OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1941)

This page was last updated
22-Apr-2024 08:20

P299
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
6 Rpf HITLER PORTRAIT

VALIDITY: 1st Aug 1941 until the end of the war.

BACKGROUND: Issued from 1st Aug 1941 and featuring a Hitler Medallion stamp. Permanent postcards. Text is in Antigua font and the sender's note is now on three lines.

In addition to the regular cards there were several private printings of P299 as can be seen below.

SPECIAL CANCEL: N/A

OFFICIAL POSTAL STATIONERY
WITH PRIVATE ADDITIONAL PRINTS

1. FIRMA GUSTAV SIEPMANN

The following Privately Printed P299 postcard bears the sender's address "FIRMA GUSTAV SIEPMANN | HOLZ | DÜSSELDORF | BÜRO: GRAFFENBERGER ALLEE 111 | P.KTO. KÖLN 70655 | TELEFON 64807"

2. HERRN | MAX SCHRAMM | ERFURT

Destination address "Herrn | Max Schramm | Erfurt". This card has a destination address of "Max Schramm | Vertretung der Firma Carl Blank, Bonn | Erfurt | Hagenauer Straβe 10" - 'Max Schramm. Representative of the company Carl Blank, Bonn. Erfurt, Hagenauer Street 10'. Carl Blank founded a bandage factory in Bonn in 1908 known as Carl Blank KG Verbandpflasterfabrik. The company frequently advertised in the "Deutsche Apotheker-Zeitung", a national pharmaceutical newspaper as can be seen in this advertisement from 18th Jan 1936. An example of one of their products can also be found here

3. WALTER BEHRENS

This private card was sponsored by Walter Behrens and appears to have been modified by obliterating the pre-printed Adolf Hitler 6 Rpf stamp. After the war it was very common for stocks of unused cards to be modified in this way. Resources were scare and there were mountains of unused postcards available. Obviously stamps and postcards bearing Hitler's image were not permitted, but with slight modifications these cards were usable.

4. Dr. W. FROBEN OF KITZINGEN

This private card was sponsored by Dr. W. Froben of Kitzingen a.M., a chemical supplies company. Walter Froben was a Sonderkommissar (Special Commissioner) and true Nazi. He joined the Party before 1933 and travelled in Hitler's car making propaganda trips for the party. He was especially active in arresting Jews and transporting them to concentration camps. [Source: John F. Carter, Key Nazi's, Fro-Gel Box 104, From the FDR Library]

5. BETRIEBSLEITUNG DER FIRMA | NAXOS-UNION

The following privately printed card bears the destination address of "An die | Betriebsleitung der Firma | Naxos-Union | Frankfurt / Main 3". Naxos Union was a company specialising in the production of grinding equipment, and was founded by Julius Pfungst on 15th Oct 1871. When Pfungst died in 1899 the company passed to his widow, son and daughter. His son died in 1912 leaving his daughter Marie Eleonore Pfungst in sole charge. She ran the company until 1935 when the infamous Nurnberg Laws saw the company "stolen" from her by Dr Rudolf Herbst, under Hitler's Aryanisation program. She was sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1942 where she died six months later. From 1942 to 1944, more than 700 people from Nazi occupied Europe had to do forced labor for the Naxos Union. A tragic and sadly all too common story.

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