Update: new provisional manuscript cancel has been discovered by Vytautas Jurkša
In WWI, Jeznas, presently Jieznas, (Jezno, Ezno) was passed through by German troops late in August 1915, when after the fall of the Kaunas fortress on August 18, their 21st Infantry Corps (XXI. Armeekorps) led by Gen. Ltn. von Hutier crossed the river Nemunas (Njemen) south of Kaunas and pressed east to carry out a flanking movement towards Vilnius from the south.
During the German retreat from Russia at the end of 1918, the Red Army advancing into southern Lithuania halted at a Russo-German agreed demarcation line some distance east of the river Nemunas. However, the Soviet strategy embodied a concerted move towards the German border as well, and this included a crossing of the Nemunas in the vicinity of Prienai by the 7th “Lithuanian” Regiment of the Pskov Division. It was in and around Jeznas that the first serious encounter took place which at first resulted in a Bolshevik victory on February 9, but on February 13 they were pushed out by the joint efforts of Lithuanian troops and units of the 18th Saxonian Volunteers Regiment.
The first postmaster appointed for Jeznas, as from May 20, 1919, was Vincas Aksomaitis who had been foreseen as valdininkas for the intended but eventually not opened post office in Suvalkai. At Jeznas, he stayed on untill transfer as postmaster to Žiežmariai as from January 1, 1921 and was replaced by Justinas Gusas, till then postmaster at Kruonis.
Though there had been a post office at Jeznas in czarist times (Ezno), a relatively late opening of a Lithuanian post office seems to have been due to Jeznas being close to conflict-filled areas, impacted first by Bolshevik, then by Polish intentions. The first stamps available at Jeznas were values from Fourth Berlin Issue, followed by the Sėjėjas Issue etc.
Not having a standard postmarker, Jeznas P.O. resorted to pen-cancelling.
Later made use of a makeshift one-liner cachet “JEZNAS”.
A standard calendar-type postmarker appears to have been supplied only in 1921.
Known provisional cancelling:
MS cancelling:
19/IX – 19 single, Berlin IV 40 [colln. V. Jurkša]One-liner cachet:
no date, single, Berlin IV 10 [colln. Brazdeikis]
no date, single, Berlin IV 30 [colln. Doniela]
no date, single, Berlin IV 1a [fomerly Matuzas]