Feldpostnummer : Why L and M added if ...

[Brauer]

I'm curious to know why, if each Feldpostnummer was unique to each Wehrmacht unit, why the prefixes L and M were added for those in the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, respectively. Can anyone please explain this?

cheers
Lee

[Nachtjager]

I don't have the answer for this, but I've long wondered the same thing myself - hopefully some enlightened soul out there can shed light on this. Good post!

[bsmith56]

I'll take a stab... Maybe so it was easy to tell if it was a Heer, Kriegsmarine, or Luftwaffe number without having to look up?

Just a complete guess, but it seems logical.

[Brauer]

Thanks Nachtjager and bsmith56 for your respective replies. The latter one has made me think now that if L and M were not added as prefixes then all mail would need to have gone through a single sorting office i.e. for the whole Wehrmacht. Whereas by using prefixes then there could be a separate sorting office for each branch of the Wehrmacht. So the prefix could denote which sorting office the mail should go through. Otherwise the one for Das Heer would be used. Does this seem logical?

cheers
Lee

[Rose Heppler]

... if L and M were not added as prefixes then all mail would need to have gone through a single sorting office i.e. for the whole Wehrmacht. Whereas by using prefixes then there could be a separate sorting office for each branch of the Wehrmacht. Does this seem logical?

cheers
Lee

I have to say that I think your statement is logical. Since the feldpost undoubtedly would/could be bogged down by mail, it would make sense to use a prefix to determine which branch the mail was going to.

Each number was indeed unique to each unit but we have to remember that the numbers were reused as well (after a period of months/years of being out of use). However, that probably has no bearing on this topic as the codes L and M were introduced around the end of 1939.

It may be possible that the Army, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe could have had the same number or similar... So, there may have been an instance when the numbers matched and they would have needed the L or M to determine between them. Just my thoughts.

-Rose

[Brauer]

I have to say that I think your statement is logical. Since the feldpost undoubtedly would/could be bogged down by mail, it would make sense to use a prefix to determine which branch the mail was going to.

Each number was indeed unique to each unit but we have to remember that the numbers were reused as well (after a period of months/years of being out of use). However, that probably has no bearing on this topic as the codes L and M were introduced around the end of 1939.

It may be possible that the Army, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe could have had the same number or similar... So, there may have been an instance when the numbers matched and they would have needed the L or M to determine between them. Just my thoughts.

-Rose

Many thanks militarymedic / Rose for your valued thoughts etc. I think we may now have a possible logical explanation for the use of the L and M prefixes. It would also make sense each branch of the Wehrmacht having its own mail sorting office with regard to managing the Feldpostnummer system i.e. assigning a particular number to one unit and later re-assigning that number to another one for whatever reason.

Your point about two or more branches of the Wehrmacht possibly having the same (numerical) number in some instances is also very interesting. I wonder if there are any instances where / when this occured? For example, when / where a Fallschirmjäger (part of the Luftwaffe) unit was used predominantly as specialist infantry to support Das Heer e.g. at Monte Cassino, on the Eastern Front etc.

cheers
Lee