OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1938)

This page was last updated
23-Feb-2025 02:14

MICHEL P268
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
ANNEXATION of AUSTRIA

VALIDITY: This card was valid for use from 8th Apr 1938 until 31st Dec 1938 and 580,000 were printed.

BACKGROUND: This Official postcard was issued on 8th Apr 1938 and was intended to commemorate the vote on the Anschluss (Union) with Austria. The original vote was scheduled for 13th Mar, but the German army invaded the day before and the vote was delayed until 10th Apr. The reverse of the card features a pre-printed 6 Rpf stamp with a German and an Austrian standing together like friends and bearing a swastika flag . The front of the card has a map of Greater Germany (including Austria) with Hitler's portrait in the centre.

The card sold for 15 Rpf at larger post offices throughout Germany, as well as in Austria. The cards were issued by Heinrich Hoffmann and were designed by Richard Klein using Hoffmann photographs as a reference.

There are several print errors to look out for including missing red or black ink, missing Hitler head and red print or double gold printing.

SPECIAL CANCEL: A special slogan cancel was available in various cities inscribed "Am 10.April dem Führer dein Ya" - 'On April 10th give the leader your Yes', a message encouraging Austrians to vote for the Anschluss. In addition, a handstamp inscribed "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer" - 'One People, One Empire, One Leader' was widely used.

As well as the official card there were several official cards with additional private printing. There is also another version with a double print in gold on the picture side.

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

The following are suggested variants that might make good additions to a collection:

1. Cancelled on first day of issue 8th Apr 1938
2. With machine cancel Am 10. April dem Führer Dein Ja"
3. With handstamp "Tag des Groβdeutschen Reiches"
4. With handstamp "Breslau Rathaus. Ein Volk - Ein Reich - Ein Führer"
5. With handstamp "Wien. Ein Volk - Ein Reich - Ein Führer
6. With handstamp on Hitler's Birthday
7. As a domestic long-distance card without any special features
8. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to CSR
9. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to Hungary
10. As a foreign used card with 15 Rpf
11. With German-Austrian mixed franking
12. As a Registered Delivery card
13. As a local delivery Express Delivery card
14. Used on the HAMBURG Tram
15. Used as a Rohrpost (pneumatic) card in BERLIN
16. Domestic Armail usage
17. European Airmail usage
18. Airmail usage to the USA from Bodensee (Lake Constance)
19. Postally unused
13. Domestic Bahnpost usage
14. Invalid Usage - either after expiration date or with incorrect postage applied
15. With additional private printing
16. With Special slogan cancels

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EXAMPLES FROM MY COLLECTION

POSTALLY UNUSED

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled on the official issue date 8th Apr 1938

WITH MACHINE CANCEL
"Am 10. April dem Führer Dein Ja"

1. The following cancelled-to-order example, is one without the pre-printed stamp, although the self-adhesive version has been applied. There is the special slogan cancel inscribed "Am 10 April dem führer dein "Ja" - 'On 10th April say 'Yes' to the leader', an attempt to persuade Austrians to vote for the union with Germany.

Two special cancels have also been applied, the first is the same 'Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer", as on the example above, and the second is the special cancel issued to commemorate Hitler's birthday 10 days later, on the 20th April. Both cancels are the examples used in Vienna.

WITH HANDSTAMP
"Tag des Groβdeutschen Reiches"

1. The following card was sent from VIENNA to BERLIN on 9th Apr 1938. The card has one of the many special cancels used to commemorate the union with Austria and the creation of a Greater Germany.

2. The next card has been cancelled twice with the "Tag des Grossdeutschen-Reichs" cancellation that we see on the second postcard above, only this time with the more usual black ink. This example is without the pre-printed stamp and so has a self-adhesive 6 Rpf stamp applied.

3. The following example features both the pre-printed 6 Rpf stamp as well as an additional, Austrian Issue stamp. They have been cancelled on the day of the vote, with the special Vienna "Ein Volk, Ein Reich , Ein Führer | 10th April 1938" - 'One People, One Empire, One Leader' cancel, which was used extensively on Austrian mail at this time.

