The occupation of Belgium in the First World War (part 2)

The 'Western Belgium Stage Area' consisted of the part of Belgium occupied by German troops between the front and the border of the General Government in Belgium. It comprised East and West Flanders, the arrondissements of Arlon, Mons, and Tournai, and a number of municipalities in northern French departments.An Etappengebied (Establishment Area) is the part of a country that was completely under the control of the military occupiers and where the army's most important supplies were located, directly behind the front in a broad strip. The army's support units, such as army hospitals, were also located here. The Etappengebied was subdivided into various 'Kommandanturen'. The boundaries of the area were not fixed and shifted along with the front. Postal traffic was under the full supervision of the occupiers. The series consisted of twelve values. A major difference compared to the overprints of the General Government of Belgium was that the word 'Belgien' was missing from this series. The series was issued from December 1, 1916. Mail sent from the Etappengebied franked with stamps issued from December 1, 1916, is much harder to find than mail with stamps from the General Government. Cancelled loose stamps usually bear impressions from the 'Postüberwachungsstelle', which are round and lack an office name, containing only a number and a letter. Furthermore, one finds impressions of the rectangular 'Postprüfungsstelle' stamp from the Etappen-Inspektion, which does include an office name. And have you found a piece of mail with a clear impression dated December 1916 franked with one of the stamps from the 'Etappengebied' series? Then you have found a gem!