachet to commemorate the "Strategic Hamlets" programme (known in Vietnamese as Ấp Chiến Lược), a counter-insurgency plan during the Vietnam War. Two of four stamps in the set included one green (1₫) and one orange (0₫50), depicting soldiers guarding a fortified settlement. Postmark cancellation originated from Saigon, South Vietnam.

USSR XXIV International Astronautical Congress (IAC)

USSR  in 1973 issued a  cover commemorating the XXIV International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Baku, USSR. It combined several commemorative stamps and postmarks related to Soviet space exploration. 

- Three 10-kopeck stamps from a 1970 series commemorating the Luna 16 robotic probe, the first mission to return lunar soil samples automatically to Earth. The stamps depict the probe's soft landing on the Moon, the return capsule launch, and its parachute landing back on Earth.

- A 4-kopeck stamp (date 1965) and a 10-kopeck stamp (date 1978/79) appear to be related to other Soviet space achievements or general postal use.

- A stamp with cosmonauts V.V. Kovalyonok and A.S. Ivanchenkov who spent 140 days in space as part of the Soyuz-29/Salyut-6/Soyuz-31 mission.

Deutsche Demokratisch Republik 10th Anniversary of the Soviet-DDR Manned Spacefligh

DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCH REPUBLIK issued a First Day Cover stamp on 24 June 1988 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the joint Soviet-DDR manned spaceflight. The stamp featured cosmonauts Sigmund Jähn and Valery Bykovsky who manned the joint spaceflight. Sigmund Jähn, the first German in space, is seen  signing the returned space capsule. The stamp had a face value of 5 DDR Pfennig.

Jähn, an East German Air Force pilot, flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 31 to the Salyut 6 space station on 26 August 1978. He was accompanied by Soviet cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky. The mission was part of the Soviet Intercosmos programme and lasted for nearly eight days. 

During his time in space, Jähn performed various scientific experiments. These included technical experiments with the MKF-6 multispectral camera for remote sensing of the Earth's surface, material science experiments on crystallization, like the formation, recrystallization, and the cultivation of a monocrystal. He also conducted medical experiments on how weightlessness affects speech, occupational psychological studies, testing the hearing sensitivity of regular crew members, biological experiments on cellular growth under weightlessness, and the connection between microorganisms with organic polymers and inorganic substances.

As of 2024, twelve German astronauts have travelled to space and conducted scientific research. Dr. Ulf Merbold was the first West German in space and the only German to have made the journey the most often -- three times

POCHTA ROSSII (Russian Post) 80th Anniversary of the Romanov Family's Assassination

POCHTA ROSSII (RUSSIAN POST) on 30 June 1998 issued a First Day Cover of setenant stamps commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Romanov family's assassination, with postmark cancellation originating from Moscow, Russia. The stamps featured portraits of the Imperial family and Tsar Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor who reigned from 1894 to 1917. 

The  cachet on the cover bears the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, which features a double-headed eagle holding a scepter and orb, with the Moscow coat of arms on its chest. The double-headed eagle was adopted as a symbol by Ivan III in the 15th century and has been a state emblem of modern Russia since 1993. 

The postmark states Russian Premier Jour (First Day of Issue) stamp cancellation from Moscow, dated 30 June 1998, commemorating the 1868-1918 period of Russian history. The circular postmark features the intertwined Cyrillic letters "Н" and "II" under an imperial crown, representing Emperor Nicholas II. The text "ИСТОРИЯ ГОСУДАРСТВА РОССИЙСКОГО" translates to "History of the Russian State".

Soviet-Era 70th Birth Anniversary of Arctic Explorer and Radio Operator Explorer Ernst Krenkel

SOVIET-ERA POSTCARD AND STAMP, first issued in 1973,  commemorated the 70th birth anniversary of Arctic explorer and radio operator explorer Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel (1903 - 1971).The stamp design portrayed Krenkel and an aircraft above an arctic scene. A circular cancellation mark is from the "Severny Polyus" (North Pole) research station, dated 7 January 1978; whereas the purple cancellation states Leningrad. The original denomination was 4 kopecks. 

