U.S. Covers

During WWII

Featuring the collection of Steven Roth

 

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Contents

 


·        Dec 7, 1941

·        Unusual Censor Actions

·        Service Suspended-To Asia, Africa

·        Service Suspended-To Europe

·        Non-Europe Destinations, FAM22-Via Atlantic

·        Airmail to the Middle East

·        Airmail to Europe (not England, France or Germany)

·        Airmail to England, France or Germany

·        Airmail to China, Hong Kong

·        Air To Asia, Africa

·        To The Western Hemisphere

·        To/From: POWs, Internees, Clandestine Matters

·        Surface to Europe

·        Surface to Asia, Africa

·        In Search of Servicemen

·        End of WWII


 

Dec 7, 1941

 

Two covers, postmarked “U.S.S. Breese/Dec 7/1941/AM”, prepared by mail clerk on ship. Unique postal memorabilia with historic notations.

 

View 1st cover                        View 2nd cover

 

See analysis from USCS article by Al Kugel & note from Dave Kent

 

 

Unusual Censor Actions

 

“Released…District Postal Censor”; From Brazil: “U.S. censor is not responsible for the mutilation…” View

 

Boxed: “Released by censor”, #634,804; black bordered: “US Examiner..” View

 

#805 strip, RTS Form OC-12, to Prague View

 

Air to GB: “RTS by Censor”; broad red striped h/s View

 

Surface RTS: ornate French Aux; to POW in Germany, address incorrect, content View

 

RTS Airs: #815(3), Jamaica, NY to Marseilles just after occupation, 4/10/42; #830, DC to Greece, German censor, 5/12/42 View

 

Boxed: “Censored/ Ellis Island..” View

 

Form 862,  “…No Return Address”, to Holland View

 

To Holland, Columbia Airmail, “Accommodation Address” View

 

To Holland, Cuba Airmail, “Accommodation Address” View

 

C24, NYC To England, “accommodation address” RTS by Germans View

 

To Italy: #653, 812, 5X 3rd class wrapper, Cleveland to Fume; Form 862,  “…No Return Address”, air, Endicott, NY View

 

To Iraq, “Not Examined” h/s; Air, C29,31 to Iran, RTS View

 

To Latvia, #805, RTS, Form OC-12, Oroville, CA View

 

C24, MA to Norway, Form 862,  “…No Return Address”; HI to MA, Form NC #2, “…cover was open when it reached…” View

 

1940 registry to Amsterdam, “Released”, returned 1946 View

 

UY6m,#860 to Serbia, “Red Cross Service”, RTS; C30, DC to Sweden, “Released’ h/s View

 

C24, MN to Geneva, 1942, wavy pmk (released), delivered 1946 View

 

C20,27, Air, NJ to Rumania, “Through USSR”, RTS form 2911 View

 

C29, HI provisional censor: “Released by I.C.B.”, to MN,  12/15/41 View

 

 

Service Suspended-To Asia, Africa

 

By Surface:

 

#803, 809, Little Rock to North Borneo, Christmas Card, 12/1/41 View

 

#805, NYC to Rangoon, Burma on wrapper View

 

#810, CT to Foochow, China, 11/6/41; #807 on 3ct entire, Portland, OR to Shanghai, WX105, 11/26/41 View

 

#900,901, NJ to Shantung, China, 11/28/41; #899(pair),901, Fall River Mills, CA to Swatow, China View

 

#804, 900,Saint Paul to Hankow, China View

 

#810, Minneapolis to Nanking, China View

 

#804a(pair),807a, Billings, MT to Java, 12/5/42 View

 

#805(5), Brooklyn, NY to Japan, 2/12/42; #810, NYC to Java, 1/3/42; #877, Hempstead, NY to Malaya, 12/6/41(!)  View

 

#803,812, Cleveland, OH to Manchuria on wrapper, 11/12/41; #804(5), Seattle to Philippines, 12/31/41 View

 

#899,901,811,815, fancy killers, Indianapolis, registered to Sarawak, 12/16/41; #810, NYC to Thailand, 12/4/41 View

