Gallery

DANZIG ZEPPELIN POST: 1924-29

JOURNEY TO AMERICA OF THE ZR III (LZ 126)

Start:                                       October 12, 1924 @ 06:35 o’clock Friedrichshafen
Landing:                                October 15, 1924 03:11 o’clock Lakehurst
Duration of flight:              80 hours, 36 minutes.
Fee:                                          Card- 0.75 Gulden. Letter- 1.50 Gulden
Obtained for delivery:     about 25 to 30 pieces of mail.
Price:                                       Card- 300 RM Letter- 500 RM

The delivery journey of the airship ZR III (production no. LZ 126), built for the United States of America for reparations (and later named the “Los Angeles”) was for the German builders as well as the master of the airship a very triumphal trip. It was the first time that an airship dared to cross the ocean and, according to the program, easily accomplished this venture. Therefore, this flight is for us, the philatelists, significant because with it a unique postal dispatch to America was coordinated over which the Post and Telegraph Administration of the City of Danzig decreed (under #136) the following:

Danzig, August 20th 1924

UNIQUE AIRMAIL TRANSPORTATION TO AMERICA WITH THE AIRSHIP ZR III

Airship ZR III, built by the airship designers “Zeppelin”, will start her transportation journey probably by the end of August from Friedrichshafen to America where she will land at Lakehurst (State of New Jersey), United States of America. Besides the German mail, a limited amount of first class mail from the City of Danzig will be taken along. For this extraordinary postal administration transportation, only letters and postcards (no registered mail) will be admitted under the following conditions:
1. Weight of a single letter not to exceed 20 Grams.
2. Destination must be in the United States, Canada or in the countries of Central or South America, so that mail can be forwarded by way of New York thru the regular communications.
3. The total fees are: a) for letters. .. 1,50 Gulden b) for postal cards.,.. 0.75 Gulden
4. Mail is to be prepaid completely with airmail stamps or regular postage stamps. Insufficient or incomplete prepaid mail will be barred from flight by the airship.
5. All mail must bear the conspicuous note: “Mit Luftschiuf ZR III ab Friedrichshafen”. Furthermore, it is recommended to stick on a green “Mit Luftpost” label.

The mail intended for airship transportation is to be conveyed from all post offices to Post Office V in Danzig. Before delivery to the airship, they will receive a cachet imprint: “Mit Luftschiff ZR III befördert” [Transported by Airship ZR III]. A Guarantee that the mail will be transported in no other way than by airship will not be assumed by the Postal authorities. Until all mail is submitted to Post Office V or it has reached the maximum weight of the Danzig mail for the airship, the day of departure and time of closing has yet to be announced.

Danzig Report   Nr. 6 – November - December - 1975, Page 2.