Galerie

 

This postcard was sent registered (with the message and reply portions still attached to each other) to Passau Post Office with the request that the reply card be sent back by air from Switzerland. The special surcharge for this was already franked in the amount of 0.3ORM by the sender on the reply card. Thus arose a perfectly correct mixed franking on Danzig postal stationery. Also on this flight technical difficulties occurred. The postcard therefore bears a double line handstamp : “Beförderung wegen Beschädigung/ des Flugschiffs Do X verzögert”.[Forwarding delayed due to damage to the flying boat Do K). The card should have already been dispatched from Danzig on 11 May.

[Once again Michaelis seems to be referring to an item not actually illustrated in the book).


II. The Polish Post Office in Danzig

1. General airmail of the Polish Post Office in Danzig
The Polish Post Office in Danzig took a number of years to set up its arrangements to be included in airmail commerce, although Poland herself had had an involvement at an early stage in international and airmail traffic to Danzig. Indeed this early airmail traffic from Poland via the Free State of Danzig also flowed in the reverse direction.

The first such airmail traffic began on 28.6.1926 was started by the State Airline “Polska Linja Lotnicza” or “Lot”. The first items sent from Warsaw to Danzig are distinguished by a large, blue, gummed label of this airline on which was rubber stamped on the first day in three lines “Pierwszy Lot! Do! Gdanska” (first flight to Danzig). These items also bear a handstamp “Par Avion” and a large rectangular handstamp, showing the amount of additional fee charged. The sendings received in Danzig, a Danzig-Langfuhr arrival handstamp on 29.6.1926, 9-10 V.

The inception of Polish Post Office airmail resulted in First Day Covers on 10.7.1928. These sendings are distinguished by a six line special handstamp in red with the following legend in French :
Ouverture de la
correspondance
aérienne par la
Poste Polonaise
a Danzig

Postmarked
10-7-1928 Poiska Urzad .P.T.Nr.1
X Gdansk X

Altogether 205 items were carried on this flight, including 105 to Warsaw and 100 to Lvov (Lemberg).

Those items addressed to Warsaw bear the arrival handstamp ‘Warszawa 10.VII.28 -15” in black, whilst those addressed to Lvov bear the handstamp “Lwow 2 x2rx l0.VII.28 -18” also in black together with the air forwarding endorsement handstamp ‘NADESZIO POCZTA LOTNICZA ( forwarded by airmail). In addition all sendings carry an endorsement concerning the amount of additional fee charged.

 

Danzig Report  Nr. 64 - July - August - September - 1989, Page 28.