 

#825, registry, Centralia, IL to Singapore, registry, 10/27/41 View

 

By Air (Service Suspended, to Asia, Africa):

 

#825(2),831, El Paso, TX, registered to Chungking, 1/8/42; #825(pair),830, NYC to Hong Kong, 12/16/41 View

 

#815,830(2), NYC to Hong Kong, 12/8/41(!) View

 

#825,831, NYC to Java, 1/3/42; C21,22, NJ to Java, 12/29/41 View

 

#823(pair),846(pair),900, Providence, RI to Rizal, PI, 12/9/41!! View

 

Service Suspended-To Europe

 

By Surface:

 

#805, Wrapper to Greece View

 

#807, 870, Hendersonville, NC to Paris View

 

#810, DC to Tassin, France, 6/25/42 View

 

#810, DC to Paris, 9/13/41 View

 

#810, Annapolis to Holland, 12/18/41 View

 

#805, NYC to Bulgaria, on wrapper; #892, NYC to Belgium, 12/1/41 View

 

#900,902, NYC to Crete, 3/2/41; NYC to Denmark, w/ WX105, 7/28/42 View

 

NYC to France: #806,857, 9/5/40; #900,901, German censor, 4/10/41 View

 

Two to France: #882 censored, 11/16/40 & #872 uncensored, 11/16/40; #810, Mt Vernon, NY to France, 5/1/40 View

 

#807,885, Los Angeles to France, “Via Lisbon”, 9/16/40; #810, Sacramento to Germany, 3/6/42 View

 

#867, NYC to “Unoccupied France”, 5/4/42; 807,899(2), NYC to Paris, 9/16/42  View

 

#805 to Bulgaria, on wrapper; #807a,900, Los Angeles to Norway, 11/30/41 View

 

To Switz: #900,905, Burbank, 11/16/42; #810, NYC, w/ content,  6/28/44, plus #806,901, NYC to Yugoslavia View

 

 

By Air (Service Suspended, to Europe):

 

To Belgium: #829,898,900, St. Johns MI, 12/13/41; C24, DE, 12/8/41 View

 

#830 to Czech, De Witt, IA, 5/5/45; C9,C27 to Bulgaria, 1/12/42 View

 

C24(2), NYC to Paris View

 

To France: #906(5),841-2, Topeka, 9/1/42; C24, Portland, OR, 7/25/40 View

 

#699,808 on UX27, Glen Ellyn, IL to France, 10/1/40; C24, Grand Rapids to Germany, 12/5/41 View

 

C24 to Greece, Richmond, VA, 2/8/41, no censor: C30 to Rome, Thompson, CT, 12/12/41 View

 

#815,C29 to Italy, Benicia, CA, 1/11/42; #830(pair) to Switz., NYC, 11/16/42 View

 

#830, DC to Berlin, 12/18/41 View

 

C24, Fort Wayne to Greece, 4/1/41 View

 

#810(2),831, San Francisco to Greece, 4/12/41 View

 

Mixed issues on 3ct entire, Keyes, CA to Holland, 11/25/41 View

 

#820(pair), Baltimore to Italy, 12/5/41 View

 

#820(3), Brooklyn, NY to Slovakia, 12/12/42 View

 

#812,826,900, NYC to Switz., 12/11/42 View

 

NYC To Switz.: C30, 2/3/43; #905,C30, 3/1/43 View

 

 

Non-Europe Destinations, FAM22-Via Atlantic

 

#810,815,905(6), NYC to Algiers, 5/4/44; C24(pair),C27, Middleburg, NY to Australia, 12/30/41 View

 

To Australia: #810(pair),C24(2), Jamaica, NY, 5/9/42; #825,831, NYC, 10/24/44 View

 

To Cameroun: #C29(3), Loyal, WI, 12/24/42; #815,831(pair), NYC, 12/4/44 View

 

To Cameroun: #825(3), Washburn, WI, 5/14/42; C9(3), Neenah, WI, 6/2/43 View

 

