page_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Latvia
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Latvia / World War II
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Почтовая марка временной администрации Латвии (немецкая оккупация)
context_page_description: Postal history in the territory that now constitutes Latvia began during the 13th century, when the Archbishopric of Riga was included to the area of postal operations of the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights and the Hanseatic League. In 1580 the Hanseatic League issued their first known regulations on courier work and payroll, regulations that also were active in the territory that now constitutes Latvia.
context_section_description: As part of the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, a series of 13 stamps were issued, depicting the arms of Soviet Latvia and inscribed "Latvijas // PSR".
  These were shortly superseded by the occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany.  At first existing stocks of Soviet stamps were used, overprinted "LATVIJA // 1941 // 1. VII", then the stamps for the Reichskommissariat Ostland and regular German stamps came into use, in October 1941.
  In April 1945, Germans stamps were overprinted "KURLAND" and used in Courland.
caption: German occupation overprint for Latvia, 1941
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