AAIIRRPPOOSSTT JJOOUURRNNAALL

The Official Publication of the American Air Mail Society

September 2012 Volume 83, No.9 Whole No. 987

September’s featured article — Development of Airmail Services In 1929-1939 Page 357 Zeppelins & Aerophilately Ask for our Free Price List of Worldwide Flight covers and stamps. The following is a small sampling – full list on Website!

United States Item #4928: 1929 (August 5) Unusual Round-the-World Flight on 1¢ postal card with Scott 421 (or 422) x2 plus 570, C9 and C11. Additional franking on reverse, Scott #649-50. Addressed to Denver, Colorado. Scott #421 or 422 on cover catalogs at $2,000! ...... $675.00 Item #5010: 1930 (May 28) C14 in fine condition on VF/XL-sized flown picture postcard with aerial view of New York City. Sent from New York, backstamped Friedrichshafen June 6 and Lakehurst June 18. Unusual item! ...... $450.00 Germany Item #3035: 1929 (October 16) Balkan Flight, official Delag PPC. Aer - ial photo of Saxon, Switzerland. Onboard cancel, addressed to Görlitz, Semlin drop. F-VF condition but corner crease through stamp. S.42B ...... $250.00 Italy Item #4938: 1933 (June) North Atlantic Flight cover with C49 sent from Orbetello, Italy to New York with “Forwarded” auxiliary mark - ing. Registered cover with appropriate transit and receiver markings on reverse. Airmail label overlaps the left margin of triptych and there is one folded perf at top. Neatly slit open at bottom with some general wear and toning. Wonderful item! ...... $2,950.00 Netherlands Item #3334: 1931 (July 24) Polar flight, Amsterdam to Friedrich- shafen to Malyguin to Romanshorn, Switzerland and backstamped. All markings on face. XF card and quite rare! S.119 ...... $125.00 Spain Item #4229: 1930 (May 16) First South America flight Seville-Lake - hurst on airmail cover. S.58B ...... $125.00 Tripolitana Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc. PO Box 3077T, Middletown NY 10940 Email: [email protected] — http://www.hgitner.com

SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 353 In This Issue of the Airpost Journal — ARTICLES — Letter to Development of Airmail Services in Poland 1929-1939 Part 1: LOT Polish Domestic and International Routes ..... 357 the Editor Jerzy W. Kupiec-Weglinski and Jacek Kosmala FAM 22: Fact or Fantasy? Part 4: Mail Carrying -- The Routes ...... 368 The DO-X Flew Again John Wilson The photograph of the DO-X on page 249 of the June 2012 Air - Ammel’s Blue Flash Flight from New York to the Canal Zone ...... 376 post Journal was neat. However, the statement: "On August 6, 1931 it Julius Grigore Jr.. headed for New York and three weeks later docked at Glenn Curtiss Air - Delayed Pan Am Airmail ...... 382 port; it never flew again," is incorrect. John Johnson The DO-X spent the winter at Glenn Curtiss Airport, but flew More on SCADTA: The 1918 Jenny Issue ...... 386 back to Germany in May 1932 via Newfoundland, the Azores, Spain and Joe Kirker England. A 1939 Westward Around-the-World Cover ...... 391 A very comprehensive and readable series of articles describing John Harper the DO-X and its flights were published in The Airpost Journal between — COLUMNS — April 1971 and November 1974. They were written by George W. Hoff - Airmail Elsewhere in Print ...... 388 Letter to the Editor ...... 355 mann and included a great description of the trans-Atlantic flight from President’s Message ...... 355 St. John's, Newfoundland, to Vigo, Spain. The series was reprinted in the December 2002 Canadian Aerophilatelist to mark the 70th Anniversary of — DEPARTMENTS – the stamp issued by Newfoundland for the trans-Atlantic flight. Classified Ads ...... 396 Chris Hargreaves Membership Report ...... 395 President’s Jim Graue Message

