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1914–1945

Swiss Post as intermediary during the world wars

Working with the Red Cross, Swiss Post carries several hundred million postage-free consignments from prisoners of war and internees. And after the mobilizations of 1914 and 1939, the volume of Swiss military mail skyrockets – postage-free field post accounts for up to 25 percent of domestic letters.

Prisoner-of-war mail in Basel, mail bags piled up for onward transport, circa 1945. Source: Robert Spreng (photographer) / Museum of Communication