NAZI GERMANY
POSTMARKS
1939
STAMP DAY
(Tag Der Briefmarke)
8th Jan 1939. Special cancels were used in 28 different cities to commemorate the day of the stamp. The postmarks had the same basic design, the name of the town at the top, the date and inscription 'Tag der Briefmarke' in the centre and 3 symbols below. The symbol on the left was the RdP symbol and the symbol on the right was the KdF or the Winterhilfswerk W.H.W (eagle) symbol (only found on BERLIN, BREMERHAVEN and FRANKFURT (MAIN). Between these two symbols was the town's Coat of Arms.
The 28 cities were:
Berlin (7 different counters, a thru g), Berlin SO16 (6 different counters, a thru f), BREMEN, BREMERHAVEN, BRESLAU (TWO COUNTERS A AND B), CHEMNITZ, CRIMMITSCHAU, ERFURT, FINSTERWALDE, FRANKFURT (MAIN), HALLE (SALLE), HAMBURG, HANNOVER, KASSEL, KIEL, KONIGSBERG, LEIPZIG, LINZ, MANNHEIM, MAINZ, MUNICH, REICHENBURG, STETTIN, SWINEMUNDE, TROPPAU, WARNSDORF, WEIMAR, VIENNA (2 DIFFERENT VERSIONS) and WIESBADEN.
BERLIN
BREMEN
BRESLAU
BREMERHAVEN
FINSTERWALD
FRANKFURT
HAMBURG 36
KASSEL
MANNHEIM.
MÜNCHEN.
WIESBADEN
30th ANNIV of BREMEN STAMP COLLECTORS SOCIETY
9th Feb 1939. This special cancel was used in BREMEN to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Bremen Stamp Collectors Society.
Special postmark used in Bremen
INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOBILE
& MOTORCYCLE EXHIBITION
17th February 1939.
BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG
BERLIN PHILATELIST'S SHOW
26th March 1939. These special postmarks were used to advertise the Berlin Stamp Exhibitions in March 1939. One is from BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG and the other is BERLIN-PANKOW.
HITLER'S 50th BRITHDAY
20th April 1939. Hitler's Birthday in 1939 saw the use of 8 different special cancels, more than any other year. Along with the usual BERLIN, BRAUNAU, MÜNCHEN, NÜRNBERG and WIEN, were added EGER, MEMEL and SAABRÜCKEN. Each cancel featured a well-known building from that particular city along with the local Nazi Party motto.
BERLIN (German Capital) - The Memorial in Unter den Linden.
BRAUNAU (Hitler's Birthplace) - The street where Hitler was born.
EGER - (Sudetenland) - Market Place.
MEMEL - City Theatre.
MÜNCHEN - Birthplace of the Nazi Party - The Münich Memorial.
NÜRNBERG - Site of the Nazi Party Annual Rally.
SAARBRÜCKEN - Gau Theatre.
WIEN - St. Stephen's Church.
REICHS-GARTENSCHAU in STUTTGART
(Horticultural Exhibition)
A special postmark and a slogan postmark were both used in Stuttgart to commemorate the exhibition from 22nd April to 8th October 1939.
Special Postmark.
Depicts a spade, a sun hat and the Stuttgart Coat of Arms.
Depicts a spade, a sun hat and the Stuttgart Coat of Arms.
Slogan Postmark.
As for the special postmark but with additional inscription.
As for the special postmark but with additional inscription.
NATIONAL LABOUR DAY
28th April 1939. This special postmark was used to commemorate National Labour Day on 1st May 1939.
Special Postmark.
Inscribed "MÜNCHEN HAUPTSTADT DER BEWEGUNG 1. MAI 1939".
Inscribed "MÜNCHEN HAUPTSTADT DER BEWEGUNG 1. MAI 1939".
HOMECOMING of the CONDOR LEGION
6th May 1939. This special postmark was used to commemorate the return of the Condor Legion from the spanish Civil War 1936-1939. There was also a series of postcards used to commemorate the return.
Special Postmark.
Inscribed "Geimkehr der Legion Condor" - 'Return of the Condor Legion'.
Inscribed "Geimkehr der Legion Condor" - 'Return of the Condor Legion'.
Special Postmark.
Inscribed "HEIMKEHR DER DEUTSCHEN LEGION" - 'HOMECOMING THE GERMAN LEGION' and featuring a German aircraft flying home over a map of Spain.
Inscribed "HEIMKEHR DER DEUTSCHEN LEGION" - 'HOMECOMING THE GERMAN LEGION' and featuring a German aircraft flying home over a map of Spain.
This postmark issued in Hamburg features the same design as that in Berlin.
NÜRBURGRING MOTOR RACES
18th May 1939. The Nürburgring track was opened in September 1925 and lies in the Eifel Mountains just outside the town of Nürburg. There were two races - 'The Eifel Race' which was run over ten laps totaling 228Km and the "Grand Grand Prix of Germany" which was a more demanding 501Km over 22 laps.
