This is a most unusual prisoner of war
cover.
It was sent by a prisoner held by the United States Army Expeditionary
Force
in the Base Prison Camp in Vladivostok.
I am not sure what the boxed stamp in the stamp's location is.
(It looks like it might be Korean?)
There is also what appears to be a Japanese inscription below along the
right side of the cover.
The cover was censored and received a boxed censor stamp:
|
A. E. F. Siberia
Passed as Censored.
Censor
|
It appears that space was provided for the Censor to sign but
this was not done.
The cover received a U.S. Postal Agency | Siberia duplex cancel.
The cover was destined for Fallersleben east of Hanover and about 20 km
northeast of Braunschwieg.
The addressee would suggest that the letter was to a wife or possibly a
mother.
I'm not sure why a German was taken prisoner in this location
but a number of ragtag units from Eastern Europe and the
Austro-Hungarian empire
fled eastward when surrounded by Russian and/or Bolshevik troops during
World War I and its aftermath.
President Wilson ordered an American Expeditionary Force to Siberia on
July 6, 1918.
His rationale was to protect supplies and communications (the
Trans-Siberian Railway)
and to aid the Czech Legion stranded in Siberia to return home.
Here is an excellent account of The
U. S. Army in Russia 1918-1920.
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