In addition there is a second cancel, also common at the time, inscribed "Tag der Grossdeutschen-Reichs | Wien 9. April 1938" - "Day of the Greater German Empire | Vienna 9 April 1938". Also of note is the ink used for both cancels, the colour is purple unlike the more common black ink.

WITH HANDSTAMP BRESLAU RATHAUS.
"Ein Volk - Ein Reich - Ein Führer"

1. The next P268 postcard was sent from BRESLAU to LEIPZIG on 10th Apr 1938. The card has a special cancel related to the anschluss inscribed 'BRESLAU | Rathaus | Ein Volk - Ein Reich - Ein Fuhrer'.

WITH HANDSTAMP WIEN
"Ein Volk - Ein Reich - Ein Führer"

WITH HANDSTAMP on HITLER'S BIRTHDAY
20th Apr 1938

With handstamp on Hitler's Birthday

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE WITHOUT SPECIAL MARKINGS

1. The example below was cancelled in BERLIN on 9th Apr 1938, the day before the official vote and was sent to HAMBURG. Unlike most of the mail posted in Austria at this time, mail sent from Germany did not have any of the cachets/slogans encouraging Austrians to vote for the union. Austrian mail almost always has some message related to the vote.

2. The next card was sent from BERGISCH GLADBACH in the COLOGNE/BONN region to CALBE on 29th Jul 1938.

3. The card below was favour cancelled on 10th Apr 1938 in the town of "KIRCHDORF AN DER KREMS", a town in Upper Austria on the Krems River. This version of the card does not have a pre-printed stamp but it does have the self-adhesive stamp issued to commemorate the union with Austria. In addition it has a slogan cancel inscribed "Am 10. April denk Führer | Dein = Ya!" - 'On April 10 | the leader | Your Yes', a popular slogan at the time.

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

ITALY

1. The following example was sent from WALDSHUT to OSPEDALETTI, LIGURIA in ITALY on 9th Apr 1938

2. The next card was sent from ESSLINGEN to GENOA in ITALY on 28.04.1938 and was over franked by 3 Rpf (correct rate was 15 Rpf)

WITH GERMAN-AUSTRIAN MIXED FRANKING

1. The example below was sent from GRAZ in AUSTRIA to NEW YORK, USA on 9th Apr 1938, the day beofre the official vote. This card has the pre-printed 6 Rpf Anschluss commemorative stamp as well as three additional Austrian issue stamps, a nice example of dual use stamps before the vote. There is also one of the many slogan cancels used at the time, in this case a circular cachet inscribed "Am 10 April | Dem Führer dein Ya" - 'On April 10 | the leader | Your Yes'.

REGISTERED DELIVERY CARD

1. The following example is a mixed franking (AUSTRIAN & GERMAN STAMPS) as a registered delivery in INNSBRUCK on Hitler's 49th Birthday 20.04.1938.

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

1. The following example is a mixed franking (AUSTRIAN & GERMAN STAMPS) as an EXPRESS DELIVERY in INNSBRUCK the day after Hitler's 49th Birthday 21.04.1938.

On THE HAMBURG TRAM

USED AS ROHRPOST in BERLIN

DOMESTIC AIRMAIL

EUROPEAN AIRMAIL

AIRMAIL TO USA FROM LAKE CONSTANCE

GERMAN BAHNPOST

INVALID USAGE

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

MAIN REFERENCE SOURCES

1. MICHEL GANZSACHEN DEUTSCHLAND 2018. ISBN: 978-3-95402-225-0
2. BOREK GANZSACHEN-SPEZIAL-KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND ab 1933. ISBN: 3-87091-060-7
3. MICHEL BILDPOSTKARTEN- UND MOTIVGANSACHEN KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND 1997. ISBN: 3-87858-631-0
4. GANZSACHEN-HANDBUCH DES "DITTEN REICHES" 1933-1945 by FRECH. ISBN: UNKNOWN

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OFFICIAL POSTCARDS (1938)

This page was last updated 23-Feb-2025 02:14

MICHEL P268 OFFICIAL POSTCARD ANNEXATION of AUSTRIA