Collection area

German occupation / Ob. Ost

The "Kaiserlich deutsche Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung im Postgebiet des Oberbefehlshabers Ost" (Imperial German Postal and Telegraph Administration in the Postal Area of the Commander-in-Chief East) was established on January 1, 1916, initially in Kowno (Kaunas / Kauen) and from January 1917 in Bialystok. In contrast to the German field post, it primarily served to process civilian mail from the local population.

In the course of World War I, its area of responsibility expanded with the advance of German troops to the north and east, initially in 1916/17 via Lithuania to the Düna south of Riga, before it encompassed the entire territory of what were to become the republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from September 1917 with the conquest of Riga, Livonia and the Baltic islands, and in February 1918 the whole of Estonia.

With the withdrawal of Russian troops and the advance of German troops, civilian postal traffic was always stopped first, followed by the establishment of field postal traffic for German troops and then the resumption of civilian postal traffic for the local population.

For Estonia, this meant that by the end of April 1918, the establishment of 13 provincial post offices had progressed so far that they could officially open their counters to the civilian public from May 1:

Arensburg (Kuresaare)	1.5. – 2.12.1918
Baltischport (Paldiski)	1.5. – 15.11.1918
Dorpat (Tartu)	1.5. – 29.11.1918
Fellin (Viljandi)	1.5. – 28.11.1918
Hapsal (Haapsalu)	1.5. – 17.11.1918
Narwa (Narva)	21.5. – 16.11.1918
Pernau (Pärnu)	1.5. – 25.11.1918
Petschur (Petschory/Petseri)	1.6. – 30.11.1918
Pleskau (Pskov/Pihkva)	27.7. – 25.11.1918 (Branch post office of Walk)
Reval (Tallinn)	1.5. – 20.11.1918
Walk (Valga)	1.5. – 19.12.1918
Weissenstein (Paide)	1.5. – 16.11.1918
Werro (Võru)	1.5. – 28.11.1918
Wesenberg (Rakvere)	2.5. – 18.11.1918

Previously, during the ice winter of 1917/18, the German field post had only sporadically accepted and transported civilian mail from the islands to the mainland, and from March 5 –23, 1918, the field post office 219 in Dorpat (Tartu) had accepted and transported mail from civilians with the "Dorpat emergency issue".

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Postmarks, stamps, postal stationery

German postal stationery as well as stamps of the Bauten and Germania issues were overprinted with "Postgebiet Ob. Ost".

From known receipts and documents it can be seen (see EESTI FILATELIST 26/1980, p. 77–78) that even before May 1, 1918, probably from the end of March/beginning of April 1918, there was the occasional possibility of postal traffic for private individuals. For this purpose, the private individual handed over the franked mail item directly to the field post office, which cancelled the franking and transported it to Riga.

For example, before the introduction of a standard postmark, the Fellin (Viljandi) provincial post office used this single-line provisional postmark from the end of April to the beginning of May 1918.

A double-row postmark "Ob Ost / Dorpat" was used in Dorpat at the end of April / beginning of May 1918.

As early as 3.5.1918, however, the standard circle postmark was (also) used in Dorpat.

With the closure of the national post office in Walk (Valga) on 19.12.1918, the activity of the postal administration Ob. Ost on the territory of Estonia ended.