Luxembourg Communal Revenue Stamps: Echternach

Commune of Echternach

Canton Echternach
Map #28

5F Pale Orange & Black

Coat of Arms

'5FR'

Courtesy of Bruno Vincent

5F Orange & Black
Redesigned Coat of Arms
'5Fr.'

1F St. Willibrord &
5F Pale Green Coat of Arms
'5Fr.'

WW2 German occupation - French text obliterated

and 6F converted in ms to 0,60 RM

Used on Birth Certificate - 7 Jul 1941

3F Denzelt
(pair)

3F Red

Historic Denzelt Building

Echternach Marketplace

WW2 German occupation -

French text obliterated
and 6F converted in ms to 0,60 RM

Used on a Marriage Certificate - 10 Feb 1942

Luxembourg Communal Revenue Stamps: Currency Surcharges and
French Language Obliteration during the World War II Occupation

Allan F. Wichelman

Echternach Canton

Luxembourg was invaded by German troops on May 10, 1940, and remained occupied until September 10, 1944. From December 16, 1944, until March 2, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge, Luxembourg was again occupied. In August 1942, the country was formally annexed by the occupiers as part of the German Reich.

On July 25, 1940, Gustav Simon, the Nazi Gauleiter for Gau Trier-Koblenz [in 1942, Gau Moselland] was named the Chef der Zivilverwaltung (CdZ) [Chief of the Civil Administration] in Luxembourg. Like his colleagues Robert Wagner and Josef Bürckel in Alsace and Lorraine, respectively, Simon was a direct subordinate of Hitler.

Following his appointment, a deluge of ordinances (Verordnungen) was issued that changed the country’s entire administrative structure. Of interest here, Gauleiter Simon decreed the exclusive use of the German language by all governmental agencies as part of a much broader effort to Germanize and annex the grand duchy. In August 1940, use of the French language was wholly banned, even though it had been the language customarily used by the government and was spoken by most of the populace. The ban extended to the names of streets and towns, and even the use of expressions of courtesy such as 'Bonjour,' 'Merci,' 'Monsieur,' and 'Madame,' which were commonly used in the Luxembourgish dialect known as Letzeburgesch. French names were translated into their German counterpart or simply replaced by something sounding more Germanic. For example, Henri became Heinrich, Dupont became Brückner, and Camille became Kamil. Towns with Germanic names (Echternach, for example) had to be referred to as Stadt Echternach rather than the more common French Ville d’Echternach.

By the end of the first year of occupation, the Germans sought to justify incorporating Luxembourg into the Reich by holding a referendum on three questions: the nationality of the voter, their ethnic roots, and their mother’s language. This turned out to be a fiasco as the slogan “Three times Letzeburgesch” swept through the population, and the referendum results were never announced. Supposedly 95% of the voters answered “Letzeburgesch” to each question.

What did Germanization mean for the roughly 100 communes that comprised the administrative units of Luxembourg, each issuing its own revenue stamps? One answer to that question is provided in the illustrations below.

The Echternach canton’s pre-World War II communal revenue stamps are especially attractive. The 5 Fr Arms definitive issued by Echternach town (seen here on the right) shows the town name on top preceded by the French “Ville d’” [VILLE d’ECHTERNACH] and the French word COMMUNALE at the bottom.

As shown below, sadly during the World War II occupation the town clerk was obliged to black out the French phrase Ville d’ and the French word Communale. The value in Luxembourg francs was then converted in manuscript to Reichmarks and Reichpfennigs (Rpf). Failure by the communal clerk to comply would have resulted in harsh sanctions by the occupiers. Postage stamps, stationery, and postage rates were also converted to Rpf., effective October 1, 1940.

Pre-Occupation Communal Revenue Stamps used during the World War II Occupation

1 Fr St. Willibrord & 5 Fr Arms Echternach – Used 7 Jul 1941	3 Fr ‘Denzelt’ (2) Echternach – Used 10 Feb 1942
On each stamp, the French words “Ville d’” (upper left) and “Communale” (bottom right) have been obliterated and the 6 francs of value converted to ‘0.60 RM’ in manuscript (as of October 1, 1940, one Luxembourg franc = 10 Reichpfennings).

During the occupation, some communes issued new revenue stamps with the text in German. Very little is known about how others responded to the strict German-only language regulations. The field is ripe for study before the surviving stamps and documents are lost forever to revenue philately!

References

Fletcher, Willard Allen. “The German Administration in Luxemburg 1940-1942: Toward a ‘De Facto’ Annexation,” The Historical Journal, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Sept. 1970), pp. 533-544.

Newcomer, James. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: The Evolution of Nationhood 963 A.D. to 1983. University Press of America, Inc., 1984.

Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_occupation_of_Luxembourg_in_World_War_II.