Military Post Offices in Bosnia Herzegovina

by Lubor Kunc

By 19^th century the Bosnia Herzegovina belonged to Osman Empire (Turkey) . In 1878 an Austro – Osman war started , which result was Austro-Hungarian annexation of the territory. But because the situation in international relations was not positive to the direct incorporating of Bosnia Herzegovina into Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, declared the Emperor Franz Joseph I. status of ”occupied territory” to the one, which mean, that it was managed by military and not civil authorities. This situation lasted until 1908, when Bosnia Herzegovina was declared as part of the Monarchy (fig. 1).

Fig. 1 – a souvenir of Austro-Hungarian soldiers being in 1908 in Bosnia Herzegovina

However the governor of the territory was Austro-Hungarian Minister of Finance, it was governed by its supreme military commander . This function was performed by gen. Potiorek in 1914, who was named to the supreme commander of all Austro-Hungarian armies situated in Balkan and whose name was also given to 102^nd Infantry Regiment of Benešov (fig. 2) .

Fig. 2 - a card sent by soldier of the regiment in Sept. 1914 from expedition against Serbia

The soldiers from Bosnia Herzegovina had special status in Austro-Hungarian army resulting e.g. with their incorporating into special infantry regiments (at begin of WWI there existed 4 such regiments, at the end yet 6 ones, see fig. 3). But let’s go back to philately … .

Fig. 3 - a card sent by soldier serving in first Bosnia –Herzegovina Regiment

During the fighting in Bosnia Herzegovina in 1878 a network of Austro-Hungarian field and rear post offices was established. Field post offices (Feldpostexpositur a Feldpostleitung) served to the military units and they changed their location with them. On other side, the rear post offices (Etappenpostamt) stayed in larger towns on occupied territory to substitute former Osman civil post offices .

After finishing of fighting and establishing of Austro-Hungarian military governance over Bosnia the field post offices were replaced by so called military post offices (Militärpost), which had the same reason like rear post offices. Because they served in first line to the public, it was needed to issue special postage stamps for them. By July 1878 former Osman stamps were valid in the territory, from August 1878 to July 1879 normal Austrian and Hungarian stamps were valid there and finally in July 1879 the Bosnian military stamps issued by K.u.K. Kriegsministerium (Ministry of War, fig. 4) came into circulation.

These military stamps were valid by 1918 (see fig. 5 – 1906 issue showing old military post car), when the Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 29, 1918 declared independence from Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and when the military stamps were overprinted by civil Postal Administration of newly established Kingdom of Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian Nations (later called Yugoslavia ) . This is a paradox, that military stamps were changed to the civil ones ( fig. 6, there exists 50 different stamps listed in catalogs under ”Yugoslavia”).

Fig. 4 - Fig. 5 - Fig. 6

”The normality” of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been illustrated by fig. 7a+b . This is a money order sent from Austrian town Villach to Bosnian town Kljuc (see cancel of military post on the back), which was censored yet in 1913 (see cancel ”Geprüft” and censor’s signature).

Fig. 7a + 7b

Fig. 8 a+b than shows backside of another money order with different type of military post cancellation sent from Vienna to Bosnian town Bosensky Brod .

 Fig. 8a + 8b

In addition to the military post office existed on Bosnian territory the military contract post offices using atypical cancels .

Fig. 9 shows a card sent in July 1914 from Sarajevo – about 1 month after the accessioning of Austrian Crown Prince Ferdinand d´Este – franked with Bosnian military stamp showing the Emperor. And in few day the WWI started …. .

Fig. 9

This entire shows, that the military post offices didn’t use only hand cancels, but also the machine ones. When the WWI started, the military post offices in Bosnia Herzegovina were often used by Austrian and Hungarian troops being transported to Serbian line of battle .

In Bosnia Herzegovina we can find also field post offices during the WWI. They moved to the area together with Austro-Hungarian units. There existed totally 15 field post offices having following numbers :

16, 34, 45, 46, 55, 61, 69, 76, 78, 85, 88, 95, 106, 113, 119.

Fig. 10 – a card sent from Bosnia – see the type of field post cancel , which is called ”Bosnian”

In addition to them existed totally rear post offices (K.u.K. Etappenpostamt) as follows :

Rear Post Offices in Bosnia Herzegovina
1	Buna
2	Domanovic
3	Nevesinje
4	Ljubinje
5	Stolac
6	Trebinje
7	Jablanica
8	Gacko
9	Bilek
10	Blagaj
11	Siroki Brijeg
12	Ljubuski

During the WWI Austro-Hungarian army occupied some ”enemy” territories. It adopted the same system like in the past by creating of rear post offices network serving to the public for postage payment , so they required postage stamps. Because the Bosnian stamps were immediately available, the Austro-Hungarian Field Post (K.u.K. Feldpost) use the ones. First of all the Bosnian stamps should be overprinted for rear post offices in Serbia. But because of counter-offensive in Dec 1914, which pushed Austrian troops out of Serbia the issuance of such stamps was moved to 1916, when in 1 day two sets with different overprints consisting of totally 42 stamps were issued (fig. 11).

