WWII – Croatia NDH year 1941 Yugoslavia Postage Stamps Overprinted MH set
That’s a very specific and historically significant area of philately!
The stamps are the Provisional Issues of the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska or NDH) from 1941.
Following the invasion and breakup of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941, the newly formed Axis-allied NDH quickly issued stamps by overprinting existing postage stamps of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Here are the key details about these 1941 overprinted issues:
Key Characteristics of the NDH 1941 Overprints
- Base Stamps: The overprints were applied to the definitive issue stamps of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1939/1940, which primarily featured the portrait of King Peter II.
- Overprint Text: The main overprint inscription was “NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA” (Independent State of Croatia), often in black, though other colors were used for different issues.
- Purpose: These were provisional issues, intended to immediately provide valid postage for the new state until definitive stamps could be designed and printed.
Major Provisional Issues in 1941
The NDH released several distinct provisional issues in 1941, characterized by different overprint styles:
| Issue Date (1941) | Overprint Description | Base Stamp (Yugoslavia) |
| April 12 (First Issue) | NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA (in a simple block font) and six vertical lines to obscure the old country name. | King Peter II series. |
| April 21 (Second Issue) | NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA and a small Croatian Coat of Arms (checkerboard design) in black. | King Peter II series. |
| May 10 (Third Issue) | NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA, Coat of Arms, and the date 10. IV. 1941 (often in red or blue, commemorating the proclamation of the NDH). | King Peter II series. |
| May 16 (Fifth Issue) | NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA and a new value (denomination) in an oval circle. | King Peter II series. |
| April 26/May 17 | Provisional Postage Due stamps, overprinted with “NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA” and the Coat of Arms, sometimes with “FRANCO” in a circle. | Yugoslavian Postage Due stamps. |
