David,
Here is one answer, courtesy of Wikipedia:
"In 1871-1945 Bad Kudowa in the county of Glatz was part of the state of Germany as Bad Kudowa in the province of Lower Silesia. After 1945 most German inhabitants were forcibly expelled and replaced by Polish settlers."
When your letter was mailed that place WAS Germany.
Lars
thanks Lars; i forgot that borders can change the other way, too
Hi David,
The first official General Government stamps were issued on or about December 1, 1939 and were the German Hindenburg medallion stamps but overprinted with Deutsche Post Osten.
If Bad Kudowa was still part of Poland in 1939, it is possible it was incorporated into a German Gau and after the war, returned to Poland but if incorporated it would have been part of Germany. The Hindenburg stamps were used until the end of the war so in this case, I wouldn't attach any significance to their usage.
You didn't ask but the cover was censored in Frankfurt,Germany, identified by the latter e below the swastika in the eagle's claws, before its release to the USA.
Bruce
Last night, I dug deep in one of the dollar boxes at our stamp meeting (the one that cheap Phil and cheaper David attend) and came up with this beauty.
Note the receiving dates, which include December 11, 1941, the day that Germany declared war on the US and that US returned the favor. It was received at 11AM after having been forwarded (a bonus); US declared war at 3:05PM, so I think this guy snuck in before the POs closed their doors to belligerents' mail.
The cancel and return address both point to a town in Poland on the border of the Sudetenland (what had been Czechoslavkia) although it's clearly marked "Germany" and not Poland; it is also franked with German, not Polish, stamps.
Note that the stamps are much older Hindenburg types, not Hitler types. I don't know if that's purposeful or convenient. I also don't know when General Gouvernment stamps were first issued/available. I'd be interested in knowing that, and whether it was common practice to write "Germany" for Polish towns.
I'd also like someone to tell me the rate that this pays. it's 1M 45pf.
Finally, how common are German covers being received in the US after war was declared?
David
re: Showing Off and Asking for Help
David,
Here is one answer, courtesy of Wikipedia:
"In 1871-1945 Bad Kudowa in the county of Glatz was part of the state of Germany as Bad Kudowa in the province of Lower Silesia. After 1945 most German inhabitants were forcibly expelled and replaced by Polish settlers."
When your letter was mailed that place WAS Germany.
Lars
re: Showing Off and Asking for Help
thanks Lars; i forgot that borders can change the other way, too
re: Showing Off and Asking for Help
Hi David,
The first official General Government stamps were issued on or about December 1, 1939 and were the German Hindenburg medallion stamps but overprinted with Deutsche Post Osten.
If Bad Kudowa was still part of Poland in 1939, it is possible it was incorporated into a German Gau and after the war, returned to Poland but if incorporated it would have been part of Germany. The Hindenburg stamps were used until the end of the war so in this case, I wouldn't attach any significance to their usage.
You didn't ask but the cover was censored in Frankfurt,Germany, identified by the latter e below the swastika in the eagle's claws, before its release to the USA.
Bruce