Earliest Foreign Mail from Liberated Dalmatia

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Following the Italian capitulation in September 1943, Hvar remained under Partisan control until January 1944. While mail from this brief period is exceptionally scarce, foreign-bound items are of the utmost rarity.
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Dispatched from Grablje, Hvar (1 Nov 1943) to Rialto, California, USA, this cover is the earliest known example of mail sent abroad from liberated Dalmatia. Its seven-month journey via Vis and Southern Italy reflects the extreme wartime disruption of postal routes. The item bears the “★ KOTARSKI NARODNO OSLOBODILAČKI ODBOR HVAR” (District National Liberation Committee Hvar) cachet and underwent multiple levels of inspection, featuring “CENZURIRANO VOCC CENSORED” and “DEPUTY CHIEF FIELD CENSOR” cachets.
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