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5th June 1940 Focke-Wulf Fw 200 'Condor' 05.06.1940 Condor reverse.jpeg 05.06.1940 Condor reverse.jpeg 1/1 Postcard depicting a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 'Condor'. Note that the swastika on the tail has been partially obliterated. Featuring to the reverse a lesser seen Luftwaffe emblem in a triangular vignette. Ref: 05.06.1940 Link to Luftwaffe Eagle vignettes Focke-Wulf Fw 200 'Condor' The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor , also known as Kurier (German for courier ) to the Allies, is a German all-metal four-engined monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner. A Japanese request for a long-range maritime patrol aircraft led to military versions that saw service with the Luftwaffe as long-range reconnaissance and anti-shipping/maritime patrol bomber aircraft. The Luftwaffe also made extensive use of the Fw 200 as a transport aircraft. It achieved success as a commerce raider until mid-1941, by which time it was being harried by long-range RAF Coastal Command aircraft and the Hurricane fighters being flown from CAM ships. The Fw 200 was operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa, DDL and Luft Hansa's Brazilian subsidiary Syndicato Condor. Dai Nippon KK of Japan also ordered Fw 200 airliners. These could not be delivered to Japan once the war began, so they were delivered to Deutsche Luft Hansa instead. On 14th April 1945 an Fw 200 flew Luft Hansa's last scheduled service before the end of World War II, from Barcelona to Berlin. Other airlines continued to operate the Fw 200 after the end of World War II. The first prototype, the Fw 200 V1, upgraded with extra fuel tanks and re-designated Fw 200 S-1, made several record flights. It was the first heavier-than-air craft to fly nonstop between Berlin and New York City, about 4,000 miles (6,400 km), making the flight from Berlin-Staaken to Floyd Bennett Field on 10th-11th August 1938 in 24 hours and 56 minutes. The return trip on 13th August 1938 took 19 hours and 47 minutes. These flights are commemorated with a plaque in Böttcherstraße, a street in Bremen. Beginning on 28th November 1938 it flew from Berlin to Tokyo via Basra, Karachi and Hanoi. The German Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, used a specially outfitted Condor 'Grenzmark', on his two flights to Moscow in 1939, during which he negotiated and signed the 'Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union', better known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. His aircraft bore the German civil registration of D-ACVH. A Danish-owned Fw 200 aircraft named Dania was seized by the British at Shoreham Airport after Denmark was invaded by German forces in 1940. It was subsequently operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and was then pressed into service with the Royal Air Force. It was damaged beyond repair in 1941. The Luftwaffe initially used the aircraft to support the Kriegsmarine , making great loops out across the North Sea and, following the fall of France, the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft was used for maritime patrols and reconnaissance, searching for Allied convoys and warships that could be reported for targeting by U-boats. The Fw 200 could also carry a 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) bomb load or naval mines to use against shipping, and it was claimed that from June 1940 to February 1941, they sank 331,122 tonnes (365,000 tons) of shipping despite a rather crude bombsight. The attacks were carried out at extremely low altitude in order to 'bracket' the target ship with three bombs; this almost guaranteed a hit. Winston Churchill called the Fw 200 the 'Scourge of the Atlantic' during the Battle of the Atlantic due to its contribution to the heavy Allied shipping losses. Following the debut of what would become the Luftwaffe's primary seaborne maritime patrol aircraft, the rival trimotored BV 138C flying boat in March 1941; from mid-1941, Condor crews were instructed to stop attacking shipping and avoid all combat in order to preserve numbers. In August, the first Fw 200 was shot down by a CAM ship-launched Hawker Hurricane, and the arrival of the U.S.