Gallery

 

so on. On 15th August a trial flight was made from Warsaw to Copenhagen via Putzig [about 28 miles north of Danzig on the coast of the Gulf of Danzig] and Malmö.[Sweden].

On the Berlin to Danzig leg in 1923 some 476kg of post and 5kg of newspapers were forwarded, a claim which was not really as noteworthy as it could have been. The most common reason for return sendings was the continual onward march of inflation and high carriage charges. By the close of business on 29th October a registered letter to Germany cost 30 million Marks and on top of that the airmail surcharge was 4.75 million Marks.

1924—1925

Air traffic was not very active from Danzig at the height of the inflation period and one important outcome of this time was the scarcity in 1924 of the newly established currency and thus a lack of funds. Nevertheless 1924 was the high point for the airmail collector as it was possible for the first time to send a letter from Danzig by Zeppelin airship and what is more on the occasion of the handover flight of the airship ZR3 from Friedrichshafen to Lakehurst on 12th October.

Of special interest for the Danzig airmail collector is an Hungarian special handstamp for a flight to Danzig. The mail emanated from Budapest on 21st August 1924 on a flight from there to Danzig via Vienna and Berlin. The handstamp bears the inscription “Legi Posta/Budapest — Danzig” around a picture of an aeroplane.

With the coming of 1925 airmail trade was reinvigorated. Meanwhile the financial climate again improved and one saw the airmail trade quickly return to previous standards.

Already on 20th April “Aerolloyd” had re—established its flights from Danzig to Lemberg via Warsaw, whilst remaining air routes were reinstated by 1st May.

Indeed by the end of March an aerodrome was set up in Marienburg because of the very poor railway connections there. Postally handled items from the first flight to there on 1st April (sendings are cancelled for departure from Danzig on 31st March) are denoted by the addition of first flight and forwarding endorsements.

1926 —1928

The most significant event of the year 1926 was the setting up of the so— called “Ostseelinie” [Baltic Sea route) on 2nd June which travelled from Stettin with landings in Stoip, Danzig and Marienburg and then via Königsberg on to Allenstein.[Allenstejn in East Prussia now Olsztyn in Poland]; many private first day covers result from all this for philateljsts. From 6th July Elbjng was also included as a landing place.

On 20th April the route from Danzig to Memel via Königsberg was completed by the addition of a landing place at Tilsit.[Tilsjt in East Prussia now Sovetsk on the Lithuanian border].


Also on 20th April experimental night flights were started from Berlin to Königsberg via Danzig which proved themselves but after a lengthy trial

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 64 - July - August - September - 1989, Page 5.