The postcard was published by the All-Union Society of Philatelists and the USSR Ministry of Communications in Moscow in 1973. 

The handwritten text states coordinates 154 degrees and 33 minutes and 85 degrees and 58 minutes.

Ernst Krenkel was a member of the historic "North Pole-1" drifting ice station expedition, for which he was named a "Hero of the Soviet Union" in 1938. 

He was a passionate amateur radio operator and used the notable call signs RAEM, U3AA, and UA3AA. 

After his death in 1971, a polar research vessel and an observatory on Heiss Island were named in his honour.

Bayern 25th Anniversary Prince Regent Luitpold

BAYERN (BAVARIA) 5 Pfennig pre-stamped  postcard from 1911 commemorated the silver jubilee of Prince Regent Luitpold. This particular postcard also included the 25th anniversary stamps of 5 Pfennig and 10 Pfennig.

Bavaria maintained its own postal administration as a kingdom within the German Empire until 1920. 

Prince Regent Luitpold was the de facto ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, acting as regent for his nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto, due to their mental incapacity. 

Russian Empire 300th Anniversary of Romanov Dynsasty

RUSSIAN EMPIRE postage stamps issued on 2 January 1913 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Romanov Dynasty.

The orange 1-kopeck stamp features Czar Peter I; the green 2-kopeck stamp features Czar Alexander II; and the red 4-kopeck stamp features Czar Peter I.

The circular postmarks are dated "14. 11. 13" (14 November 1913) and appear to indicate the city of origin was St. Petersburg. They were used in Finland, which was a Grand Duchy under Russian rule at the time. 

The postcard is addressed to Mr. H. Paanu in Turku, Finland. The address is listed as Läntinenkatu 1a.

Deutsche Demokratisch Republik Kämpfer Gegen Faschismus and Mahnmal Ravensbrück

DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCH REPUBLIK  issued a First Day Cover (FDC) set of seven postage stamps commemorating "Fighters Against Fascism" (Kämpfer gegen Faschismus) and "Ravensbrück Memorial" (Mahnmal Ravensbrück), which were released from 1957 and 1959. 

The stamps featured portraits of individuals recognised as fighters against fascism and images of the Ravensbrück National Memorial.

Notable Persons and Denominations included:

- Kathe Niederkirchner 10Pf+5 stamp

- Charlotte Eisenblätter - 15Pf+5 stamp

- Olga Bernario Prestes - 20Pf+5 stamp

- Maria Grollmuss - 25Pf+5 stamp

A special triangular postmark represents the concentration emblem worn by internees. It was used to cancel these stamps.

Historical Background

Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, located near Fürstenberg, was established in 1939. Over the course of the war, approximately 120,000 women and children, 20,000 men, and 1,200 female adolescents from over 30 nations were registered as prisoners. Tens of thousands perished from starvation, disease, medical experiments, and systematic mass killings, including gassing in the final months of the war. The site was liberated by the Red Army on 30 April 1945. 

In 1959, a mass grave was established outside the camp wall’s western section, where the remains of prisoners from various burial sites were reburied. The bronze sculpture “Burdened Woman” (“Tragende”) by Will Lammert is at the heart of the memorial’s design and is still considered the memorial’s symbol. From May 1945 until late January 1994, the grounds of the former concentration camp except for the memorial area on the banks of Lake Schwedt were used for military purposes by the Soviet and later the CIS forces.

Deutsches Reich "Heldengedenktag 1935"

DEUTSCHES REICH  first issued on 15 March 1935 two stamps hpnouring "Heldengedenktag 1935" (Heroes' Memorial Day 1935) for First World War veterans. These stamps were valid through 31 December 1936. They were the first German stamps to  show an early version of the German "Stahlhelm" (steel helmet). The green stamp carried a 6 pfennig denomination, whereas the red stamp had a 12 pfennig denomination. This particular cover was postmarked 25 March 1935, originated from Stetten, Germany, and destined to a Fred Wirsing in Zurich, Switzerland 

Hans Schweitzer designed these 'steel helmets' in remembrance of the dead from the First World War. Memorial Day was previously observed on 13 November of each year, but Hitler changed the name of the day from "War Memorial Day" to "War Heroes Memorial Day" and moved the date to 16 March each year. 

