Germany Berlin Clipper Airmail Censored Cover to USA via Portugal 1941 WWII

Item Specifics

Country

Berlin

Condition

Cover (Postal History)

Stamp Format

Single

Item Description

Grade: Ungraded
Postal History Item: Cover This cover was sent by airmail from Germany to the United States during World War II, routed via the Transatlantic Clipper service through Portugal. From: Patentanwälte (Patent Attorneys) Dipl.-Ing. Rich. E. Müller Dr. Werner Koch Berlin-Charlottenburg 2, Fasanenstrasse 76/77, Germany. (Note: Reverse also bears a handstamp "Auflieferer: Heribert Schneider / Berlin O 112, Kynphiusstraße 7," indicating Schneider as the consignor/sender, possibly acting for or as part of the patent firm.) To: Mr. Harold A. Swanson P.O. Box No. 2 HARRISON, New Jersey, U. S. A. Postmark (Departure): BERLIN SW 11, dated 25.4.41 -18 (25 April 1941, 6 PM). Travel Route & Approximate Distance: Route & Approximate Distance: The cover is explicitly endorsed "MIT TRANSATLANTIC CLIPPER ÜBER PORTUGAL." Berlin, Germany to Lisbon, Portugal (approx. 1430 miles / 2300 km). Lisbon, Portugal to New York, USA (Pan Am Clipper Southern Route, typically via Horta, Azores, and Hamilton, Bermuda - approx. 3750 miles / 6035 km). New York, USA to Harrison, New Jersey, USA (approx. 12 miles / 20 km). Total Approximate Travel Distance: ~5200 miles / ~8355 km. Additional Visible Features: Red typed endorsements: "MIT LUFTPOST NACH NORDAMERIKA!" (By Airmail to North America!) and "MIT TRANSATLANTIC CLIPPER ÜBER PORTUGAL" (With Transatlantic Clipper via Portugal). Blue "MIT LUFTPOST / PAR AVION / BY AIR MAIL" etiquette. German WWII military censorship: Brown paper sealing tape with repeated "Geöffnet" (Opened) text, applied by the "Oberkommando der Wehrmacht" (OKW - High Command of the Armed Forces). Three circular red "Oberkommando der Wehrmacht" censor handstamps featuring the Nazi eagle and swastika. Small purple rectangular censor examiner's handstamp "341" on the reverse. Historical Context for Postmark Date (25 April 1941): World War II: Balkans Campaign: Germany's invasion of Yugoslavia (Operation 25) and Greece (Operation Marita) was concluding. Yugoslavia had capitulated on April 17th. By April 25th, mainland Greece was largely occupied by German forces, and Allied (British, Australian, New Zealand) forces were in the midst of a difficult evacuation from mainland Greece to Crete and Egypt. Athens would fall to German troops on April 27th. North African Campaign: The Siege of Tobruk by Axis forces (German Afrika Korps and Italian troops) was ongoing, having begun on April 10th. Eastern Front Preparations: Germany was secretly and actively amassing forces and making preparations for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which would be launched on June 22, 1941. US Neutrality: The United States remained officially neutral but was increasingly providing material support to the Allies through measures like the Lend-Lease Act (signed March 1941). Transatlantic airmail via neutral Portugal and the Pan American Airways Clipper service remained a vital, though heavily censored, communication link between Axis-controlled Europe and North America.

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03/05/2019

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Item Location

Florida, United States

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Worldwide

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