The DC Traveler

V-Mail for Victory

by Jon on July 10th, 2008

During World War II, the War Department worked with the Post Office to find an effective, fast and low cost way to allow soldiers deployed in the Pacific and European theaters to send letters home.

V-Mail or Photomail used single sized stationery which was then photographed onto 16 mm microfilm. Hundreds of letters could be transported on cargo ships to and from war zones in the same size as just a few letters, allowing for more onboard space for war supplies and troops.

With 16 million soldiers sending an average of 6 letters a week, the Post Office was overwhelmed with additional mail and a shortage of postal workers who were in the military. It was estimated that around 1,500 letters could fit on a single roll of film. V-Mail also dramatically reduced lost letters and slow delivery times.  Letters written home by service personnel were free, but senders in the U.S. had to pay domestic postage (3¢) for letters to loved ones overseas. 

During the war, all mail originating from overseas military theaters was carefully censored, to ensure sensitive information, such as the exact location of the serviceman, unit information and descriptions of military operations, were blacked out.

Sending photos were also prohibited, at least for the first year or so of the service.  Only photos of babies born after the soldier had deployed overseas or of infants under a year of age with their mothers were allowed in V-Mails.

The V-Mail exhibit at the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC features World War II postal memorabilia and examples of Victory Mail from soldiers and the folks back home. 

Victory Mail  
National Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002 (map it)
202-633-5555

Dates and Times - Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  The exhibit has no current end date.

Tickets - Admission is FREE.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Union Station - Red line line, the museum is across the street form the station or use the DC Circulator.

Parking - Finding metered street parking can be tough, if so, park at the garage at Union Station.

Images - sailors V-Mail - National Archives (80-G-295-66815), all others public domain.

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POSTED IN: Museums