Editor and Advertising Milwaukee Bound! Vickie Canfield Peters 11911 E Connor Road Valleyford WA 99036 vcanfi[email protected] Now is the time! The fall meeting of the American Air Mail Staff Writers Columnists Society will be held September 21-23 in conjunction with MILCOPEX Joe Kirker Alan Warren: Airmail Elsewhere in Print 2012, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There has not been very much publicity Bob Wilcsek Bob Wilcsek: Zeppelin Letters Copyright 2012, The American Air Mail Society . The Airpost Journal (ISSN 0739-0939) is pub - about this meeting, but I hope we get past that and have a successful lished monthly by the American Air Mail Society, Box 110, Mineola, NY 11501. Periodical meeting in spite of it. postage paid at Spokane WA 99201 and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes At some point in mid-July, Ken Sanford, our convention coordi - to American Air Mail Society, P.O. Box 5367, Virginia Beach VA 23471-0367. Subscription Rate $28 per year; $3 per copy. nator, advised that the show committee has received only one airmail Opinions expressed in features and columns in this publication are solely those of the authors and exhibit entry, a fact that causes some concern about how great our do not necessarily represent those of the society. turnout may be. However, not a word since, so maybe several exhibitors

PAGE 354 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 355 recognized the opportunity and jumped in. That would be very good. Development of Airmail Services In any event, I hope to see many AAMS members at Milwaukee and look forward to a great time sharing aerophilately. in Poland 1929 – 1939 Major AAMS awards will be announced and presented at MIL - COPEX. These include the Aerophilatelic Hall of Fame, the Aerophilatel - Part 1: LOT Polish Airlines ic Research Award, the George W. Angers Memorial Award, the L. B. Domestic and International Routes Gatchell Literature Award, the Earl & Fred Wellman Award and a Spe - cial Plaque for Service. Jerzy W. Kupiec–Weglinski and Jacek Kosmala The George D. Kingdom Literature Award (best aerophilatelic book of the prior calendar year) has already been announced. It was pre - Introduction sented to Tom Frommer on May 17, 2012, at the Philatelic Society of In 2011, we published a three-part series in the Airpost Journal Western Australia Centennial Exhibition for his book The Ross Smith on the pioneer period of airmail services in independent Poland (1918– Stamp & Its Postal History. 1928). Now we continue the “saga” into the next pre-Second World War * * * chapter (1929–1939). There is measurable progress on the American Air Mail Cata - On December 28, 1928, the Civil Aviation Division at the Polish logue to report. The following sections are now in completed draft form: Ministry of Transportation made fundamental changes in the Philippines Airmail Geoffrey Brewster, Editor industry by dissolving two privately-owned carriers, AEROLOT and Foreign Flag Flights Robert E. Anderson, Editor† , and forming a single state–owned, self–governed entity with a CAM 1 – 34 Alan Lieberman, Editor monopoly on passenger and cargo air transport. On January 1, 1929, LOT Airlines Ltd., the third oldest European airline still in operation, and one Additionally, the following sections are being actively worked on: of only six in the world that has not changed its name, was established. Trans-Ocean Flights Jim Graue, Lead Editor CAMs 35- Alan Lieberman, Editor 1929: First Year of LOT Operations Polar Aerophilately Hal Vogel, Editor Routes LOT immediately took over the routes serviced by AEROLOT This will translate into three, or perhaps four, volumes when all (Warszawa – Lwow; Warszawa – Gdansk; Warszawa – Krakow – Vien - the dust settles. na; Krakow – Brno – ) and AERO (Warszawa – Poznan). Map A Collectors of trans-ocean flights are requested to contact me illustrates the routes. about participating in the push to finish this major section. The section On January 7–8, Katowice, the Silesian regional manufacturing has been broken down into geographical areas (Pacific, North Atlantic, center, was connected to the existing Warszawa – Lwow – Gdansk line. South Atlantic, etc) to make it easier to use. We need: Consequently, Katowice took over Krakow’s place on the Polish air map, • High quality color scans of as many trans-ocean items as possi - becoming only the second international airport (after Warszawa) and ble, so that is an area where we hope many collectors can provide assis - linking the country with Brno (Czechoslovakia) and Vienna (Austria). tance, and; Although the Warszawa – Krakow line was discontinued, a new Krakow • Collectors of trans-ocean flights (any or all) to review the list - – Katowice route of just 79 km, one of the shortest in Polish air transport ings and provide corrections and additions; history, kept communication between Krakow and Warszawa. If everyone jumps in on this, we can get through it with minimal In early 1929, LOT operated a fleet of 21 aircraft (15 F–13 delay and optimal completeness. It requires a team effort! Please join in. and six Fokker F–VIIA/1M). A stylized flying crane, designed by artist Tadeusz Gronowski, became (and still is) LOT’s emblem. In May, 1929, the company's name was extended with the adjective "Polish."