-built Grumman Martlet, operating from the Royal Navy's new escort carriers, posed a serious threat. The six Martlets operated by the Royal Navy from the first escort carrier HMS Audacity shot down a total of seven Condors while escorting three convoys during her short career in the final months of 1941. On 14th August 1942, an Fw 200C-3 was the first German aircraft to be destroyed by USAAF pilots, after it was attacked by a Curtiss P-40C Warhawk and a Lockheed P-38F Lightning over Iceland. The Fw 200 was also used as a transport aircraft, notably flying supplies into Stalingrad in 1942. After late-1943, the Fw 200 came to be used solely for transport. For reconnaissance, it was replaced by the Junkers Ju 290, and even some examples of the Heinkel He 177 Greif bombers serving with Kampfgeschwader 40. With the Allied advance into France, maritime reconnaissance by the Luftwaffe became impossible as the Atlantic coast bases were captured. Production ended in 1944 with a total of 276 aircraft produced. Several damaged Fw 200s landed in Spain during the war. In the beginning, they were repaired and returned to their bases in France. After Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of French North Africa), the Spanish government interned four aircraft that arrived on Spanish territory (although their crews were still allowed to return to Germany). Since the aircraft could not be used, they were sold by Germany to Spain. One of the three flyable aircraft was then operated by the Spanish Air Force and the others used for spares. Because of damage and lack of spares, and for political reasons, they were grounded and scrapped around 1950. Some Condors also crashed in Portugal. Their crews were allowed to return to Germany while the British authorities were allowed to inspect the aircraft and accompanying documentation. Some crew members died in these crashes and were buried in the civilian cemetery of Moura in Alentejo Province, Portugal. The aircraft that crashed in Spain and Portugal had been based in Bordeaux-Merignac, France since 1940. Before then, the operational base of the Fw 200 squadrons had been in Denmark. At the suggestion of his personal pilot Hans Baur, Adolf Hitler specified a modified and unarmed prototype Condor, the Fw 200 V3, as his personal transport, as a replacement for his Junkers Ju 52. Originally configured as a 26-passenger Luft Hansa transport (Works No. 3099), it was reconfigured as a plush two-cabin airliner. Hitler's armchair-style seat in the cabin was equipped with a wooden table, seat-back armour plating, and a parachute in the seat cushion, with an escape hatch in the floor. In line with Hitler's aircraft preferences, it carried the markings "D-2600" and was named 'Immelmann II' in honour of World War I flying ace Max Immelmann. As the war progressed it changed designation to 'WL+2600' and finally '26+00'; it was destroyed at Berlin Tempelhof Airport in an Allied bombing raid on 18 July 1944. FW 200s of various types were configured as VIP transports, for the use of Hitler and his staff, and also other aircraft assigned to Heinrich Himmler, Albert Speer, Hermann Göring, and Karl Dönitz. Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm pilot Captain Eric Brown's plane was attacked and seriously damaged by a Condor in 1940, and he narrowly survived. After this, he studied the design of the Condor seriously for some time. He managed to work out that the forward firing machine gun positions could swivel, but could only fire in a certain arc otherwise they would hit the fuselage of their own plane. Brown worked out where the arc was, and realised this was a blind spot, if one attacked the front of the plane. He used this to successfully destroy a Condor, then informed his fellow squadron pilots who used the tactic to destroy others. Source: Wikipedia Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

2nd March 1936 1/1 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

Newspapers Postal ephemera & publications Newspapers Postal ephemera & publications 1/1 Wrapper from 'Presse-Versand G.m.b.H.' (book printers) in Uelzen to an address in Hannover. Date unclear, c.1947. ref: 17/77 Newspapers: Postal ephemera and publications Angriff (NSDAP in Berlin) Eichsfelder Volksblatt (wrapper) Essener Allgemeine Zeitung (on postcard) - see 30/65 Heilbronner Tagblatt (envelope) Leipziger Bienenzeitung (envelope addressed to the editor) Niederdeutschen Beobachter (envelope) Ostfriesische Tageszeitung (envelope) Voelkischer Beobachter (NSDAP national newspaper) Westfälische Landeszeitung/ Rote Erde (envelope) Wochenschaü (on postcard) - see 30/65 Zeitschriftenvertrieb - Ernst Gilowy (wrapper to Italian Embassy) FELDPOST Wrapper for unknown publication to FPN 44744 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

