A Christmas V-Mail from World War II

V-mail, or Victory Mail, was a WWII-era operation to expedite mail service for Americans serving overseas. V-mail was written on standardized stationery, photographed onto 16mm microfilm, transported to the US or other destination, and then “blown up” to regular size before being delivered. Microfilmed V-mail was so tiny that between 1500 and 1800 letters could fit on a 90-foot-long, 4-ounce roll of film, which saved so much valuable space and weight in cargo holds that letters and army equipment could be shipped together.

This Christmas V-mail was sent by Morris “Moe” Weiner to his wife, Sylvia in 1943. In the illustration by cartoonist Lt. Dave Berger a soldier stationed “somewhere in Britain” holds up a letter with sections cut out, poking fun at the wartime censorship of letters—as reflected by the actual censor’s stamp of approval in the top left corner.