Konstantinovy Lázně Post Office                                                                  Konstantinovy Lázně, 26 May 1940 

Dr. J. Hugo Hörr 

Bensheim / Auerbach 

In response to your research questions, we would like to tell you the following: 

Question 1: Who took over the postal service in the area of Konstantinovy Lázně during the period from 30 September to 10 October 1938 (the period when the Czechs surrounded the area and the postal service was transferred from Prague to the German Reich)? 

Reply: The board of the former post office, which at that time organized the postal service for Bezdružice (Weseritz), Úterý (Neumarkt), Krsy (Girsch), Číhaná (Tschihana), Planá u Mariánských Lázní (Plan bei Marienbad) and Cebiv (Zebau). 

Question 2: Was the postal service maintained during this interim period (in what form and by what means)? 

Reply: Yes – letter and parcel services, including telephone services. Correspondence from all 6 places mentioned above had to go through the Konstantinovy Lázně post office and was transported by Wehrmacht vehicles. 

Question 3: Did the stamps with this special overprint actually have official validity during this changeover period? What values and how many stamps were overprinted? 

Reply: The overprint said “Sudetenland” and was across the stamp. The values and amounts of overprinted stamps are attached in the appendix. 

Question 4: Where did you get and how did you select the stamps to be overprinted? 

Reply: From the stocks of the former post office, according to previous records of the Prague Postal Directorate. 

Question 5: How were the stamps of the “Liberation Issue of Konstantinovy Lázně” put into circulation? 

Reply: The stamps were sold at the post office counter (to everyone and without a surcharge to the value of the stamp). 

Question 6: Were these stamps available to everyone? 

Reply: Everyone could buy these stamps at the post office counters. In the period 2-10 October 1938, most of them were bought by Wehrmacht soldiers and used to send letters home to their homeland. 

Question 7: Did these official stamps have full and unlimited validity? What was the postage then? 

Reply: Yes, they did. Both internal and international. 

1. Internal: Postcards 50 hellers 

Letters                1 crown 

Express letters   3 crowns 

2. International: Postcards 1.20 hellers 

Letters                2 crowns 

Express letters   4.50 crowns 

Question 8: Can you officially confirm that these stamps were used frequently and in large numbers? 

Reply: They were used frequently and in large numbers by members of the Wehrmacht for their correspondence with the homeland. 

Question 9: How were these overprints franked? 

Reply: They were franked with the official Czech-German postmark “Konstantinovy Lázně – Konstantinsbad” with the letter “a”. From 8 October 1938, the Czech name was removed. 

Question 10: How was the overprint done? 

Reply: Machine typography. It was approved by the postmaster and notary. The overprint was carried out by the printing house “Metka” in Bezdružice (Weseritz). 

Question 11: For what reason were these overprints made and officially issued? 

Reply: The overprints were made mainly for postal reasons. The postmaster was obliged to keep the postal service running, and as no new stamps were delivered, it was necessary to overprint Czech stamps. The overprints served during the time the Czechs withdrew until the Reich Post took over the office. The postmaster acted in the interests of the entire population and of the Wehrmacht which had no postal connection with their homeland. One copy of each value was kept for the postal archives. 

With German greetings! 

Postmaster Schmidt