Stalag Luft Camps Stalag Luft Camps 1/0 Stalag Luft Camps Stalag Luft 1 Stalag Luft 2 Stalag Luft 3 Stalag Luft 4 Stalag Luft 5 Stalag Luft 6 Stalag Luft 7 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

30th December 1937 30th December 1937 1/1 Interesting letter sent from Reichs Rundfunk, Berlin to a listener in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Note the passage which reads, 'Perhaps you can let us have a short report with regard to the general receiving-condition..' An indication of ulterior motives? Ref: 30.12.1937 - 1/7 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

10th June 1942 10.06.1942 Werkhein Dessau reverse.jpeg 10.06.1942 Werkhein Dessau reverse.jpeg 1/1 Cover sent from Werkheim Nord I 2/132, Dessau. Featuring German censors from ABP Cologne (Tape - HL:CV2.3, Machine Stamp - HL:CPM1.1). Ref: 10.06.1942 - 13/13

19th July 1937 19th July 1937 1/0 19th July 1937 Leutstetten to 27 Queen Square, Bath Dear Madeleine! Please excuse my not writing and thank you so much for the book. I think it is a little late to thank you now but I had to learn very much. No at last I have my holidays. Unfortunately I have not yet finished all I wanted to learn. But at least I Didi as much as I could. I think I learned more in these three months than I learned generally in six. When do you leave for Germany, and will you come to Munich. We all hope so much that you’ll come to see us here. We could make some small towns with you and show you parts of our dear Bavaria. If you are going to Lindau you really should come here, it is not very far and then you would see Deidi’s fiancée, who would surely be here, and lots of nice things. Deidi has to go to town every day to buy her trousseau and to try on some dresses and to try on some shoes etc etc. She’ll get Mammi’s wedding dress which is of Tull and Spitzen. When she tried it on she looked just like Mammi did only her hair is a little fairer. We have seen some nice pictures in Munich, this was called “The Life of Lord Clive’ with Loretta Young and R. Coleman did you see it already? Muck has seen “The Texas Rangers” and then we saw still some German films. Unfortunately there is no opera now, we saw only two theatres. In the end of August I think there will be the “Mozart Festspeile” they are every year, they are very good and there are always lots of English people coming to hear them. Muck, Loll and me are going to stay about a fortnight at our aunts in Wildenwart near the Chiemsee we will be here again at the end of the month. We like very much to go there. Unfortunately it is not situated quite near the lake and the aunts haven’t got any car, but an uncle lives not far away with his children and we hope that they’ll take us for bathing. I’m sending you a picture of the Silver Jubilee of our parents. I think Deidi wrote you about it. It was very nice and amusing. There is Pierre-Henri also on it. Yours very sincerely, Baby Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

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22nd September 1939 Kreisstegstempel 22nd September 1939 Kreisstegstempel 22.09.1939 feldpost reverse.jpeg 22.09.1939 feldpost reverse.jpeg 1/1 Feldpost card (imprint '(eagle)/ 12.33') with 30mm diameter kreisstegstempel cancel (Type 12). Ref: 22.09.1939 - 21/14, MFPeP79. Feldpost Kreisstegstempel (single circle with bar) variations MFPeP79 - Type 12 - ø30mm. Ref: 22.09.1939 MFPaP78 - Type 19 - ø30mm. Ref: 27.12.1939 MFPaP78 - Type 19 - ø29mm. Ref: 30.11.1939 MFPaP78 - Type 22 - ø28mm. Ref: 27.12.1939 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

