Galerie

 

An interesting and unusual feature of this series of feeder flights arose from the cancellation of voyages by or connections to the “Europa”. of which the corresponding sendings were identified. What happened was that many senders incorrectly understood from a publication in the RPM Gazette 206/1931 that catapult mail could be posted for the steamer “Columbus”, however the instructions dealt only with the matter of feeder flights. Such sendings were indeed collected only to receive a special endorsement concerning the impossibility of a catapult flight, as this ship was not equipped with catapult facilities.

3. Danzig’s involvement with mail on the flying boat Do X

Danzig also participated in these flights. The flights, especially the round trip Europe — America, had sometimes to be postponed because of technical difficulties. Thus we have

1) Round trip Europe — America 1931
A special handstamp was produced for this flight, a double framed square handstamp : Between the frame lines at the top “ERSTER UBERSEEFLUG’, to the left “AMERIRA”, to the right “EUROPA” and below “DES DORNIER FLUGSCHIFFS DO X”.

Sendings for this flight had to be delivered to Friedrichshafen by 8.11.1930. In the event the departure from Lisbon was postponed which extended the schedule and a new deadline for departure was set in January. Mail carried up to there, which had not already been delivered (for example in The Azores) was delivered to Rio de Janeiro and was forwarded on through normal postal channels on 21 June 1931.

2) Leg of the round trip : Danzig - The Azores
This postcard bears a Danzig departure handstamp dated 7.11.1930, a Friedrichshafen transit handstamp dated 13.11.1930, an “on board” handstamp (two ring with bridge) in violet with between the rings above “DORNIER” and below “FLUGSCHIFF and in the bridge the date 30 January 1931, in the upper segment “DO X” and in the lower “D 1929”. Furthermore the postcard bears a transit handstamp of Puerto de la Cruz dated 25.3.1931 and two handstamps from Horta (in The Azores) dated 26.10 and 29.12.1931. It was the case that the addressee could not be traced, so the card was returned to Danzig receiving there an entry handstamp dated 12 January 1932.. Thus it was that the journey from Danzig to The Azores and back took 1 year and two months. [Afichaelis seems to be referring here to a postcard which is not actually illustrated in th book].


3) Flight to Germany 1932
The special handstamp is a red single ring stamp with the legend “Flugschiff” above and “Deutschlandflug 1932” below, and in the middle “DO X”. Departure from Danzig 11.7.1932; Forwarding endorsement handstamp “Mit Luftpost befördert Luftpostnmt Berlin C 2” in red.

4) Flight Passau - Switzerland 1933
Special handstamp in violet : illustration of the flying boat, with to the left “Passau — “, to the right “Schweiz”, above “Flugschiff Do X” and below “1933”. Postmarked Passau 5.9.1933 on Danzig reply postcard; Arrival handstamp Staud (Switzerland) also on 5.9.

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 64 - July - August - September - 1989, Page 27.