PAGE 356 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 357 Figure 1

latelic documentation from this early period of LOT services. Most cov - ers have special cachets but are seldom seen, as only 25 to 210 items were carried on each route. Figure 1 depicts one of 25 covers from the inaugural Katowice – Poznan flight on January 7, 1929. Franking is 5 groszy (gr) printed matter rate plus 5 gr airmail surcharge, which is correct. On the very same day, January 7, another LOT aircraft left Katowice on the first postal flight to Vienna. Due to engine problems, the aircraft crash-landed in the Czech village of Pohrlitz. Unable to resume his flight, the pilot consigned 150 covers to local authorities where a large cachet “Flight interrupted and forced to land in Pohrlitz/C.S.R/7.I.1929” was applied. These letters were forwarded by rail; no arrival cancellations were applied in Vienna.

Map A: International and domestic routes serviced by Danzig LOT Polish Airlines in 1930. The ( Freie Stadt Danzig in German; Wolne Miasto Gdansk in Polish), was established as an autonomous state in Inaugural Flights November 1920, under provisions of the Treaty of Versailles and under Between January 7–11, 1929, LOT made several inaugural postal the protection of the League of Nations. The Post and Telegraph Man - flights between Warszawa, Lwow, Katowice, Poznan, Gdansk and agement buildings in Gdansk were considered extraterritorial property Krakow, as well as to Brno and on to Vienna. There is an interesting phi - of the Republic of Poland. There were three Polish post offices operating

PAGE 358 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 359 in Danzig, yet only Gdansk 1 P.O. in the Old Town district was servicing with both Germany and Soviet Russia effectively closed the east–west the Polish community, and maintained a direct telephone line with direction to Polish aviation for many years. Flights from Warszawa to Poland. Ten mailboxes with the Polish white eagle emblem were located either Berlin or Moscow were out of the question. LOT’s expansion was throughout this overwhelmingly German city. only possible to the north and south of the continent. In 1930, LOT Polish Airlines joined the International Air Trans - portation Association (IATA). Despite rapid progress of civil aviation in technical and commercial fields, the flying remained a rather exclusive means of personal transport. Around 1930 the General Directors of Civil Aviation meeting in Paris coined the famous phrase: "The layman flies, the expert takes the train." Although such a statement sounds preposterous nowadays, it obviously reflected the uncertainties of air travel at that time, especially during the winter season. However, the search for higher speed, greater reliability and the covering of greater distances continued, and each step forward in these fields brought the potential inherent in mass public air transport closer to reality. This is exemplified by LOT’s speedy expansion of its network and the affordability of its fares. Interestingly, in the early 1930s, the cost of air travel in Poland was about the same or even lower than by train.

Figure 2

On January 8, 1929, the Wrzeszcz (Langfuhr) Airport in Danzig was linked with Katowice. Figure 2 is one of 65 covers mailed on January 8 from the Gdansk Polish Postal branch and flown via Warszawa to Katowice. Since 1925, regular Polish stamps with “PORT GDANSK” overprints were used in one–way traffic from Polish Post in Danzig to Poland. Here, a mixed Polish and Port Gdansk postage of 10 gr met a basic printed–matter rate of 5 gr paid with a Port Gdansk adhesive. A framed cachet confirms 5 gr air surcharge paid with a single stamp of the first Polish airmail issue of 1925. Phase I Expansion 1930 – 1935 By the end of 1929, the LOT Board of Directors began seeking new opportunities to expand the airline’s routes. The country’s geo - graphical location predisposed its role as a major hub for both east–west Figure 3 and north––south communication in Europe. However, hostile relations

PAGE 360 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 361 Expansion into the Balkans gural June 27, 1931 flight. The 1.00 zl rate was 50 gr international letter On May 21, 1930, a Polish–Romanian agreement granted LOT rate (per 20 grams) plus 50 gr (1x basic postage fee) airmail surcharge. Airlines the concession to exclusively operate the Warszawa – Lwow – On June 29, the newly established postal service became avail - Bucharest route. This was an important milestone in a long-term strategy able to the public. The first flight carried 65 covers to Sofia and 102 to to connect Poland via the Balkan Peninsula with the Middle East. Salonika from Warszawa, all with a special violet circular cachet. There A cover with a bilingual cachet, depicted in Figure 3 , is one of 25 were also 62 covers to Lwow with a special circular cachet. posted in Warszawa on June 1, 1930, and carried by a trial flight to Bucharest. The “Pobrano/Perqu” cachet was used to apply the 40 gr air surcharge (1x basic postage). On the first regular postal flight, which left the following day, Warszawa and Lwow each dispatched 78 covers to Galati, a Romanian city en route to the capital. There were 132 and 128 Bucharest–bound covers from Warszawa and Lwow, respectively. All carry violet (Warsza - wa) or red (Lwow) cachets. As of July 31, 1938, the Warszawa – Lwow – Bucharest route was operated jointly by LOT and LARES Airlines. The success of the Warszawa – Bucharest line prompted its extension to Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, and Salonika, the second-largest city in Greece. The 1,533-mile (2,468 km) route from Warszawa to Saloni - ka reduced the trip’s duration from five days to just 14 hours. Figure 4 shows a seldom-seen cover from the Warszawa – Sofia leg of the inau -