3rd June 1939 Reich Veterans' Day 3rd June 1939 Reich Veterans' Day 1/0 Reich Veterans' Day, Kassel, 3rd June 1939 ( Grossdeutscher Reichskriegertag 1939) See 27.12.1939 - 30/15 In 1939, the so-called Reich Veterans' Day took place in Kassel. It was organized by the Kyffhäuser League, an association of veterans. Because Hitler was expected to attend, the turnout increased from the anticipated 200,000 to 300,000. Some of these visitors were housed in the so-called 'Bed House,' which was later popularly known as the 'Reich Veterans' Hall,' located on Forstfeldstrasse in Bettenhausen. This building normally stored 30,000 beds and 60,000 mattresses. Kassel also called itself 'The City of the Reich Veterans' Days.' This designation is said to be one of the reasons for the massive [event/situation - context needed]. The bombing of the city center in 1943 claimed the lives of over 10,000 people. The author found the following article many years ago, without an author being identified. 'The euphoria in the first days of June knew no bounds. Kassel wasn't just in Germany's spotlight. All of Europe, albeit mostly with concern, was watching the city on the Fulda River, where almost 300,000 German soldiers from the (First) World War and the Wehrmacht were assembling. The newspapers seemed to have only one topic: the 1st Greater German Reich Veterans' Day from 2nd - 4th June. More pompous and louder than previous veterans' days. Greater German because Austria, the Sudetenland, and the Memel Territory were 'annexed' to the Reich.' Kassel had dressed up especially for one day. It was Sunday, the final day, on which Adolf Hitler was scheduled to visit and review the military parade. He had last been in Kassel in 1933. For a long time, it was unclear where the Reich Chancellor would enter the city. Many speculated that he would arrive at Wilhelmshöhe station. The news that Hitler was on the run spread like wildfire in the early hours of Sunday morning.The plane will arrive at the airfield in Waldau . Around 9:40 a.m., SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler's aircraft lands, and shortly afterward, the drone of other aircraft engines can be heard in the distance. They touch down on the airfield, and Hitler disembarks a short time later. Honour guards are assembled, and the Badenweiler March is played. Hitler greets the head of the Reich Veterans' League, General Wilhelm Reinhard, and the Gauleiter Karl Weinrich. Leading military officers and high-ranking National Socialists, among them Colonel General Wilhelm Keitel and Reich Leader Martin Bormann, accompany Hitler. The Kasseler Neueste Nachrichten reports on a triumphal procession. Hitler stands and salutes in his open car. He rolls along Leipzig Street, whichFrom the Fulda Bridge , through the old town to Königsstraße. Thousands of Kassel residents cheer him frenetically. The city center is a sea of flags. Loudspeakers are set up everywhere. People—around 200,000 citizens in total—line the streets, cheering. However, they are forbidden from bringing bouquets of flowers or even throwing them into Hitler's car. The reason given is that it poses a danger to the German people. Hitler drives to Friedrichsplatz, where large grandstands have been erected, and finally reaches the Karlswiese in the Aue park. The enormous military spectacle, a massive parade and the sole demonstration of power by the Hitler regime, begins. Foreign guests, including the Japanese ambassador and military attachés from Hungary and Finland, also heard Hitler's rousing words after the Reich Veterans' Leader's welcoming address. 'My comrades,' he began, 'this is the first time I have participated in a Reich Veterans' Day, the first time I have spoken to you, former soldiers of the old and also the new Wehrmacht.' During his speech, the demagogue particularly attacked England and condemned 'the theft of the German colonies.' 'Heil Hitler,' the crowd chanted repeatedly. Many had forgotten the defeat in the war, which they perceived as a disgrace, and finally felt a new national strength. It was being systematically instilled in them. On this Sunday, General Reinhard called out to the crowd: 'The people are proud of their regained military sovereignty and of the new era that has earned the German people respect in the world.' The level of organisation is, as always when the Nazis plan self-promotional events, very high. Mishaps are abhorred. The Reichskriegertag GmbH (Reich Veterans' Day Ltd.) and the Kassel Tourist Association are organising this impressive spectacle. Soldiers have been brought to Kassel on 119 special trains. They had originally expected 'only' 200,000, but in reality, more arrived. They are spending the night in a warehouse in Bettenhausen, in a tent on Friedrichsplatz, and with Kassel families. Providing for their needs alone is no easy logistical challenge. Leister's meadow on Leipziger Straße has been converted into a large-scale kitchen. The 'Bavarian Relief