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 First Prisoner of War Issue Scott 77-79 (1942) On September 1, 1942, Vatican City issued the first of what would be three stamp sets to publicize its relief efforts for prisoners of war during World War II. This set has been given a variety of titles, including the 'Prisoner of War' series, the 'Welfare' series and the 'Prisoner of War Relief Fund' series. The Acta Apolistolicae Sedis announcing the release of the stamps describes them as “supporting the Supreme Pontiff's works of charity during the present war”. The 1942 set, shown above, features stamps designed by Giuseppe Rondini and bearing the identical image of a passionate Jesus Christ looking down on a gathering of war victims. Above Christ's image is the banner 'Flagrante Bello Misereor Svper Tvrbam' ('I Have Compassion on the Multitudes'). The stamps are colored blue-green (25 cent), chestnut-brown (80 cent) and blue (1.25 lira). At the bottom center of the frame are the three stacked lines Poste, Vaticane and MCMXLII (1942). 
 Second Prisoner of War Issue Scott 84-86 (1944) On January 31, 1944, a second issue of the Prisoner of War stamps was placed on sale. The designs, values, and colors are identical to those of the first issue. The one difference from the first set is the identification of the year, with the inscription "MCMXLIII" (1943) along the bottom of the frame. 
 Third Prisoner of War Issue Scott 99, 100a and 101 (1945) The third “Relief” set was issued on September 12, 1945, with the release date following the conclusion of the war. This last Prisoner of War issue differs from the first two in a few aspects. For this set, the denominations were 1, 3, and 5 lire to conform with the revised postal rates. The colors of the stamps also changed: the 1 lira is colored green, the 3 lire is carmine, and the 5 lire is blue. As with the previous two sets, the date line for the series is unique and reads “MCMXLIV” (1944). Look closely at the 3 lire stamp shown above. It is an example of a variety from the 1945 set where the image of Christ is omitted (identified as Scott 100a). A somewhat confusing quirk with the last two sets surrounds the dates of release and the dates on the stamps. The "1943" set was released on on January 31, 1944 (see more on that below) and the "1944" set was released on September 12, 1945. One other “controversy” regarding the Prisoner of War issues surrounds the release date of the 1943 or second set. Some sources list the release date as January 31, 1944 (most importantly, the "Acta" from Vatican City announcing the stamp set and the stamp catalogue from Bolaffi). However, other references (such as the Scott catalogue) list the first day of issue as February 14, 1944. The first day cover below bears the February 14, 1944, date. The review by Dr. Nils Rundqvist in the References below provides evidence regarding this discrepancy. If any members of the Society have covers dated January 31, 1944, the VPS Website Team would appreciate receiving scans to add to the Vatican Cover Collection on the website. Given the Vatican's precarious situation during World War II (being a neutral state surrounded by the Axis power Italy), the work done by the Vatican in support of prisoners of war was quite remarkable. Through the Ufficio Informazioni Vaticane (the UIV or Vatican Information Bureau), attempts were made to connect loved ones with war prisoners on both sides. Following the surrender of Italy to the Allies in September of 1943, the Germans immediately occupied Rome. The Vatican secretly extended its efforts to protect Allied POW's from the Germans in and around Rome. And the efforts of Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty to hide POW's as well as liberated Jews led to the saving of an estimated 6500 lives as the war dragged on. The efforts of the Vatican to provide aid and comfort to a suffering humanity during and after World War II cannot be forgotten. An extended article on the Prisoner of War series and the Vatican's efforts in war relief was presented by Thomas Crimando in 1987, and that article served as a primary reference for today's e-mail. It can be accessed using the link in the References below. REFERENCES: |