Figure 5

Several interesting items are recorded from LOT’s return flight to Poland on July 8, 1931. Figure 5 is a registered cover from the return flight to Lwow. It was posted in Athens (July 7) and flown by Greek E.E.E.S Airlines (Hellenike Eteria Anaerion Synghinonium A.E.) to Salonika (July 8 transit postmark) to catch the LOT return flight to Poland (Lwow, July 9 arrival cancellation). This letter was prepared by P. J. Drossos, the pioneer of Greek aerophilately, addressed to Tadeusz Gryzewski, the godfather of Polish aerophilately. Expansion to the Baltic States The growth plan for the LOT network included expansion to the Baltic States and Finland. A new route from Warszawa via the Polish city of Wilno to Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia was opened August 17, Figure 4 1932. With its southern extension to Salonika, the north-south route now

PAGE 362 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 363 with the international printed matter rate (10 gr basic postage plus 40 gr air surcharge). Figure 7 is an unusual example from the return flight to Poland. Postmarked Tallinn on August 18 and cacheted “Par premier avion Tallinn – Riga – Warszawa,” it was routed via Warszawa (August 18) and Poznan (August 19) to Cape Town, South Africa (September 6). It was most likely flown by Imperial Airways on its route to South Africa from London with intermediate stops in Brindisi, Athens, Alexandria, Cairo, Assuan, Wadi, Halfa, Chartum, Malakal, Juba, Butiaba, Kisumu, Nairobi, Dodoma, Mbeya, Broken Hill, Salisbury and Johannesburg. The London – Cape Town route was inaugurated December 9–21, 1931. The airport in the Free City of Danzig (Langfuhr) was built to service air traffic primarily by DERULUFT Airline between Moscow, Königsberg (the capital of East Prussia) and Berlin. Despite the “official” autonomy, working relations between Polish and German authorities at Figure 6 the Langfuhr Airport were often tense. This situation prompted the Polish government to build a new measured 1,796 miles (2,890 km), linking the north and south of Europe airport in the nearby port city of Gdynia. Its opening in 1935 allowed the and crossing territories of six countries with Poland in the middle. Warszawa – Gdansk route to be suspended; LOT air traffic from Warsza - About 500 covers dispatched from Warszawa and Wilno were wa was channeled to Gdynia instead. On June 1, 1935, 50 covers with flown on various stages of the first flight. All show a circular violet special cachets were flown on each leg of the Warszawa – Gdynia - cachet that reads “First Postal Flight / 17–VIII–32 / Warszawa – Wilno – Gdansk route. The seldom-seen cover shown as Figure 8 is from the first Riga – Tallinn.” Figure 6 shows a cover flown from Warszawa to Tallinn, and then to Kuopio in Finland (August 19 arrival). It is franked correctly

Figure 7 Figure 8

PAGE 364 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 365 postal flight from Gdansk to Gdynia. Mixed Polish and Port Gdansk postage was affixed in the Free City of Danzig and a large “Gdynia Port Polski” datestamp was applied at arrival. The postage, 15 gr paid 5 gr for printed matter (up to 20 grams) and 10 gr air surcharge, is correct.