C7,29-30+, Jackson, MI to Ceylon, 7/24/43; C30(2), Montclair, NJ to Congo, 6/8/42 View

 

To Ethiopia: #831,C29, Los Angeles, 12/11/43; C7,24(pair), High point, NC, Via Khartoum, 3/27/43 View

 

 #831,C29, NYC to East India, 4/13/43; C9,23, Badenton Beach, FL to Nigeria, 6/13/42 View

 

#810,820(3), NYC to Nigeria, 5/21/43; C22,29, Phila to Jerusalem, 9/8/43 View

 

To South Africa: #810(2),C22, San Francisco, 11/7/42; Prexies, #901(pair), Boston, 6/10/42 View

 

C9,30(3), Saint Davids, PA to So. Africa, 3/17/42; Prexies,#905(4), Mamaroneck, NY to Turkey, 7/6/42 View

 

#815,C30(2), Hinsdale, IL to Turkey, 3/22/43; #825(strip3),C7, Bronxville, NY to USSR, “ping-pong”, 4/22/42 View

 

#815(3),C29(2), Salem OR to USSR, 5/7/42 View

 

 

Airmail to the Middle East

 

To Beirut: #807(2),815(3), Poughkeepsie, 1/8/41 View; #825,C31, NYC, 1/12/42 View

 

To Egypt: #813(2),825, Boston, 9/11/39; C21,22, Milwaukee, 9/11/41 View; #831,C9, Wilkes-Barre, 6/1/42 View

 

#815,C24(2), Kent, CT to Cairo, 10/8/41 View; C24, Bronxville, NY to Cairo, two similar 1942 covers, “insufficient postage” View

 

To Iraq: #810,C22,24, Chicago/Stock Yards, 1/13/41 View; C9,22, NYC, 11/26/40 View

 

Airmail to Palestine:

 

C27,30(2), Chicago, 3/10/42 View; C8(pair), Tucson, AZ, 2/10/41 View; #815,820(strip4), NYC, 7/24/41 View

 

#815,830(2),C28, NYC, 4/29/43, registered View; #900(2),C23,C24(2), Los Angeles, 5/28/41 View

 

#831,C9, NYC to Tel-Aviv, 8/17/40, via Hong Kong, View

 

#825,831, East Liverpool, OH to Tel Aviv; #810(2),830(2),917(2),918, NYC to Jerusalem, 11/22/43, registered View

 

#825,831,C29, Miami to Tel Aviv, 8/12/42, registered View

 

C29,31, Spokane, WA to Herslia; #811, C8(2), NYC to Haifa, 8/18/39 View

 

#700,C23, Indianapolis to Jerusalem, 5/23/39; C9,22, Buffalo to Ramath Gan, 5/19/41 View

 

#810,C24 on UX27, Paramus, NJ-Tel Aviv, 8/28/39; #807(2), C24, NYCto Jerusalem, 7/3/40 View; C24, Kirkland, WA, 1/4/41 View

 

C21,22, NYC to Tel Aviv, 11/20/40; #815(2),C20(2), Brooklyn, NY to Tel Aviv, 1/6/41 View

 

C9,22, NYC to Tel Aviv, 4/30/41 two similar covers: View

 

 

Airmail to Turkey (all Istanbul):

 

#808,C21,24, Bloomington, IN, 8/12/40 View; C24, Prouts Neck, ME, 10/13/41; C27,30(2), Thetford, VT, 10/18/44 View

 

#815(2),831, Boston 1/31/42; C27(strip3), NYC, 11/18/41 View; #810,31, Boston, 5/23/41, View

 

C23,24, Deerfield, MA, 10/29/40 View; #700(2), Kent, OH, 11/20/40 View

 

C27(strip3),WX105(pair), NYC, 12/1/41; #825,875,900,C23, NYC, 11/6/41 View

 

Via Singapore: C23(blk+sgl), NYC, 10/6/41; #806,C29 on 6ct air entire, Mamaroneck, NY, 9/8/41 View

 

C30, NYC, 12/3/41 View

 

 

Airmail to Europe (not England, France or Germany)