Train,' a catering unit, is in charge. Twenty thousand kettles are set up to prepare coffee, tea with rum, and marching tea. 360,000 portions of food are being cooked. There's pea soup with bacon, goulash with mushrooms, and beef with noodles. Warriors are hungry. Hitler left the city around 7 p.m., just as he had arrived. By plane. He inspected the ranks of the honour guard one last time and boarded the aircraft. Hitler would never return. The hall still stands in Forstfeld. It's barely visible from Forstfeldstraße, as it's set back from the road. The picture was taken from the hiking trail that runs along the former site. The photo shows the Söhrebahn railway line at the corner of 'Schwarzer Weg,' which leads to the station. It is still in use; the roof was repaired some time ago. Source: (Unknown author). https://www.erinnerungen-im-netz.de/ Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

9th October 1939 Polish Internment 9th October 1939 Polish Internment 09.10.1939 Calimanesti Camp reverse.jpeg 09.10.1939 Calimanesti Camp reverse.jpeg 1/1 Postcard from a Polish officer interned in the Calimanesti Camp to an address in Warsaw. Featuring cachets from the Romanian Red Cross and the Deutsches Okupationsgebiet Osten Dienstpost (scarce). Stamp Mi.494. Ref: 09.10.1939. FROM TWITTER: IMHO fake: There is no sign of any Romanian or German censorship. The designation would be Deutsche Dienstpost Osten & doesn't make any sense on incoming mail. It's Okkupationsgebiet (with 2 'k'). I have never heard of any German cancel with the word 'Okkupation'. FROM G&CPS: 'The rate of 7 Lei is correct for October 1939. The increase to 8 Lei in the UPU rate was from 1 Dec 1939. Until the end of 1938 there had been a concessionary rate to Poland. For the last two months of 1938 this had been 5 Lei. Rate info from Calin Marinescu’s book (1993 edition).' Ref: Rex. 'In my collection I have three postcards similar to your own, but all of mine come from the internment camp near Targu-Jiu. They all have the two line cachet reading Deutsches Okupationsgebiet Osten Dienstpost (in red) with the circular Romanian Red Cross handstamp close by. They were posted separately in January, February and March 1940. None of these cards show signs of German censorship: this goes for possibly half of the postcards and covers in my collection. I see no reason why your card should not be considered genuine.' Ref: Albert Polish-Romanian Internment 1939 POLAND 1939: After the German invasion on1st September 1939 and that of the Soviets on17th September 1939, the government of the Second Polish Republic, Polish military units and the multitudes of civilians accompanying them were forced to cross the southern border of the country and move into Romanian terrain. The soldiers and members of government were interned. In total, about 50,000 refugees found themselves in Romanian territory. They were quartered in various places from Banat through to Wallachia, and as far as Dobrogea. In Câmpulung-Muşcel, an internment camp for Polish soldiers existed from September 1939 to March 1940. In this place Polish refugees spent the entire war, in numbers of anywhere from a few dozen to as many as several hundred at a time. One person who stayed in Câmpulung-Muşcel was long-serving functionary of the MSW (Ministry of Internal Affairs) Security Division, Stefan Szymborski, who died in 1941 and was buried in the local cemetery. A Polish preschool and school were in operation and in the summer there were musical concerts. The Commander in Chief of the Polish army, Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz was lodged in a special place in the nearby town of Dragoslavele from the autumn of 1939. In December 1940 he escaped from his place of internment and found himself in Budapest, where he lived under a false name. From there he managed to enter occupied Poland. Most of the Polish refugees left Câmpulung-Muşcel for their home country after the end of the war in Europe. Those who did not want to return to a country ruled by communists emigrated to Great Britain, the USA and South America. Also see article on Polish-Romanian Military Co-operation here Contact Brief History to inform us of additonal information regrding this page

