1945 - 1947 License plates from the Western Occupation Zones and Berlin (West) (first system)

The Western Occupation Zones have been divided in three between the USA, UK and France. All three introduced their own registration plate systems during 1945/46 in their zones. The Western sectors of Berlin were also divided in three parts and been adminstrated by the USA, UK and France.
 

• British Occupation Zone
• American Occupation Zone
• French Occupation Zone
• Berlin (West)
• Saarland (French Protectorate)

British Occupation Zone:

In the British Zone firstly (probably in 1946) white plates with black letter and numbers have been introduced. There was a letter code for the district followed by a serial number.

DÜS = Dusseldorf, red stamp "Straßenverkehrsamt Solingen"

HAN = Hannover, red stamp

HIL=Hiildesheim, county Hannoversch Münden, m/c rear

MIN = Minden, stamp “Wiedenbrück”, motorcycle front

MIN=Minden, county Lübbecke

MUN = Münster, pair motorcycle, county Münster in Telgte

STA = district Stade, county Wesermünde, motorcycle front

The codelist was as follows:
 

AAC	Aachen	LIP	Lippe
ARN	Arnsberg	LUN	Lüneburg
AUR	Aurich	MIN	Minden
BRA	Braunschweig	MÜN	Münster
DÜS	Düsseldorf	OLD	Oldenburg
H	Hamburg	OSN	Osnabrück
HAN	Hannover	S	Schleswig-Holstein
HIL	Hildesheim	STA	Stade
KOL	Köln

In the years 1946 to 1948 the British issued plates from a second system. The base plate was blue with black letters and numbers. Here is an example from my collection:

HA=Niedersachsen (Hannover), 84=Wattenstedt-Salzgitter, m/c rear

The codelist was as follows:
 

HA	Niedersachsen / Lower Saxony	SH	Schleswig-Holstein
HG	Hamburg	WF	Westfalen
NR	Nordrhein

Special Case Hansestadt Bremen

Bremen was occupated by the British  and became a part of the American Zone later, because the American needed a Seaport. The British already used Hamburg as a seaport. So the State of Bremen, formed from the cities Bremen and Bremerhaven, became part of the American zone from 1947 on. The American gave the code BM to Bremen (see below).

Until that time under British administration Bremen still used the old code HB with the numbers 1 up to 33000.

American Occupation Zone

In the American Zone the first series has orange base plates with black letters and numbers. The series was introduced in 1946. In Bremen these plates have been introduced from July 8, 1947, on. It is not known if there have been plates of the British military authority have been in use before, because Bremen was initially occupied by British troops.

BY = Bavaria (=Bayern), rear motorcycle plate, 376 = county code Nördlingen

BY = Bavaria (Bayern), 114 = Munich city

HE = Hessen, rear motorcycle plate, 42 = county Limburg

Number codes were issued to counties.

The codelist for the districts was as follows:
 

BM	Bremen	NB	Nord-Baden
BY	Bayern	WB	Nord-Württemberg
HE	Hessen

French Occupation Zone

Also in the French Zone new plates have been introduced probably in 1946. The base plate was in dark red and the letters and numbers in black.

Shown is a front motorcycle plate from BD = Baden. The numbercode 21 for was issued for the city of Baden-Baden.

This is a rear motorcycle plate with the code PF for Hessen-Pfalz. The numbercode 01 was issued for the county Bergzabern.

Here you can see another front motorcycle plate. It is also from PF = Hessen-Pfalz. The code 12 was issued for the county Neustadt.

WT=South-Württemberg & Hohenzollern, 03=Balingen, m/c front

WT=South-Württemberg & Hohenzollern, 26=Reutlingen, m/c front

WT=South-Württemberg & Hohenzollern, 27=Rottweil, m/c rear

In the following the codelist for the districts:
 

BD	Süd-Baden	SA	Saarland
PF	Hessen-Pfalz	WT	South-Württemberg & Hohenzollern
RL	Rheinland	X	Lindau

Berlin (West):

In the first time after the occupation the Russian military administration issued plates with cyrillic letters. The following codes have been in use:

БГ (=BG), ГФ (=GF), БM (=BM) und ГM (=GM)

Here an example from my collection:

Later these plates have not been accepted in the western occupation zones of Berlin anymore. In the Western Sectors of Berlin since 1947 only plates with the code KB have been in use. KB meant "Kommandantura Berlin". The old plates with cyrillic letters had to be removed until the end of February 1948.

number is sprayed of the base plate; the rest of the seal reads "Der Polizeipräsident in Berlin"

rear truck plate

rear motorcycle plate

ralf@hegis.de

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