Today in Postal History

 

Latvia to Palestine
March 25, 1941

This postal card was sent during the last days before being engulfed in World War II.

Latvia became independent in the aftermath of World War I
after being under Russian control since 1795.
Latvia, despite non-agression pacts with both Germany and the Soviet Union,
were forced to accept Russian bases in 1939 and were occupied by the Russians in June, 1940.*
They were invaded by the Germans in June, 1941, and returned
to Russian control after the end of World War II.

The card was sent from Liepāja on the Baltic Sea about 200 km west southwest of Riga.
The card received a single strike of the CDS.

The destination was Jerusalem.
It was censored on arrival there and marked with a hexagonal censor's mark.

The card is franked with a pair of the 20 santim rose brown Arms from
the last independent issue of Latvia before World War II in 1940 (Scott 224).

Is there any significance to the L. L. | L. in the lower left corner of the front?

Can someone translate the message for us?

*Thanks to iucounu for the reminder to get the Latvian time-line corrected.

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