1994 29c World War II; Allies Free Rome and Paris
# 2838f - 1994 29c World War II; Allies Free Rome and Paris
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2838f - 1994 29c World War II; Allies Free Rome and Paris
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U.S. #2838f
1994 Allies Free Rome, June 4; Paris, Aug. 25, 1944 – World War II
- Part of the fourth souvenir sheet issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II
- Sheet includes 10 stamps plus a world map
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: World War II
Value: 29¢ (Individual stamps), First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: June 6, 1994
First Day City: Two main ceremonies in Washington, DC and St. Mere Egilse, Normandy, with additional smaller events in: Fort Dix, New Jersey; Salt Lake City, Utah; New York, New York; Clarksville, Tennessee; Fort Sam Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas; Bangor, Maine; Charleston, South Carolina; Virginia Beach and Richmond, Virginia; and Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Quantity Issued (if known): 120,600,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Sheetlets of 10 (arranged in 2 strips of 5, one across the top and one across the bottom of the sheetlet, with world map in between)
Perforations: 11.1 (Eureka off-line perforator)
Tagging: Overall, large block covering stamps and part of selvage
Why the stamp was issued: This souvenir sheet was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II. It was the fourth in a series of five that were issued over the course of five years.
About the stamp design: Shows a Jeep making its way down a narrow street with US troops while citizens of the city cheer and wave American flags.
Special design details: Art director Howard Paine said “It would hve been nice to have a stamp for each city, Rome and Paris, but we couldn’t, so we invented this town… It’s either in Italy or France, which is why we don’t have any Italian or French flags flying, just US flags.”
First Day City: The stamps were dedicated in two ceremonies on June 6th: one at the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC, and one in the town of St. Mere Egilse in Normandy. First Day of Issue postmarks read “USS Normandy.” Thirteen additional cities held events for the stamps’ First Day of Issue and offered pictorial cancellations.
The ceremony at Lubbock Texas, was special as it was the same city in which World War II pilots were given glider training at the old South Plains Army Air Field. One of those pilots was Werner Birkelbach, who flew an antitank gun and four soldiers to Normandy before dawn on D-Day. Fifty years later, on the World War II stamps’ First Day of Issue, Birkelbach flew a modern sailplane 35 miles from Littlefield, Texas, to Lubbock to deliver cacheted covers bearing the new stamps. They were all given First Day of Issue postmarks at the end of the trip.
Pre-First Day Usage: Linn’s Stamp News found that a “P-51s escort B-17s” stamp was used on cover postmarked Rock Hill, New York, on June 3rd, three days before the stamps were officially issued. This was the earliest known usage of the one of the World War II stamps.
About the World War II Series: As the 50th anniversary of World War II was approaching, the US Postal Service wanted a series that would recognize the key events of the war and the important contributions America made to the Allied victory. Rather than issue a large number of stamps, the USPS decided to create five sheetlets, each commemorating one year of America’s involvement in the war. Each sheetlet had 10 different stamps arranged in two horizontal strips of 5. In the center was a world map with Allied and neutral nations in yellow and Axis-controlled areas in red. Notes on the map highlighted key developments that occurred that year. The stamps each featured important events that took place during the year, as well.
History the stamp represents: Although Italy had surrendered on September 3, 1943, Germany was determined to fight for control of the Italian mainland. In a series of head-on assaults, the Allies slowly battled their way up the Italian peninsula to Monte Cassino, 75 miles south of Rome. There, held at bay by General Kesselring’s German forces, Allied troops struggled to break through the Gustav Line.
On January 22, 1944, seaborne troops landed at Anzio. Surprising the Germans from behind, the Allied forces were met with little opposition. However, rather than pushing forward, they attempted to further reinforce their position, allowing Kesselring time to develop a powerful counteroffensive which kept the Allies pinned down at Anzio for four long months.
Finally in May, the Allies were able to break through German lines, and on June 4th they entered the city of Rome. General Clark, who was at the forefront recalls, “There were gay crowds in the streets, many of them waving flags… Flowers were stuck in the muzzles of the soldiers’ rifles and of the guns on the tanks. Many Romans seemed to be on the verge of hysteria in their enthusiasm for the American troops…” The fall of Rome marked the final phase of the war. Two days later, Eisenhower’s forces landed in Normandy.