The stamps were produced on coated paper on sheets (10x10), with swastika watermark, Perf K 14 and are either type 'x' (with vertical gum rippling) or type 'y' (with horizontal gum rippling).

Hans Schweitzer was a prolific Nazi artist (also known as Mjölnir, after Thor's hammer) who was also responsible for many of the propaganda posters printed during the 1930's, namely those depicting crude images of SA members standing heroically alongside Heer soldiers. After the war Schweitzer worked for the West German federal press designing posters for far-right organisations.

There was no special postmark or slogan postmark associated with this issue.

Disclaimer: In displaying this stamp I must stress I DO NOT advocate, NOR wish to glorify the regime of Nazi Germany or any present day fascist organization/state. My sole intent is to illustrate the philatelic history of the period, one which I personally believe to have been evil and as such a plight in the history of Germany and their satellite allies at the time.

Norway Cover

This assortment of Norwegian stamps came from a stamp dealer in Norway. Not only did I receive this wonder cover, but three FREE First Day Covers when I purchased a Roald Amundsen FDC. 

numerous stamps from Norway (Norge) with various denominations and designs, including flora, fauna (moose, birds), a steamship named "Skibladner," and a weather-related stamp is shown here. The stamps have values ranging from 1 krone to 600 krone.

Posten Norge Posthorn Stamps - 1991

POSTEN NORGE issued on 22 November 1991 a First Day Cover featuring a set of four Norwegian Posthorn stamps, valued at 6, 7, 8, and 9 Kroner denominations.

The stamps are part of the long-running "Posthorn" series, which began in 1871 and is one of the world's oldest stamp designs still in use.

The design, originally by the German engraver Wilhelm von Hanno, depicted a post horn and the Norwegian coat of arms.

Norge "Wings for Norway" - 1946

NORGE on 28 March 1946 issued a First Day Cover to benefit the 'Wings for Norway' campaign, which was a fundraising effort for Norwegian pilots in Canada during World War II. The stamps depicter a Norwegian airman with the text "Wings for Norway" and "Toronto Muskoka". This cover features two stamps valued at 15 öre, with a postmark cancellation originating from Oslo, Norway.

Posten Norge Lillehanner Winter Olympics

POSTEN NORGE on 9  October 1992 -- two years before the  Olympic Games -- issued a stamp commemorating the 1994 Winter Olympics ("LILLEHAMMER OLYMPIC VINTERLEKER") in Lillehammer, Norway. The stamp had a face value of 3.30 Norwegian kroner.

The event was notable for being the only time the Winter and Summer Olympics were held two years apart, following an IOC schedule change. 

The Lillehanmer Games were widely regarded as the first "green" Games for their focus on environmental responsibility.

Deutsches Reich Cover 1934-1935

DEUTSCHES REICH registered postal cover (envelope) was sent to Brussels, Belgium. The cover included several postage stamps issued from Nazi Germany in 1934 and 1935. Various postmark cancellations, including a clear "Ludwigsburg 1" town stamp and an "R" (Registered) label, is affixed to the stamps.

THE STAMPS ON THIS COVER:

- A  set of propaganda stamps commemorated the anniversary of the 9 November 1923 (Beer Hall Putsch). For more information on this series, see HERE.

- The locomotive stamp commemorated the 100-year anniversary of German railways. 

It depicted a Series 03 express locomotive. The stamp is part of a set of four stamps issued for the centenary event. 

- The 15 Pfennig airmail stamp was issued in 1934. It was one in a series of nine stamps valid from 21 January 1934 through 31 December 1939. The stamp design is interesting in that the lower denominations were designated primarily for domestic use. They featured the Nazi swastika rising like the sun over the earth. An eagle soars gracefully in the foreground and overall, the impression is that of a resurgent Germany looking forward to a bright future. As the Nazi party had only been in power for a year the two higher denominations would be primarily used on international mail, and they are more toned down and less political.

