PROPAGANDA POSTCARDS
(1938)

This page was last updated
23-Feb-2025 07:31

STAATSTREFFEN HITLER - v. HORTHY
(25th/27th Aug 1938)

BACKGROUND: There were at least eight or nine postcards Issued to celebrate the official visit of Hungarian Prince Regent Horthy to Germany. They mostly depict the Prince Regent with Hitler and none of them has a pre-printed stamp.

SONDERSTEMPEL:

VERLAG O.STRUCK, BERLIN-LICHTERFELDE.

This postcard has portraits of both Hitler and Horthy with the inscription "Staatstreffen Hilter - v. Horthy" - 'State meeting Hilter - v. Horthy'. This example has the special cancel used to celebrate the event in Berlin as well as an additional cancel from Stuttgart, commemorating the 6th Ethnic Germans Living Abroad Convention, held from 26th Aug to 4th Sep 1938.




Below is another example of the same postcard, again with the special cancellation associated with horthy's visit.

VERLAG OTTO HOPPE, BERLIN

The second design features an image of Horthy wearing military dress complete with medals and the inscription "Admiral N. von HORTHY. | Reichsweser von Ungarn." - 'Admiral N. of HORTHY. | Imperial State of Hungary.'

This example is purely philatelic in nature and has several cancelled-to-order strikes on 1Rpf self-adhesive Hindenburg Medallion stamps. The special cancel on the top right-hand side of the reverse was the one used in Berlin to commemorate the visit. On the top left and centre are two strikes from the 1938 Nazi Party rally in Nürnberg inscribed 'NÜRNBERG | Reichsparteitag der NSDAP". One of these also has the slogan cancel used at the rally depicting the city of Nürnberg and three swastika flags.

The CDS cancel on the bottom right-hand side was used in BERCHTESGADEN, the location of Hitler's alpine retreat, on 15th Sep 1938. Finally there is the special slogan cancel inscribed "Historische zusammenkunft | Chamberlain - Hitler" - 'Historical meeting | Chamberlain - Hitler', used during Neville Chamberlain's ill-fated trip to Germany to appease Hilter's territorial demands in Czechoslovakia.

VERLAG Th. KÖNIG, BERLIN

This Verlag Th. König designed card was actually a double card. The first half of the card has an image of Hitler, and the other half an image of Prince Regent Horthy. The card following this one is half of the double card and is found more commonly than the double card (both halves are very commonly found used, the double card unused and only favour cancelled as in this case).

VERLAG WILHELM STIEWE, BERLIN

HORTHY AND HIS WIFE

This postcard featured both Horthy and his wife. There is an inscription on the front that reads 'Seine Durchlaucht der Reichsverweser des Konigsreichs Ungarn Virez | Nikolaus Horthy von Nagybanya | Ihre Durchlaucht Frau von Horthy' - "His Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary Virez | Nikolaus Horthy from Nagybanya | Your Highness Mrs. von Horthy". On the reverse is a second inscription that reads "Unter den Linden" in festlicher Ausschmückung | und Beleuchtung" - 'Under the Linden" in festive decoration and lighting'.





Below is another design from Verlag Stewie with the Horthy's now joined somewhat awkwardly with Adolf Hitler on the side.

HITLER'S MOTORCADE

Another postcard from the same publisher can be seen below and features Adolf Hitler and Prince Regent Horthy travelling together in Hitler's Mercedes. This example from my collection is notable for the fact that it has six different special cancels: BERLIN, HAMBURG, KIEL (x2) and NÜRNBERG (x2).

RAILWAY PLATFORM MEETING

Another postcard from Verlag Stewie features Hitler greeting Horthy on the railway platform in Kiel. It bears the publisher's No.25.

LAUNCHING OF THE PRINZ EUGEN

There are two more postcards related to the visit and they have images of the German Battleship "Prinz Eugen" being launched in Kiel. Horthy's wife christened the ship during her visit.

PLAIN COMMEMORATIVE POSTCARD