Iceland Reykjavik British Censored Cover Postage to USA 1941 Europe WWII

Item Specifics

Country

Iceland

Condition

Cover (Postal History)

Stamp Format

Single

Item Description

Grade: Ungraded
Postal History Item : Item Type: Cover. Usage: Postally used. From: BERNH. PETERSEN, REYKJAVÍK, ÍSLAND. To: The National Oil Products Company Inc., Harrison, N.J., U.S.A. Additional Visible Features: Printed sender's details on the front bottom left. Typed recipient address. British Censorship: Tan paper sealing tape applied vertically on the left front and wrapping to the back, printed in black "OPENED BY EXAMINER 5556". Small black handstamp "P.C. 90" on reverse (Postal Censorship form designation). Postmark Date and Location: REYKJAVÍK, January 29, 1941. Travel Route and Approximate Distance: The cover was sent from Reykjavík, Iceland, to Harrison, New Jersey, USA. Approximate direct distance Reykjavík to Harrison, NJ: ~4,200 km (~2,600 miles). Wartime mail routes could be indirect and subject to delays. Historical Context: The date January 29, 1941, falls during World War II. Iceland was under British occupation (Operation Fork, May 1940) to prevent a German invasion and secure North Atlantic sea lanes. The United States was still officially neutral. The Lend-Lease bill, which would allow the U.S. to provide significant aid to Allied nations, was making its way through the U.S. Congress at this time (it would be passed by the House on Feb 8 and signed into law March 11, 1941). The Battle of the Atlantic was ongoing, with German U-boats actively trying to disrupt Allied shipping. Mail from Iceland, a strategically important occupied territory, to the neutral United States was routinely subjected to British censorship. The "OPENED BY EXAMINER 5556" tape and "P.C. 90" marking are clear indicators of this process. The sender, Bernh. Petersen, was an Icelandic merchant, and the recipient was an American oil products company. Correspondence related to commodities like oil would have been of interest to censors monitoring resources and trade during wartime.

Seller Information

Seller

2wayrus (777)

Registered Since

03/05/2019

Feedback

99.5%

Store

2colllect

• Sales

Item Location

Florida, United States

Ships To

Worldwide

Returns Accepted

No

Public Questions