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Flemish/Walloon postage stamps/postcards
03/10/2024
Flemish
Flemish Legion 1941 stamps
In Belgium, legion stamps were issued in 1941 (Flemish Legion), 1942 (Walloon Legion/Légion Wallonie), and 1943 (overprint on the Flemish Legion stamps). These stamps were printed on sheets of four stamps. The Flemish legion stamps bore the text: "veldpost / vrijwilligers / legioen Vlaanderen / voor onze jongens aan het Oostfront", which means field post / volunteers / legion Flanders / for our boys at the Eastern Front.
On December 23, 1941, a firm in Brussels printed four miniature souvenir sheets with four labels each, as shown below. Each label shows a symbolic propaganda representation between the medieval Flemish Knights and the Legionnaires. The stamps have a surtax value of 50 francs each. The proceeds were used to benefit the Legionnaires family members. A total of 30,000 stamps or 7500 sheets were printed(1).
Flemish Legion stamps 1943 (overprint)
In 1943, the same Flemish designs were reissued with overprints featuring German planes flying in various directions and the year "1943" in a different typeface. The overprint colors included green, red, blue, and orange. Approximately 920 stamps, or 3680 sheets, were overprinted(1).
Flemish VNV closure seal
During World War II, propaganda was utilized in various ways to spread the ideologies and goals of political movements and parties. In the Flanders (Belgium), Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond (VNV), a Flemish nationalist movement that collaborated with the German occupiers, employed several propaganda tools, including closure seals. Sealing stamps are stickers or seals used to seal envelopes, packages, or gifts. They can be purely functional, ensuring that a package remains closed during transport, or they can be used as a means of propaganda.
Legion Wallonie - Sturmbrigade Wallonien
Legion Wallonie postage stamps, issued on 23 December 1941 to support the Walloon Legion.
The stamps were issued in sheets bearing the inscription "TIMBRES DE FRANCHISE DE LA LEGION VOLONTAIRES WALLONS CONTRE LE BOLCHEVISME", or "Franchise Stamps of the Walloon Volunteer Legion Against Bolshevism"(2).
SS Brigade Wallonie propaganda postcard – 1943-1944
SS Sturmbrigade Wallonien propaganda postcard drawn by 'Gober' and likely dating from 1944. The text reads: 'The SS-Wallonie Assault Brigade speaks to you…' On the front, a German Tiger tank is depicted— a type of tank the SS Brigade Wallonien never possessed, as the Walloons never formed an SS Panzer Division. This depiction is misleading, and it clearly reflects the propaganda tactics used at the time
Walloon SS Sturmbrigade Wallonien recruitment poster "Renseignements au bureau SS Division Wallonie"
At the bottom of recruitment posters, an additional poster was often attached to indicate the location of the SS Sturmbrigade Wallonien recruitment office. This exact example comes from the collection of a Rexist who was actively involved in recruitment for the Sturmbrigade Wallonien.
An interesting and fun fact is that, at the time, it was not yet an SS Division but still a Sturmbrigade. It's often seen on Walloon SS propaganda posters that they claimed to be recruiting for an SS Division or even an SS Panzer Division ("Division blindée"). However, the Walloons never actually formed an SS Panzer Division, making these claims misleading and reflecting the propaganda tactics of the period.