There were so many great stamps issued by France last year I find it difficult to make a small selection for this article!

Above and below: could these be the first postage stamps depicting electric bicycles? Please enlighten me if this is not the case.

La Poste has partnered with the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (League for the Protection of Birds) for this 4th edition of the philatelic series “The Earth and Men” in order to warn of the consequences of light pollution on wildlife; and some creatures so threatened are featured on this stamp sheet. The most frequent impact concerns insects and in particular moths, including the Petit paon de nuit (Little Peacock Moth). They might be attracted to a light source, mistaking it for the moon, and end up dying of exhaustion or being eaten by a predator. Light pollution also impacts night owls. The Tawny Owl can only hunt in total darkness. Flying mammals, including the European Barbastelle bat, which normally hunt nocturnally, can now be affected by the presence of artificial light. Thus both species have a restricted hunting time and a desynchronisation with the activity peaks of the animals on which they feed (small rodents, insects). The Barau Petrel, a species endemic to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, is particularly affected during the first flight of the young in April. The young birds confuse the lighting of the island with the reflection of the stars on the sea. They then fall to the ground and become easy prey for their predators. This situation threatens the sustainability of the species.

 

The great Frenchman Gustave Eiffel died in 1923 and La Poste commemorateed the 100th anniversary of his death with some fine stamps. The tower built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889 established his international reputation, though he was responsible for many other important engineering feats before designing the tower that dominates the horizon in Paris. This gigantic monument, 300 meters high, which required more than 6,300 tons of iron, was built on the Champ-de-Mars between 1887 and 1889 by 250 workers. Officially inaugurated on March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower initially aroused controversy before becoming the symbol of Paris, then of France.

The script at the top of this stamp: “Ami, entends-tu le vol noir des corbeaux sur nos plaines” (Friend, do you hear the dark flight of the crows over our plains) shows the opening words of the Chant des Partisans (Song of the Partisans). The stamp was issued to commemorate the 80th anniversary of what became a rallying song and anthem of the French Resistance during the occupation of France by Nazi Germany in World War II. It was nicknamed the Marseillaise of the Resistance. On May 17 1943 its whistled melody became a call sign for a Free France after being broadcast on radio by the BBC.

La Poste issued this stamp sheet entitled “Mountain Flowers” ​​in its Fauna and Flora series. The rare plants shown here, found in France only in its various mountainous regions are: Gizia saxifrage (Saxifraga giziana); Alpine columbine (Aquilegia alpina); Jasione (Jasione crispa sub-species arvernensis); and the Pyrenean lily (Lilium pyrenaicum).

Commander René Mouchotte (1914-1943), French fighter pilot of the Second World War, is commemorated on this airmail stamp. August 27, 2023 was the 80th anniversary of Commandant René Mouchotte’s death. A highly capable pilot and leader, Mouchotte was the first non-Commonwealth aviator to command an RAF squadron. The stamp shows a portrait of René Mouchotte with, to his right, two views of the Spitfire, his emblematic plane, with its roundel of Britain’s Royal Air Force. René Mouchotte also had the Cross of Lorraine badge (badge of the Free French Air Force) painted on his plane. He was one of the most famous and admired French fighter pilots of World War II. Mouchotte’s final posting was to 341 Free French Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill. While commanding 341 Squadron, he was shot down and killed in combat with a Focke Wulf 190 on the first daylight raid to Blockhaus d’Éperlecques in the Pas de Calais, France, on August 27, 1943. 

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