Galerie

 

in Figure 19 on a cover posted from Nürnberg on 4 September 1923 and addressed to Danzig. The missing word bei has been replaced by the manuscript in. The cover also bears the 33mm long “return” cachet (1C30).

8. ROUTE INSTRUCTIONS FOR BERLIN W8 PU OFFICE

The route instructions to the Post Office for delivering mail to the PU offices is contained in a document for 15 February 1920, found in archives by Dahnke (reference 14). The
information for Berlin W8 is contained in Table I. Further documents (references 15,16,17) give the original instructions for Danzig and West Poland following the implementation of the Treaty of Versailles, and alterations to the instructions for France and Great Britain and for Greece, Hungary and the rest of the Balkans (except Rumania).

By studying covers, one can try to extend these dates back into 1919. In the case of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, this is not easy, since Hamburg dealt with mail from most other parts of Germany to and from these countries, and some inspectors wrote their numbers on the envelopes instead of using cachets (reference 11). However, Hamburg used overprinted wartime labels (1OLt8) until 10 October 1919, so it is only in the period 11 October 1919 to the end of November that difficulties in identification arise. In the case of Denmark, there is evidence that Hamburg continued to inspect mail from Berlin until the end of November 1919. The author has a registered envelope posted from Berlin on 27 November 1919 to Copenhagen with a standard sealing label numbered 10 (lOlni) used to reseal it. The 10 indicates Hamburg. Another letter posted in Berlin on 3 January 1920 and addressed to Copenhagen bears a standard sealing label numbered 1 (iLni). So sometime between those two dates the inspection of mail from Berlin to Denmark was switched from Hamburg to Berlin.

The evidence for Sweden suggests that Berlin was inspecting this mall from October 1919 while for Finland the date was from September 1919. The situation with Poland and the Polish provinces of Germany transferred to Poland in January 1920 under the Treaty of Versailles needs more evidence. It looks as if Berlin was inspecting mail to Poland from October 1919 and to the Polish provinces from December 1919 while they were still technically part of Germany! Earlier in 1919 mail to the Polish provinces had been interrupted and censored because of the political situation there.

So far as Austria is concerned, the evidence suggests that Dresden inspected such mail to and from Berlin until at least the end of October. The first item that was definitely
inspected at Berlin was postmarked 13 January 1920 at Wien. This may be the reason why Muller (reference 2) assigned the 10mm diameter cachets (4Nlaa) to Berlin.

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 77 - October - November - December - 1992, Page 35.