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1941 (23 Nov) Third Reich, Germany, Censored Postcard from Buchenwald Concentration Camp to Upper Silesia, Censorship Postmark, More Details in Description

Germany / WWII Occupations (1939-1945)

This is an official, highly regulated prisoner postcard (Häftlingspostkarte) issued by the SS camp administration at the Weimar-Buchenwald concentration camp. It documents the systematic erasure of identity and the absolute control over communication imposed on inmates during World War II.

The card replaces the prisoner's civil identity with administrative markers: Józef Wawrzyńczyk, assigned Inmate Number 8340, living in Block 32.
It is addressed to a widow, Marie Bitta, in Wiedobschütz (located in the Rybnik district of occupied/annexed Upper Silesia). A handwritten note at the bottom indicates she received it on July 3, 1942.
It features a 6-Pfennig German Reich stamp bearing the portrait of Adolf Hitler. The official post office cancellation stamp from Weimar-Buchenwald is dated June 30, 1942.
The card is covered in pre-printed and stamped restrictions. A bold black ink stamp reads: "Allowed to receive or write one letter every 6 weeks.". There is also a black cenor postmark postal examiner No 10 "Postprüfer 10".

Printed regulations on the left state that letters must be under 15 lines, written clearly in ink, and warning that any inquiries regarding release are entirely useless.

The postcard etter is written in German, an absolute requirement for SS censors to easily review the contents. Józef uses the acronym "G.s.D." (Gott sei Dank / "Thank God") to state he is healthy ("Ich bin G.s.D. gesund"). This phrase was a mandatory formula enforced by censors to obscure the reality of camp starvation, sickness, and abuse.

Inmate 8340 from Buchenwald CC was Józef Wawrzyńczyk, born on February 3, 1894, in the Upper Silesian region.
He was categorized by the Gestapo as a "Schutzhäftling" (political prisoner). In the camp, he would have been forced to wear a red fabric triangle on his uniform, with a "P" indicating his Polish nationality.
His administrative trail—tracked through surviving camp documents held in records like the Arolsen Archives—is representative of the mass deportations of Polish civilians and resistance members following the 1939 invasion of Poland.

 

Provenance: Ex Werbizky.

Condition: Used.
Censorship, Censor Postal History
Current Bid:
$35
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Your maximum bid:
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Rare Stamps and Postal History of The World
Auction 58
October 12 - 26, 2026
United States United States , Black Mountain , NC

A major auction showcasing exceptional rarities and distinguished collections. 9,570 lots of valuable stamps and postal history from around the world — a record-breaking auction and the largest sale in our history.

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Worldwide
Lots 1 - 731
Worldwide Postal History
Lots 732 - 1397
Great Britain & British Commonwealth
Lots 1398 - 2051
France & Colonies, Italy & Colonies, Poland, Judaica
Lots 2052 - 2672
German States
Lots 2673 - 2930
Germany 1871–1945
Lots 2931 - 3307
Germany: Colonies, Offices Abroad, Plebiscite Areas & Territories
Lots 3308 - 3750
Germany: WWII Occupations
Lots 3751 - 3966
Concentration Camps & Forced Labor Camp Posts
Lots 3967 - 4163
Germany after 1945: Local Posts & Occupation Zones
Lots 4164 - 4634
Third Reich, Italy & Olympic Games Propaganda
Lots 4635 - 5418
Russian Civil War: South Russia
Lots 5419 - 5712
Russian Civil War: Revenues, Siberia, Caucasus
Lots 5713 - 5895
Russian Empire, Wenden, Zemstvo, Cinderellas
Lots 5896 - 6165
Russian Offices Abroad
Lots 6166 - 6338
Russian Postal History
Lots 6339 - 6557
RSFSR, Soviet Union, Tannu Tuva
Lots 6558 - 7107
Ukraine: Underground Post
Lots 7108 - 7832
Ukraine: Territories, DP Camps, Plast
Lots 7833 - 8356
Yevhen Vyrovyi Tridents Collection
Lots 8357 - 9138
Yevhen Vyrovyi Tridents Collection: Podolia
Lots 9139 - 9462
Yevhen Vyrovyi Tridents Collection: Postal History
Lots 9463 - 9570
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