A.M.G. VENEZIA GIULIA 1945 - 1947

On 3 September 1945, from the headquarters of the Allied Military Government (A.M.G.) 13 Corps, Major Charles I. Turner, Chief Postal Officer, sent a letter to the Communications Sub-Commission in Rome stating that, “A final decision has been made to the effect that only postage stamps of the present Italian Government will be used in the Occupied Territory, Venezia Giulia, after they have been overprinted” as described in an earlier document (General Order No. 9 dated 25 July 1945 issued at Trieste by Colonel Alfred C. Bowman). The decision had some diplomatic and political undertones because the possibility of using Italian stamps had once been entertained but eventually discarded. In fact, it was suggested that Belgrade would have viewed the use of current Italian stamps as evidence that Venezia Giulia was in fact run by Rome. Italians, on the other hand were quite happy to see their stamps used in the region despite the overprint — to them it was something like a Machiavellian double-edged sword. Interestingly enough, due to understandable shortages of certain denominations, stamps with the emblems of the fascist regime were also overprinted, but this did not seem to bother either side because the overprint was a firm statement as to who was actually in charge. Italian definitive stamps overprinted A.M.G.-V.G. at the Renato Fortuna Press in Trieste were first used on 22 September 1945 and ceased to be valid after 30 September 1947. They were used at Trieste, Gorizia, and Pula; and although after 1 January 1946, Udine remained under A.M.G. administration these overprints were not used in that province. In June 1946 Italy voted against the monarchy and opted to become a republic, thereby making all the stamps of the old regime obsolete. During the summer of 1946 various denominations of the new Italian definitive series nicknamed “Democratica” were also overprinted A.M.G.-V.G. [This profile of Venezia Giulia under Allied Military Government is under COPYRIGHT]