AUSTRIA CENSORED MAIL 1945-1953

Today (25.3.2023) I started this Postal History exhibition collection - Austria Censored Mail 1945-1953, from scratch.

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones, which were allotted to the United States of America (US), the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or Soviet), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), and the French Republic (French).

The major Allies started to submit their zoning proposals unilaterally to the EAC as early as January 1944. This initiated long and tough negotiations. In January 1945, France joined and made her bid for a zone in Austria. An agreement was not reached until 3 months after Austria had fallen to the Allies on July 9, 1945. Figure above displays the finals borders. The USSR obtained the northeast sector, the US the northwest sector, France the southwest tip, and the UK the southeast sector. Vienna, the capital, was similarly subdivided but the central district was administered jointly by the Allied Control Council. 

 The occupation lasted much longer than initially intended, since state treaty negotiations were obstructed by the emerging Cold War. The negotiations started in 1947, were in a state of suspension from mid-1950 to 1953, were resumed in 1954, and finalized in 1955. On May 15, 1955, the Austrian State Treaty was signed among the Allied occupying forces and re-established a free, sovereign, and democratic Austria by July 27, 1955. As a result of this treaty, the Allies left Austrian territory on October 25, 1955 – Austria was free. 

 Postal Services were gradually re-introduced during 1945, firstly in the Soviet zone and later in the Western Power zones. As in Germany, mail that was already in the system was gradually released, after normal censorship was applied, where available. Foreign mail to and from Austria began officially on 2 January 1946. 

 Postal Censorship: Unlike in occupied Germany, the official policy appeared to be that all mail should be censored. Reasons for the censorship were stated to include the prohibition of information which could “adversely affect the prosecution of the war against Japan or the occupational control of Germany or Austria”.

This collection, as said, is one of my new collection and the one I am building at the moment, it includes the years from 1945 to 1953. My target is 4-5 frames/ 32-40 A3 pages. I will add them here, one at the time, as soon as I am able to finalize them.