 

#647,8,C11, Honolulu to Austria, 10/24/28; #817(2) on 6ct air entire, NYC to Belgium, 4/9/40 View

 

To Czech: #808,25,C23, Cleveland, OH, 9/11/40; C24 on UX27, Marysville, CA, 11/9/41 View

 

To Prague: #892(2),C23(2)+, Portland, OR, 11/4/40; C30, Chicago, 10/20/41 View

 

C24, Akron, OH to Prague, 7/16/40 View

 

#830, NYC to Denmark, 10/16/40 View

 

To Denmark: #700, Ridgefield, CT, 8/1/39; #817(2) on 6ct air entire, Chicago, 7/10/40 View

 

To Denmark: C24, Pittsburgh, 2/10/41; #825,C7, Hoboken, NJ, 5/17/40 View

 

To Denmark: #817(2) on 6ct air entire, two covers: NYC 6/21/40 & Metuchen, NJ 7/12/40 View

 

DC to Sweden, forwarded to Finland on multi-franked cover, 1/6/44 View

 

To Greece: #636,799, composite rate, Wellsville, NY, 10/25/37; C24, NYC, 5/29/40 View

 

C24, Windsor, CT to Athens, 11/18/40; C7(2),23,24, Blue Point, NY to Holland, 6/14/41 View

 

C24, Staten Island to Greece, 10/30/40; #810,825(2), St. Louis to Hungary, 7/6/40 View

 

#804,807(8),900, NYC to Holland, 12/22/40 View

 

#878,825(both perfins), Phila. to Holland, 6/12/40; C24, Cleveland, OH to Hungary, 2/15/40 View

 

To Italy: #815,C21, NYC, 6/25/40; #632,36,98 on 6ct air entire, registry, Riverside, CA, 8/14/34 purple “Luftpost” h/s View

 

To Italy: #817,885,6,7(2),898, Larchmont, NY, 9/19/40; #796,C19, Los Angeles, scarce rate, 9/2/38 View

 

C24, Tulsa, OK to Latvia, via Hong Kong, 8/12/41 View

 

#804(2),810,C23(3), Barnegat City, NJ to Norway, “ping-pong”, 8/28/39; #830, Detroit to Poland, WX130, 12/23/40 View

 

To Lisbon: C24, NYC, 1/2/41; #825(2),900 on 3ct entire, NYC, 1/22/41, “Maidenform Brassiere” c/c View

 

#804,810,C23(4), NYC to Lisbon, 7/1/40; #894(3),C8,C23, NYC to Madrid, 4/17/40 View

 

To Spain: C25,6,prexies, NYC to Spain, registry, 10/30/44; C24, Elgin, IL, 9/18/40 View

 

To Spain: C24, Elgin, IL, 9/20/40; C30, Lancaster, PA, 5/22/44 View

 

To Sweden: #810,829, Oakland, CA, 12/4/42; C24, Westerly, RI, 7/23/41 View

 

To Sweden: C24, Denver, Mourning Cover, 5/25/42; #794,6,C29, Los Angeles, 7/27/42 View

 

To Sweden: #813,883,C23(pair), Davidson, NC, 9/20/40; C24(pair), Albany, NY, 12/13/41 View

 

To Sweden: #815,825, NYC, 7/23/41 View; #815,30,31, triple rate, Millington, NJ, 10/13/43 View

 

To Switzerland: C7,9, Cornwall, NY, 7/18/40;  #744,C20, NYC, 12/13/40 View

 

To Switzerland: C24, NYC, 12/22/41;  #813-4,899,C23(2), NYC, 12/13/41 View

 

Prexies to Switzerland: #815,825(3), NYC, 9/14/42; #811(blk5), NYC, 10/5/42, View

 

To Switzerland: #815,825(4), E. Orange, NJ, 6/8/40; C24, Dekalb, IL, 12/6/40 View

 

C24, Oswego, NY to Zurich, 3/24/40 View

 

To Yugoslavia: C24, Los Angeles, 1/29/41; C24(2), Dearborn, MI, 12/21/40 View

 