U.S. #2838f
1994 Allies Free Rome, June 4; Paris, Aug. 25, 1944 – World War II
- Part of the fourth souvenir sheet issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II
- Sheet includes 10 stamps plus a world map
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: World War II
Value: 29¢ (Individual stamps), First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: June 6, 1994
First Day City: Two main ceremonies in Washington, DC and St. Mere Egilse, Normandy, with additional smaller events in: Fort Dix, New Jersey; Salt Lake City, Utah; New York, New York; Clarksville, Tennessee; Fort Sam Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas; Bangor, Maine; Charleston, South Carolina; Virginia Beach and Richmond, Virginia; and Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Quantity Issued (if known): 120,600,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Sheetlets of 10 (arranged in 2 strips of 5, one across the top and one across the bottom of the sheetlet, with world map in between)
Perforations: 11.1 (Eureka off-line perforator)
Tagging: Overall, large block covering stamps and part of selvage
Why the stamp was issued: This souvenir sheet was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II. It was the fourth in a series of five that were issued over the course of five years.
About the stamp design: Shows a Jeep making its way down a narrow street with US troops while citizens of the city cheer and wave American flags.
Special design details: Art director Howard Paine said “It would hve been nice to have a stamp for each city, Rome and Paris, but we couldn’t, so we invented this town… It’s either in Italy or France, which is why we don’t have any Italian or French flags flying, just US flags.”
First Day City: The stamps were dedicated in two ceremonies on June 6th: one at the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC, and one in the town of St. Mere Egilse in Normandy. First Day of Issue postmarks read “USS Normandy.” Thirteen additional cities held events for the stamps’ First Day of Issue and offered pictorial cancellations.
The ceremony at Lubbock Texas, was special as it was the same city in which World War II pilots were given glider training at the old South Plains Army Air Field. One of those pilots was Werner Birkelbach, who flew an antitank gun and four soldiers to Normandy before dawn on D-Day. Fifty years later, on the World War II stamps’ First Day of Issue, Birkelbach flew a modern sailplane 35 miles from Littlefield, Texas, to Lubbock to deliver cacheted covers bearing the new stamps. They were all given First Day of Issue postmarks at the end of the trip.
Pre-First Day Usage: Linn’s Stamp News found that a “P-51s escort B-17s” stamp was used on cover postmarked Rock Hill, New York, on June 3rd, three days before the stamps were officially issued. This was the earliest known usage of the one of the World War II stamps.
About the World War II Series: As the 50th anniversary of World War II was approaching, the US Postal Service wanted a series that would recognize the key events of the war and the important contributions America made to the Allied victory. Rather than issue a large number of stamps, the USPS decided to create five sheetlets, each commemorating one year of America’s involvement in the war. Each sheetlet had 10 different stamps arranged in two horizontal strips of 5. In the center was a world map with Allied and neutral nations in yellow and Axis-controlled areas in red. Notes on the map highlighted key developments that occurred that year. The stamps each featured important events that took place during the year, as well.
History the stamp represents: Although Italy had surrendered on September 3, 1943, Germany was determined to fight for control of the Italian mainland. In a series of head-on assaults, the Allies slowly battled their way up the Italian peninsula to Monte Cassino, 75 miles south of Rome. There, held at bay by General Kesselring’s German forces, Allied troops struggled to break through the Gustav Line.
On January 22, 1944, seaborne troops landed at Anzio. Surprising the Germans from behind, the Allied forces were met with little opposition. However, rather than pushing forward, they attempted to further reinforce their position, allowing Kesselring time to develop a powerful counteroffensive which kept the Allies pinned down at Anzio for four long months.
Finally in May, the Allies were able to break through German lines, and on June 4th they entered the city of Rome. General Clark, who was at the forefront recalls, “There were gay crowds in the streets, many of them waving flags… Flowers were stuck in the muzzles of the soldiers’ rifles and of the guns on the tanks. Many Romans seemed to be on the verge of hysteria in their enthusiasm for the American troops…” The fall of Rome marked the final phase of the war. Two days later, Eisenhower’s forces landed in Normandy.