Gallery

 

CONTINUED FROM DANZIG REPORT No. 62, Page 19:
As regards stamp colour, red was specified in Danzig the same as in the Reich. However Danzig—Langfuhr made an exception by using violet throughout.

Occasionally there were deviations from the rule — thus at Danzig 5 other colours were found as below

black  — on           11.5.1923 and 2.8.1923 (and other dates)
wine   —red — on 21.3.1925, 16.7.1925, 31.10.1925 and 23.11.1925 (and other dates)

Danzig—Langfuhr also occasionally strayed, so for example, on 21.12.1926 a black—grey impression was made.

In the German Reich the use of airmail forwarding endorsement handstamps was done away with, to the regret of the airmail collector, allegedly in the interests of “speeding up handling”, by Order No. 95 of the Rejchspost Ministry on 30.10.1934. This Order was soon followed up by Danzig 5 Post Office whereas the handstamps of Danzig-Langfuhr are still recorded as being in use up to 18.11.1935.

It is naturally possible to find all German airmail forwarding endorsement handstamps on sendings from Danzig and the most frequently met with are those from the larger airports such as Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt/Main, Munich and so on. Essentially scarcer are the endorsements of the somewhat more remote places like Westerland, Kiel. Lübeck arid many others. We need not list these out in full here, but for a full see list see Dahmann.

Particularly noteworthy is an airmail forwarding endorsement from a Railway Post Office, namely of Railway Post Office 4. This is a rectangle containing the text:“Mit Luftpost befördert Bahnpostamt 4”

It was used for airmail from the Eastern provinces (The Baltic States, Finland etc.) forwarded as far as Königsberg by railway if it proved quicker forwarding up to there by rail instead of air. It was occasionally used for sendings from Danzig such as those that were flown to Marienburg and then entrusted to Railway Post Office 4 for onward transmission to Berlin.

Occasionally it is recorded that other handstamps like airmail transit advice handstamps were used as forwarding endorsements instead,these being in black ink. It is assumed that this was the purpose of the black Danzig 5 handstamp on a card from Berlin dated 4.7.1923. [This card is illustrated opposite page 30 in the original of Part I) . Moreover both kinds of handstamps can appear on the sending, as with a card (not

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 63 - April - May - June - 1989, Page 14.