Mi.702-713 (15.09.1939) Comradeship Organisation Mi.702-713 (15.09.1939) Comradeship Organisation 1/1 Cover sent from Bad Kissingen to an address in Dresden. Featuring postage stamp Mi.710 from the 'Comradeship Organisation' issue. Note that the address is 'Postlagernd' - General Delivery - (aka 'Poste restante'), with the recipient having to collect the mail from the Dresden Hauptbahnhof (Central station). Ref: 15.10.1939 - 17/50 Mi.702 - 713 'Comradeship Organisation' of the German Reichspost Notes: Design: Werner von Axster-Heudtlass . Photogravure printing. Sheets 5 x 10. Without watermark. Perf. 13½:14¼. Quantity issued: unknown. Valid until 31.12.1940 The surtax on these stamps was for the Post Office Employees Fund Werner von Axster-Heudtlass Franz Hermann Wilhelm Werner von Axster-Heudtlass (1898 - 1949) and his wife Maria Viktoria Thekla Edle von Axster-Heudtlass (1884 - 1966) were German graphic artists. They designed advertisements for well-known companies, but also propaganda and stamps for the National Socialists. Maria von Axster-Heudtlass came from a family of lower nobility and had four siblings. She was married four times. She married her first husband, Mr. von Uhlár, who later drowned while swimming, around 1904. Her second husband, Heinrich Julius Georg Altrichter, whom she married on 6th December 1913, also died. She married her third husband, Karl Ludwig Johannes Kabelmann, on 4th October 1917 and separated from him again in 1924. Her fourth husband Werner Heudtlass (later von Axster-Heudtlass ) was the son of the lawyer Julius Albert Eugenius Heudtlass and his wife Auguste Helene Martha Heudtlass and had a brother, the journalist and author Willy Heudtlass. Maria von Axster and Werner Heudtlass married in 1925 and also worked closely together professionally. They founded their studio around 1925. The couple designed advertising brochures for many well-known clients, including Lufthansa , Steinway & Sons , Siemens and Eckstein. The Franz-Eher-Verlag , the most important National Socialist publishing house, was also one of the studio's clients. Werner von Axster-Heudtlass first worked as a graphic artist around 1924, Maria von Axster-Heudtlass first around 1905. She also gave art lessons on the side. In the late 1930s, the couple began designing stamps. At first, the motifs were mostly apolitical or only moderately political. This changed during the Nazi era . This is shown on the stamp 'Wehrkampftage der SA 1942' and a poster with the title 'Hatred and Destruction of Our Enemies - Freedom, Justice and Bread for Our People'. It depicts a Nazi swinging his sword over the heads of four dragons, named 'Judaism', 'Plutocracy', 'Bolshevism' and 'Capitalism'. The couple were both well-known as graphic artists and wealthy during the Nazi era. In 1949, the couple showed their artistic presence for the last time with the stamp 'Export Fair Hannover 1949'. In the same year, Werner von Axster-Heudtlass died in Hanover at the age of 51. Maria von Axster-Heudtlass died 17 years later, also in Hanover, at the age of 82. Neither of them had any children. Source: Wikipedia Mi.702 (3+2 Pf - Mass rally in the Deutschlandhalle, Berlin). Ref: 15.09.1939 - 29/84 Mi.703 (4+3 Pf - Postal sciences week, Vienna). Ref: 15.09.1939 - 29/84 Mi.704 (5+3 Pf - Reich profession competition). Ref: 15.09.1939 - 29/84 Mi.705 (6+4 Pf - Junior training camp Zeesen). Ref: 13.10.1939 - 3/75 Mi.706 (8+4 Pf - Performance competition). Ref: 06.11.1938 - 4/42 Mi.707 (10+5 Pf - Selection of talents). Ref: 06.11.1939 - 4/42 Mi.710 (16+10 Pf - Protection of postal infrastructure). Ref: 15.10.1939 - 17/50 Note on Mi.720: 'Postschutz' (mail protection) - 'Were part of the 'Feldpost' organisation. For the Polish campaign which gave the Feldpost its first real opportunity of working under actual war conditions, the service was divided into two groups: 1. The units employed in the telephone service; 2. The 'Special Units' consisting of all post office trades, required to take former enemy post offices and installations. The dual role of these units was to repair and maintain these enemy installations, often near the front line and within enemy action. Occasionally they even had to defend these installations against enemy action. So these units were fully armed, and became known as the 'Postschutz'. Naturally as all the 'feldpost' came under army jurisdiction, they all wore normal army uniforms'. Source: Harper & Scheck Mi.712 (24+10 Pf - Old stagecoach). Ref: 21.08.1940 Mi.713 - see 30/73 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page