Germany – Soviet Zone general issues

At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into occupation zones for France, Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union. Berlin and its immediate area was also separated the same way.

The Soviet Zone started with postal districts issuing their own stamps. See: Germany – Allied occupation 1945-49.

Currency reform
In 1948, with German currency revalued, local offices overprinted existing stocks of the Allied Control Board issue diagonally with district or office number and town/city name. There can also be another number or sometimes another specific subdistrict or town name added. Beware of forgeries of scarcer locations or errors.  File:Germany OPD3 Berlin 7.jpg File:Sov Zone OPD 16 Gera sig.jpg File:Sov Zon OPD 37 Schwerin.jpg|genuine? 

General issues
 File:DDR first ovpt.jpg|10pf overprinted Control Board stamp File:Sov Zone ovpt on Berlin.jpg|1947 20pf overprinted Berlin-Brandenberg stamp File:Sov Zone numeral ovpt.jpg|1947 5pf overprinted numeral File:Sov Zone 60 Hegel A.webp|Soviet Zone 60pf Hegel 
 * In July 1948, the Control Board issue was overprinted Sowjetische / Besatzungs / Zone up to the 84pf value.
 * In August 1948, two large pictorials were issued to commemorate the Leipzig Fair. They were inscribed DEUTSCHE POST just like the 1947 and 1948 issues used for the similar general occupation set. Be aware that West Saxony district and American and British Zone stamps of the time were also inscribed DEUTSCHE POST. We include an example of each set below for Soviet Zone issues. With Democratic Republic (DDR) issues also illustrated on its page, anything else inscribed "DEUTSCHE POST" is a Bizone or Federal Republic issue.
 * In September, Berlin-Brandenburg stamps were overprinted Sowjetische / Besatzungs / Zone.
 * Five values of the Allied occupation numeral stamps were also overprinted that way.
 * In October, a definitive series showing famous Germans was issued, again inscribed DEUTSCHE POST. They have a quatrefoil watermark. There are two different papers and two different types of gum. These would be reissued by the German Democratic Republic in 1953 in similar colors but with the DDR and Posthorn watermark. The two issues can sometimes be hard to tell apart from each other, but weak watermarks are generally Soviet Zone issues.

 File:Sov Zone Leip fair 1948 low.jpg|1948 16pf+9pf Leipzig Fair File:SovZone Leip 1948 high.jpg|1948 50pf+25pf Leipzig Fair File:SovZone stamp day.jpg|1948 12pf+3pf Stamp Day File:Sov Zone 24pf memorial.jpg|1949 24pf memorial File:Sov Zone 1949 LeFair I low.jpg|1949 30pf+15pf Leipzig Fair (I) File:Sov Zone Leipzig Fair 1949.jpg|1949 50pf+25pf Leipzig Fair (I) File:SovZone 1949 Goethe.jpg|1949 24pf+16pf Goethe File:Sov Zone peoples congr.jpg|1949 24pf People's Congress File:Sov Zone Congrss ovpt.jpg|1949 24pf Congress overprint for the revised date file:Sov Zone 1949 fair I low.jpg|1949 12pf+8pf Leipzig Fair (II) File:Sov Zone 1949 Fair II high.jpg|1949 24pf+16pf Leipzig Fair (II) 
 * Also in October, the Soviet Zone's first commemorative was issued for Stamp Day.
 * In 1949, two new Leipzig Fair sets of semipostals were issued, dated "1949" and in different designs.
 * In 1949, a Goethe semipostal set and souvenir sheet was issued.
 * Stamps were replaced by those of the newly created German Democratic Republic in October 1949.



