Russia stamps year 1919 Civil War West Army MNH set
The philatelic issues from Russia during the Civil War (1917–1922) are highly complex, as numerous local, military, and provisional governments issued their own stamps.
The 1919 Civil War West Army stamps primarily refer to issues associated with the White Army forces operating in the western regions, often categorized under two main groups:
1. West Army (General Bermondt-Avalov)
- Commander: General Pavel Rafalovich Bermondt-Avalov (or Awaloff).
- Context: This was a German-supported, counter-revolutionary force operating in the Baltic region (Latvia and Lithuania) in 1919.
- Stamps: The most recognized issue is a definitive set of eight stamps featuring the Imperial Russian double-headed eagle or coat of arms. They are known to exist both perforated and imperforate.
- Catalogue Reference: These stamps are typically listed in major catalogues (like Michel and Scott) in a separate section under Russia’s Civil War issues, sometimes near Latvia.
- Status: There is historical debate among philatelists about the legitimacy of these stamps, as a large portion were reportedly confiscated and some runs were produced in Berlin, with limited actual postal use. They are generally collected as bona fide issues of a military administration.
2. North-West Army (General Yudenich)
- Commander: General Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich.
- Context: This White Army force operated near the Estonian border and launched an offensive on Petrograd (St. Petersburg) in 1919.
- Stamps: These issues are primarily overprints applied to older, definitive stamps of Imperial Russia (the Romanov series of 1909-1917).
- Overprint: The stamps bear a surcharge and/or the Cyrillic abbreviation “Сев. Зап. Армiя” (Sev. Zap. Armiia) meaning “North-West Army.”
- Issue Location: They were reportedly overprinted in Pskov and issued for a short period in 1919.
- Set Size: Various sets and overprint combinations exist, sometimes listed as a set of 14 stamps in total.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.