To USSR: #815, 825(2), Seymour, CT, 7/18/42, “ping-pong”, View; C28(4), Chicago, 5/20/42, underpaid, went by surface, View

 

 

Airmail to England, France or Germany

 

#805(2),6(2),7(3),862,872,879, Cicero, IL to “Vienna Germany”, 5/9/41 View

 

#820(pair), DC to England, 5/7/40 View

 

#872(6), Passaic, NJ to Germany, 3/13/41; #862,67,68,73, NYC to Germany, 1/27/41 View

 

“Phony War” mail: #806,C23, L.A. composite rate to Germany, 4/15/40; #806,810(5),856, NYC to England, 9/6/39 View

 

“Phony War” mail to Germany: #640,806,815,794(2), Chicago, 12/11/39; #810,815(2),C11, Flushing, NY, 12/18/39 View

 

C25(blk+sgl), Fort Sheridan, IL(boxed killer) to England, 7/15/41; C26(3), #813 added per deficiency h/s, NYC to England w/ RAF forwarding label, 10/12/44 View

 

To England: C25,27,28, Franklin, MA, 9/11/41; #806,C23, composite rate, Santa Barbara, 3/18/40 View

 

To England: #825,C23(blk+sgl), Framingham, MA, registry, 4/18/44; #699,810, Seattle, 12/10/40 View

 

To England: #685,825C23, Annapolis, MD, 6/5/40; #807a(4),905(6), Boston View

 

To England: #830, NYC, 9/15/41; C24, Scarsdale, NY, 11/8/40 View

 

To England: C24, Pittsburgh, PA, 12/16/40; C24, Chicago, 7/17/40 View

 

To France: #815,20, NYC, 4/25/41, Vichy censor; C24(2), DC(American Library in Paris c/c), 3/29/40 View

 

To France: #820,C24, NYC registry, 6/4/40; C24, Punta Gorda, FL, 7/8/41, Vichy censor View

 

To France: C24, NYC, 5/2/42 View

 

To Germany: #632,698,807,C23,C24, Chicago, 6/2/39:#804,C7(2)C23 on 3ct entire, Dover, DE, 6/10/40 View

 

To Germany: #815(3) on UX27, Middleboro, MA, 9/4/40; C24 on UX27, Union City, NJ, 11/13/40 View

 

To Germany during period of no Allied censor: #808,C21 on 6ct air entire, Chicago, 7/1/40; #810(2),825(2), NYC registry, 7/8/40 View

 

To Germany: C8(pair), San Benito, TX, 10/26/40; #820(2); Effingham Falls, NH, 6/16/41 View

 

To Germany: #815(3),C23, Swartswood, NJ to Vienna, 8/1/41; #807(3),842(5),879(2),882, Chicago, 9/1/40 View

 

To Germany: #637,810,872(3), NYC, 7/10/40, very unusual franking View

 

To Germany: C20,23, Newark, NJ, 11/15/41; #700, Palatine, IL, 6/27/40 View

 

Airmail to China, Hong Kong

 

To China:

 

#637,698,701, Omaha to Hupeh, 10/27/36; View

 

#699,701 on 5ct entire, NYC to Meihsien, 3/26/36; C20(strip3, pl#), Berkeley, CA to Kwangtung, 3/23/37 View

 

C7,20(strip3), Berkeley, CA to Kwangtung, registered, 3/29/38; C20,22, Jersey City, NJ to Shanghai, 4/2/37 View

 

C9,20,22, Lincoln, NE to Ningpo, Registered w/ r-receipt, 11/15/37 View

 

#634,C19 on 3ct entire, Hamilton, NY to Shanghai, 6/2/38 View

 

#827,28(pair) pay 70ct rate, New Haven, CT to Canton, 3/14/41; #815,25(3), Glendale to Shanghai, 7/8/40 View

 

#874,807(3), Detroit to Shanghai, 7/3/40; #642(2),696,698(2), San Francisco to Shanghai, 4/14/40 View

 

