1938-1945 WWII era Civilian Postal Links with Axis & Occupied Countries

WWII era continental Jewish mail from Nazi Germany without "Israel"/"Sarah" return address: 13 Nov 1939 postmarked pre-paid [detached] postal reply card with long message in German dated the day before, sent by surface mail from MAGDEBURG to ZURICH Switzerland & tied by single circle local postmark with odd index letters below: as the sender left a blank line between the addressee's name and their...

WWII postal routes: JAN 6 1940 surface mailed printed envelope on personal stationary from MANILA (Philippines) to THE HAGUE (Netherlands) with routing instruction "by S.S. 'Takao Maru.' | Netherland via Japan/Siberia [USSR]/Germany.", franked 12c per period rate using a Salt Spring 12c stamp overprinted COMMONWEALTH & tied by single strike of local postmark; opened & resealed by censor at left us...

Church postcards: Hungary/Romania > Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureş - Romanian Orthodox Church (sometimes mistaken in images as the city's Big Synagogue) at center-right foreground in black and white photographic postcard by Monostory György of Budapest with printed caption on back. Unused: as printed in Hungarian, postcard would date to period of 1940-44 when it became part of Hungary as part of ...

EXTRAORDINARY postal communication between Allied & Axis belligerents: 3 NOV 1941 postmarked air mail cover from NEWARK USA to HOXTER Germany, franked 30c per period trans-atlantic letter rate; the transmission was entirely by air, here avoiding Bermuda or Trinidad as evidenced by the lack of British censor markings (this done deliberately by PanAm airlines); over a month later, on 7 December, Jap...

Extraordinary WWII postal history - LAST AIRMAIL TO USA *1 week AFTER* GERMAN DECLARATION OF WAR: 18 Dec. 1941 postmarked air mail cover, sent from SUCHTELN Germany to MILWAUKEE USA - 7 days after Germany and the US declared war on each other on 11 Dec.; franked 145 pfennig at the triple weight postage rate (15 gram - likely weighing 12 1/2g per manuscript near the address; 65pf base 5g rate + 2x ...

Among the last mail from Vichy France to America: 27 OCT 1942 postmarked air mail Jewish correspondence cover, from LYON (unoccupied Zone of France) to NEW YORK, franked 16F & tied by 3 strikes of the local postmark; the cover was subsequently opened & resealed by the British censor in BERMUDA using PC 90 "Opened by Examiner 4058" label tied by Bermuda's censor code handstamp "I.C."; opened roughl...

Hungary/Romania > Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureş - Romanian Orthodox Church at center in black and white photographic postcard by Foto Weinstock with printed caption on back, often mistaken for being the Jewish BIG SYNAGOGUE. Used: 17 X 1943 from MAROSVASARHELY to BUDAPEST, franked 4f & tied by full strike of local postmark. This locale was originally Romanian except for the period 1940-1944 when ...

Germany 1945 "Überroller" mail: 9 MAR 1945 business stationary cover from medical business HAMBURG to city hospital DORTMUND, franked 10pf per period rate using Hitler definitive stamp & tied by machine cancel; appears to have passed a domestic German censor (mute circular cachet on front) but further transmission ceased & processing of the mail resumed with the American occupation of parts of Ge...

Germany 1945 "Überroller" mail abroad: 9 MAR 1945 business stationary cover from fur-hat business LAUTERBACH to business in STOCKHOLM (Sweden), franked 25pf per period surface mail rate to Europe using the firm's slogan-meter cancel; cover front-stamped next day transit in locale's postal system & marked at back by numbered circular censor cachet - but further transmission ceased & processing of ...