In April 1915 field post stamps valid on all occupied territories were issued by overprinting of the same Bosnian issue showing Emperor Franz Joseph I. of 1912 (fig. 12 ; fig. 13 than shows for comparison a stamp of first definitive field post issue of 1915).

Fig. 11 - Fig. 12 - Fig. 13

Only this first field post issue consists of 21 stamps with face values from 1 Heller to 10 Crowns and some of them have only small press run. It is possible to find a strong philatelic influence on the issues – as a proof of it we can say, that the same stamps exist perforated and imperforated, have various ”overprints errors”, which exists in complete sets.

The field post offices didn’t used only Bosnian stamps, but also postal stationery . An example is ”war souvenir” – former Bosnian military postal card (see mosque on the stamp) overprinted by Field Postal Administration and later canceled on Austrian rear post office in Miechow in Halic (now situated in Poland) . In addition to the postal cancels the card bears also red official cancel of the rear post office . Its author was probably an Austrian soldier serving on the territory occupied in frame of Austro-Russian war.

Fig. 14

As you can see, Austro-Hungarian military post offices in Bosnia are interesting philatelic areas having many commons with field post offices as well as with civil post offices of various countries.

List of Austro-Hungarian military post offices in Bosnia Herzegovina

Offices in Bosnia: inscription K.u.K. Milit. Post
No.	Location
I.	Dervent
II.	Doboj
III.	Maglaj
IV.	Zepce
V.	Majdan-Zenica
VI.	Busovaca
VII.	Kiseljak
VIII.	Travnik
IX.	Jajce
X.	Sitnice Vares
XI.	Banja Luka
XII.	Prjedor
XIII.	Bos. Petrovac
XIV.	Bihac
XV.	Bogojno
XVI.	Bjelina
XVII.	Brcka
XVIII.	Dol. Tuzla
XIX.	Gracanica
XX.	Zvornik
XXI.	Rogatica
XXII.	Gorazda
XXIII.	Cajnice
XXIV.	Vlasenica
XXV.	Visegrad
XXVI.	Novi
XXVII.	Kliuc
XXVIII.	Han. Comp. Vitez, Lasva, Janjici
XXIX.	Livno
XXX.	Konjica
XXXI.	Bos. Brod
XXXII.	Sarajevo
XXXIII.	Bos. Krupa
XXXIV.	Vacar Vacuf
XXXV.	Gradacac
XXXVI.	Podromanja, Mokro
XXXVII.	Foca
XXXVIII.	Tesanj
XXXIX.	Zupanjac
XL.	Prozor
XLI.	Sanskimost
XLII.	Dol. Vacuf
XLIII.	Srebrenica
XLIV.	Kladanj
XLV.	Kalinovik
XLVI.	Cazin
XLVII.	Prnjavo
XLVIII.	Praca
XLIX.	Kulen Vakuf
L.	Bos. Kostajnica
LI.	Bos. Dubica
LII.	Bos. Gradiska
LIII.	Bos. Samac
LIV.	Visoko
LV.	Glamoc
LVI.	Tarcin, Kupres
LVII.	Fojnica
LVIII.	Bos. Raca
LIX.	Rudolfsthal, Klasnica
LX.	Modric
LXI.	Usora
LXII.	Trnovo
LXIII.	Celebic
LXIV.	Ilidze
LXV.	Lukavac
LXVI.	Dobrlin
+ 40 other post offices without number

Offices in Herzegovina: inscription K.K. Militär Post
1	Buna
2	Domanovic
3	Nevesinje
4	Ljubinje
5	Stolac
6	Trebinje
7	Jablanica
8	Gacko
9	Bilek
10	Ostrozac
11	Neubilek
12	Ljubuski
13	Mostar
14	Ulok, Obrnja
15	Avtovac
16	Kotirko
***	Grab (without number)

Offices in Herzegovina: inscription K.u.K. Militär Post
1	Fojnica bei Gacko
2	Domanovic
3	Trebinje
4	Ljubinje
5	Stolac
6	Trebinje
7	Jablanica
8	Gacko
9	Bilek
10	Ostrozac
11	Neubilek
12	Ljubuski
13	Mostar
14	Ulok
15	Avtovac
+ other post offices without number

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