#694,696(3),817, San Francisco to Shanghai, 12/2/40; C9(2)24(3)27, double rate, NYC to Shanghai View

 

C21,22, De Moines to Canton, 2/7/40; C9,22(2), Los Angeles to Shanghai, 1/6/41 View

 

#898,910(3),C23(2), NYC to Shanghai, 9/14/41; #808,C24(pair) on 6ct air entire, Saranac Lake, NY to Chekiang, 4/21/41   View

 

#900,C28,22, Wellington, KS to Futsing, 7/22/43; C21,30(2), Delaware, OH to Futsing, 3/9/43 View

 

#815,829,899, unusual 36ct rate, NYC to Shanghai, 7/7/41 View

 

 

Air To Hong Kong:

 

#637,C20, Hanover, PA, 8/2/37; #642(2),701, Wilmington, DE, 7/23/38  View

 

#815,700(2), Augusta, GA, ca 1939; #642(5),815(pair), neat mixed franking, Swarthmore, PA, 2/20/39 View

 

Air To Asia, Africa (no China/H-Kong):

 

 To Australia: C6, 632,634(2), 3 domestic zones + sea, NYC, 11/29/24; #634,C19, Coconut Grove, FL, 3/24/38 View

 

To Australia: #825,C22, NYC, 1/22/40; #892,C21(3), San Francisco, 11/27/40 View

 

To Australia: C9,22, NYC, 7/14/41; #825,831, NYC, 8/23/40 View

 

#797(sheet),830,832, San Francisco to Sydney, 2/10/42 View

 

Forwarded from N.Z.: #812,C9(2),C22 on 3ct entire, San Francisco, 10/15/41, Auckland transit View

 

Dramatic Illustrated Registered cover to NSW, #815,883,C12,22(2), NYC, 8/26/40 View

 

#815,825(3), Carson City, NV to NSW, 10/17/41 View

 

C7,24(2), Cleveland, OH to Borneo, 4/15/41; #825,831, NYC to Cameroun, 6/26/42 View

 

C22,27, Marshfield, WI to Cameroun, 2/16/42 View

 

C30(2), St Louis to Congo, forwarded, searched, RTS, 6/3/44; C30(4), Ithaca, NY to Cameroun, 3/16/42 View

 

C21(pair), Guam to CT, 3/25/40; #685,830 on 6ct air entire, San Diego to Guam, 3/25/40 View

 

FAM14 first flight (San Francisco-Honolulu-Macao), 4/21/35; C22, Honolulu/Philippine Mil. Br, to LA, 11/17/38 View

 

C21: HI to IL, 2/3/39; Palo Alto to HI, “ping-pong”, 8/8/38 View

 

From Honolulu to Philadelphia: C21(2), 6/24/40; C21, 3/6/41  View

 

From/To Honolulu: #825, San Francisco, 6/9/42; #901(4),C21, HI to Manila, 5/8/41; #823,C29, Registry, 9/7/43   View

 

To India: #810(2),C21,22, Youngstown, OH, 11/22/39; #825,C24, NYC, 11/24/39 View

 

To India: C21,24, Ardmore, PA, 4/13/40; #825,831, Mount Kisco, NY, 9/27/40 View

 

To India: C23,24 + South Boston, MA, 1/19/41;  C9,22, 4/9/41 View

 

To India: #815,825(4), NYC, 12/9/41 (!) View; C30(pair), Detroit, 11/20/44; #815,825, Wilmington, DE, 2/21/41  View

 

C22,29, Ann Arbor, MI to Iran, 4/20/42, View

 

#698(7), Chicago to Japan, 4/27/37 View

 

#815,825(3), Van Buren, IN to Java, 3/18/41; #804,C19(4), Bamberg, SC  to Malaya View

 

To Morocco: #807(3, 1 added to meet deficiency),896,900,C7,C23, NYC, 3/7/41; #905,C30, New Rochelle, 8/4/43, View

 

To Morocco: #806,7,C24(2) on 3ct entire, Boston, 8/5/40; #816,824,901, NYC, 3/29/41