- The women in traditional costumes from Lower Saxony, specifically Schaumburg-Lippe and Niedersachsenhof. were part of a series of Winterhilfswerk (Winter Relief Organisation) stamps. The 5 Pfennig with 3 Pfennig surcharge, as well as the  6 Pfennig with a 4 pfennig surcharge were used for charitable relief.  For more information on this series, see HERE

- The “Apprentice’s Vocational Contest” (Reichsberufswettkampf) stamps, issued by the German Reich in 1935 commemorated the first national craftsman (apprentice) competition. This set was issuef on 26 April 1935. The designer was Karl Diebitsch. It's purpose was to mark the 1st Apprentice’s Vocational Contest, an annual event from 1935 onward. The design depicted  a hand holding a laurel wreath (symbolising victory and achievement) with the flag of the Hitler Youth in the background.

Disclaimer: In displaying this stamp I must stress I DO NOT advocate, NOR wish to glorify the regime of Nazi Germany or any present day fascist organization/state. My sole intent is to illustrate the philatelic history of the period, one which I personally believe to have been evil and as such a plight in the history of Germany and their satellite allies at the time.

 

Deutsche Post "Tag der Deutschen Kunst 1939"

DEUTSCHE POST on 16 July 1939 issued this propaganda postcard from Nazi Germany, specifically commemorating the "Tag der Deutschen Kunst 1939" (Day of German Art 1939). 

The postcard featured a pre-printed stamp on the right side depicting a "Venetian Woman" Venetian woman from a painting by German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). The stamp had a face value of 6+19 Pfennig.

There was a Special postmark as well as a slogan postmark used to accompany the issue of this stamp.  Minerva the goddess of wisdom, war and the arts was shown standing beside a German eagle. The inscription reads "München Hauptstadt Der Bewegung Tag-Der-Deutschen Kunst-MCMXXXIX 16.7.1939" - 'Munich Main Town of the Movement, Day of German Art 1939'. The slogan postmark inscribed "Tag Der Deutschen Kunst 1939.

NAZI POSTCARDS

Nazi propaganda frequently utilised postcards as an inexpensive and effective way to disseminate visual imagery and rally citizens around common causes. Following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, Hitler established a Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels. The Ministry’s aim was to ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated through art, music, theatre, films, books, radio, educational materials, and the press.  

Postcards were an extension of the propaganda department to boost morale, glorify their military and political heroes, and commemorate special events and anniversaries.  

Postcards were easier to disseminate than posters and political cartoons and the Nazi government saw in postcards a way to use visual imagery that could express opinions and rally citizens around common causes inexpensively and effectively.

Postcards were printed and sold throughout Germany and German-occupied territories. The postcards offered an affordable way to stay in contact with family and friends in an era before wide access to mass communication, and this common form of communication became interwoven with images of Hitler and party symbols. 

Over a thousand different postcards connected to the Nazi Party in Germany were printed. By late 1943 the printing of postcards stopped due to extreme material shortages from the war.  

It should be noted long before the Nazi regime came to power postcards were used for a similar purpose, and even after WWII as Germany and Europe emerged from the ruins of war postcards were used to convey a message of culture, history and rebuilding the nation. 

(Source: Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University)

Deutsche Post Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 200th Birthday Anniversary

DEUTSCHE POST (French Occupation Zone) on 28 August  1949 issued a special First Day Cover postcard with three stamps for the reconstruction of Goethe's birthplace in Frankfurt am Main. It was a German public appeal "Deutsche Volksspende" that corresponded with  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 200th birthday. 

Stamps:

- Goethe in the Roman Campagna" painting by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein. Valued at 10 Pfennig with an additional 5 Pfennig surcharge (10+5). 

