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JIM GRAUE IDENTIFIES A 1941 LATI COVER


Below are shown the two sides of a cover flown to South Ameiica by LATI (linee Aerea Transcontinentale Italiane). [All began operations in mid-December, 1939. For Germany, it essentially took the place of the Deutsche Lufthansa South Atlantic service thai was (lisconhinued at the end of August due to the war. The rates for the airmail from Germany were unchanged from those thit were in place for DLH since 1934.

This route was also used for “sensitive” letters to the US., to avoid British ccnsors For certainty in missing the British, the sender had to spell out the desired route: Buenos Aires - Santiago - Lima - Cristobal - Mexico - U.S. Later (1941), a postal marking was used to specify this route (Roma - Buenos Ayrcs / Santiago - Cole du Pacifique). If absent in this direction, the mail could be routed from Brazil across the Caribean and be caught by the British censors at Jamaica. rates for the airmail to the U.S. via LAI1 to South America were quite high (RM 2.40 for up to 5 grams), compared with the usual trans-Atlantic
Clipper (65 Rpf for up to 5 grams), but it was better than not getting through at all!

Letter was sent from Danzig on the 15th of September, 1941. Arrived in Paraguay on the first of October. (Pearl Harbors bombing is still 2 months away.)

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 107 - April - May - June - 2000, Page 11.