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>> GERMAN CATAPULT FLIGHTS by JOHN M. MATTLER

II. Catapultflight
Departure from speedsteamship “Bremen”: 20.August 1929 Accepted in Danzig: 9 pieces of mail Price: Card -,- RM  - -  Letter 100,- RM

Again this flight was “non official” for the Free State. No agreement had been reached with the Ministry of the Reichspost. From the above mentioned 9 pieces of mail, only 5 returned to Danzig. These seem to be the only ones known. The auxiliary flight Cologne-Cherbourg was connected for the first time to this flight. The covers known to me have the Airmail arrival cancel “Berlin C 2”, the 14 x 45 mm red rectangular border cancel “Mit Katapultflug” (Via Catapult-flight), the Il x 89 mm red rubberstamp “ Mit Luftpost zum D. Bremen befordert (transported via airmail to steamship “Bremen”) and the oval red cancel with a border edge “Deutscher Katapultflug D. Bremen”-New York, 20. August 1929” (German Catapultflight steamship “Bremen”-New York, 20. Aug. 1929). An American arrival cancel apparently was not in use.

III. Catapultflight . ( Departure: 10. September 1929 Accepted in Danzig: I piece of mail . Price: 30,- RM

The participation of Danzig on this flight is officially ratified, resulting from the following bulletin:

Postal and Telegraph Administration of the Free City of Danzig.

Danzig, 31. August 1929

To All
Postoffices in the Free State of Danzig In reference to: Air and sea mail. with the steamship “Bremen” to America.

The third passage to North America of the steamship “Bremen”, North German Lloyd, will begin 4. Sept.  As an experiment, the following flights will be arranged.
1) auxiliary flight Cologne-Cherbourg (Stop-over of the steamship) leaving Cologne 5. Sept. 10 am.
2) Flight of the catapultplane from the steamship “Bremen” to New York. This flight will begin about 400-5-- km (250-300 miles) before reaching the U.S, coast.

Both flights will be used for transportation of mail, that can also be handed over at any post office in the Free State of Danzig. Ordinary letter mail will be admitted to the USA and from there to other countries. All stipulations for mailing can be seen in the following table.

 

Danzig Report  Nr. 16 – 4th Quarter 1977, Page 10.