International Eifel Races, Used 21st May 1939.
GROβFÜHRERLAGER
der HJ BAYER OSTMARK
27th May 1939.
Special postmark used in Bamberg.
STAATSBESUCH des PRINZREGENTEN
2nd Jun 1939. State visit of the Prince Regent of Yugoslavia to Berlin in June 1939.
Special postmark used in Barlin.
70th ANNIV of the GERMAN DERBY
(Hamburg)
18th June 1939. This postmark shows the City of Hamburg's Coat of Arms as well as having the inscription "70 Jahre Deutsches Derby".
Hamburg special postmark.
'6th ANNIV of the BROWN RIBBON RACE
30th June 1940. These 3 special postmarks and a single slogan postmark were all used to commemorate the Brown Band race meeting.
"MÜNCHEN RIEM - DAS BRAUNE BAND VON DEUTSCHLAND".
Slogan Postmark
"MÜNCHEN RIEM - INTERNATIONALER AMATEUR-REITERTAG".
"MÜNCHEN RIEM - DAS BRAUNE BAND DES SPRINGSPORTS".
LANDING of LZ 130 in LEIPZIG
This special cancel was used in LEIPZIG on 9th Jul 1939 to commemorate the landing of The Graff Zeppelin (LZ 130) at the city airport.
Special postmark used in Leipzig.
GERMAN ART DAY
12th July 1939. The special postmark depicts Minerva the Goddess of wisdom, war and the arts standing beside a German eagle. The inscription reads "MÜNCHEN HAUPTSTADT DER BEWEGUNG TAG-DER-DEUTSCHEN KUNST-MCMXXXIX 16.7.1939" - 'Munich Main Town of the Movement, Day of German Art 1939'. The slogan postmark inscribed "TAG DER DEUTSCHEN KUNST 1939. There was a special stamp and also a postcard that commemorated the day.
Munich special postmark.
Slogan postmark.
5th NATIONAL CONGRESS of the KdF
The special postmark was used in Hamburg from the 20th to 23rd July 1939. It depicts a couple in what appears to be traditional costume dancing in front of the Hamburg skyline. The inscription reads "HAMBURG Der NS-Gemeinschaft kraft durch freude 20-23.7.39". A postcard was also printed for the congress.
Special postmark used in Hamburg.
COLLECT WASTE
This slogan postmark reminds Germans to 'abfall fette und öle sammeln und abliefern' or 'collect and deliver waste fats and oils'
Special slogan postmark advising people to "collect and deliver waste grease and oils".
SCHAEFERS MARCHENSTADT
18th July 1939.
Special postmark used in Bregenz.
LANDING of LZ 130 in BIELEFELD
This special cancel was used in BIELEFELD on 23rd Jul 1939 to commemorate the landing of The Graff Zeppelin (LZ 130) at the city airport.
Special postmark used in Bielefeld.
16th LARGE GERMAN RADIO EXHIBITION
(Berlin)
29th July 1939.
Special postmark used in Berlin.
MUNICH V. INTERNATIONAL HANNS-BRAUN-SPORTFEST
1st August 1939.
Special postmark used in Munich.
EAST GERMAN FAIR
KÖNIGSBERG
8th August 1939. This special postmark and postcard were used only in Königsberg, from the 20th to 23rd August 1939. The inscription reads "KONIGSBERG (PR) DEUTSCHE OSTMESSE". The abbrevation DOK refers to Deutsche Ostmesse Königsberg.
Special postmark used only in Königsberg.
ZEPPELIN FLIGHT to EGER
(Sudetenland)
13th August 1939. Issued to commemorate LZ130 "Graff Zeppelin" flight to Eger in the Sudetenland shortly after the area was annexed to Germany in 1938.
Special postmark used to commemorate the Zeppelin's visit to the Sudetenland.
REINTEGRATION of DANZIG
into the GERMAN REICH
28th Sep 1939. These two postmarks celebrate the German occupation of Danzig and it's return to the German Reich. There were several postcards available.
Liberator Postmark
Danzig City-Date Cancellation..
WINTERHILFSWERK
(Winter Relief Fund)
27th Oct 1939. There were 5 special postmarks associated with the release of the Winter Relief stamps of 1939. Three of them have similar design with a sword pointing from left to right with the words "Kreigs" above and "WHW" below. Two of these have a swastika on the handle and the third has an eagle. The other two designs differ quite markedly, the first is inscribed "Kreigs WHW Ein Volk hilftsich selbst" with a Reichsadler to the left and the other is inscribed "Ein Volk Hilftsich Selbst Kreigs-WHW" with a German Army helmet and swastika to the left. The inscriptions translate to "a people help themselves".
Special Postmark 1: Kriegs WHW, with solid swastika.
Special Postmark 2: Kreigs WHW, with hollow swastika.
Special Postmark 3: Kreigs WHW, with eagle.
Special Postmark 4: Kreigs WHW with Eagle.
Special Postmark 5: Kreigs WHW with helmet.
"A people help themselves"
"A people help themselves"