- Alf Jönsson designed the stamp. Graphics by Staatsdruckerei Berlin. Valued at 30 Pfennig, with an additional 15 Pfennig surcharge (30+15) pfennig.

- Graphics by Staatsdruckerei Berlin. Valued at 20 Pfennig, with an additional 10 Pfennig surcharge (20+10).

Johann Heinrich. Lips Frankfurt am Main/Goethe Museum Hauserpresse (Hans Schaefer) Frankfurt am Main printed the postcard.

Deutsche Demokratisch Republik "Historical Memorials in Weimar"

DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCH REPUBLIK on 26 June 1973 issued a First Day Cover (FDC) featuring a set of six postage stamps commemorating "Historical Memorials in Weimar" by depicting famous German cultural figures and their associated buildings. The personalities featured included Johann Gottfried Herder, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Franz Liszt, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Christoph Martin Wieland, and Friedrich Schiller. The buildings attributed to them were Herderhaus, Cranachhaus, Liszthaus, Goethehaus, Haus Ossmannstedt, and Schillerhaus, all located in Weimar. 

Postmark cancellation on this cover originated from Dorndorf, Thuringia, dated 17 July 1973.

Deutsche Demokratisch Republik Unbesiegbares Vietnam - 1972

DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCH REPUBLIK (DDR) on 22 February 1972 issued another stamp in their  "Unbesiegbares Vietnam" (Vietnam Solidarity) series. It was part of the DDR's foreign policy of "proletarian internationalism" and solidarity with Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Postmark cancellation originated from Zwickau, west Saxony, Germany.

Deutsche Demokratisch Republik Unbesiegbares Vietnam - 1971

DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCH REPUBLIK (DDR) on 2 September 1971 issued another stamp in their  "Unbesiegbares Vietnam" (Vietnam Solidarity) series. It was part of the DDR's foreign policy of "proletarian internationalism" and solidarity with Vietnam during the Vietnam War. 

The stamp depicts a field worker and sun in the background, while an armed Vietnamese woman in traditional conical hat, holding a child, symbolising family and "Invincible Vietnam". Special postmark cancellation originated from Berlin.

The cachet on the envelope shows a rice farmer with a seedling.

Deutsche Demokratisch Republik - Vietnam

DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCH REPUBLIK (DDR) on 15 December 1970 issued this First Day Cover (FDC) to commemorate solidarity with North Vietnam. "Philatelistenverband der DDR im Deutschen Kulturbund" (Philatelist Association of the GDR in the German Cultural League) postcard with three commemorative stamps depicting Vietnamese themes and a portrait of Ho Chi Minh. The postmark cancellation originated from Berlin.

Stamps on this cover:

- Vietnamese woman wearing a conical hat and carrying a child and a rifle. Text on the stamp, "Unbesiegbares Vietnam", translates to "Invincible Vietnam". It was issued in 1968 (or possibly 1969/1971 as part of a series) and has a face value of 10+5 Pfennig. The "+5" indicates an extra charge for a solidarity fund. 

- Ho Chi Minh (1890–1969), the Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader. The stamp was issued  on 2  September 1970 to commemorate his passing.

- Solidarity and aid for Vietnam during the Vietnam War carried a value of 10 + 5 Pfennig. It was initially issued in 1969, and it was designed by Schütz.

Deutsches Demokratisch Republik"Unbesiegbares Vietnam" Exhibition - 1968

DEUTSCHES DEMOKRATISCH REPUBLIK (DDR) issued  the first "Unbesiegbares Vietnam" (Invincible Vietnam) postage stamp on 25 October 1966 to promote aid to Vietnam. It depicted a woman with rifle planting a flower, symbolising the strength and resilience of the Vietnamese people. It carried a face value of 20+5 Pfennig (East German pfennig), meaning the additional 5 Pfennig was a surcharge for this charitable cause. 

The postcard with cachet of a water buffalo and armed Vietnamese man was a postal cover for the "Vietnam is not alone" exhibition, held from 15 March to 31 May 1968, at Postmuseum Berlin, East Germany (DDR).