Figure 10

was extended to Berlin. It was operated in a “pool” air transport system, i.e., jointly with the German Lufthansa (DLH), the only LOT air link with Figure 9 western Europe at the time. Both Warszawa and Poznan used circular Gdynia on the Baltic coast was instrumental in LOT’s expansion cancellations (violet and black, respectively) on mail carried on the first to northern Europe. In 1935, three trial flights took place between the flight to Berlin ( Figure 10 ). The postage of 40 gr is consistent with 10 gr Swedish city of Malmö and Warszawa (via Gdynia) on September 6, and printed matter rate plus 30 gr for Germany-bound airmail. The “Berlin in the opposite direction on September 11. The first flown covers from C2” cachet was applied upon arrival. the latter, illustrated in Figure 9 , are uncommon; only 30 were flown. — To Be Continued —

Improvements Rapid growth of commercial aviation meant an urgent need for a Future AAMS Meeting Sites new and modern airport in the Polish capital. After a gradual transition from the country’s oldest Mokotow airfield (operated since 1920), a new Milcopex Warszawa–Okecie Airport, with modern technical facilities including Milwaukee, Wisconsin hangars, workshops and warehouses, officially opened on April 29, 1934. September 20-23, 2012 During the first five years of operations, LOT Polish Airlines uti - lized German Junkers, Dutch Fokker and Polish PWS–24 aircraft. Their capacity, however, was increasingly insufficient. Two 14–seat Douglas ARIPEX DC–2s and some smaller 10–seat Lockheed L–10A Electra American– Mesa, Arizona made aircraft were added to the fleet in 1935. They were used mainly on international routes, in particular to the Balkans. April 19 - 21, 2013 On May 1, 1934, the connection between Warszawa and Poznan PAGE 366 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 367 and mail routes were therefore concentrated along the line from there FAM-22: Fact or Fantasy? back to Brussels, and on the operations of the Belgian airline SABENA. Part 4 of a Short Series The map on the previous page is taken from the SABENA sched - ule for July 1939 and clearly shows the northbound route terminating in Mail Carrying: The Routes London. Airmail for the United States could be carried to Marseilles and later to Lisbon and transferred there to the Pan American trans-Atlantic John Wilson route, at least until the German occupation of France. There were also other alternatives including a costly trans-Atlantic service via Europe When it comes to the South Atlantic, it would be easy to ignore and then the German (until September 1939) or French (until July 1940) airmail from the Belgian Congo before December 1941, but some back - South American routes via Natal, Brazil. These two routes, of course, ground is worth considering. Obviously the Congo was a Belgian colony pre-date the Pan American South Atlantic route via Lisbon and Bolama.

Typical covers from the pre-war period are illustrated. The first, above, is a cover from Port Franco dated November 25, 1937 addressed to the United States and endorsed “Par Avion Jusque Paris.” This trav - eled by air to Paris and then by surface to New York. The rate paid was Fr. 2.50 surface fee and Fr. 3 air rate by Sabena to Belgium [Ref.1]. The underpaid surcharge was probably due to there being a higher Fr. 3.50 rate from Congo to France. The next cover is a letter from Coquilhatville dated October 27, 1940 and endorsed “Par Avion Trans-Atlantique” and “Par Avion a Par - PAGE 368 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 369 lected at Leopoldville for a month until the next Route 6 (Miami- Leopoldville-Miami) collection, and probably knowing that there were very frequent Special Mission flights leaving Lagos at intervals of a few days, it is easy to speculate that the Leopoldville postmaster would send the mail to Lagos using the twice-weekly BOAC flying boat service from Cairo to Lagos calling at Leopoldville, to be transferred at Lagos to the Special Mission flights to the United States. Primary documentary evidence [Ref.4] shows that in the period January 1 to August 31, 1942 the income from foreign mail derived from the direct Pan Am flights from Leopoldville was only 0.6 percent of the total revenue generated by the Special Mission flights. This suggests that the practice of shipping mail from Leopoldville to Lagos using the BOAC service was the norm, and “through mail” on a Route 6 flight from Leopoldville was almost non-existent, if indeed any existed at all except for the philatelic mail carried on the first flight leaving New York on December 6, 1941. The 0.6 percent revenue could easily have been gener - ated by non-Congo mail taken on board when the Route 6 (so-called FAM-22) aircraft was in transit at Lagos. Further evidence in the Pan American Archive at Miami [Ref.4] allows us to put accurate dates on the first Leopoldville-to-Miami flights tir de Lisbonne;”; in other words by air only from Lisbon on the PanAm Clipper service, but by surface mail from Leopoldville to Lisbon because there was no air service to Europe. The postage rate is not given in the Belgian Congo rate tables [Ref.2] but must have been known to the Congo postal clerk. The cover shows transit marks for Leopoldville October 28, Lisbon November 21 (surface route) and Indianapolis November 28 (air route). The cover was censored in Leopoldville and Bermuda (6085). As far as the missionaries and others in the Congo were con - cerned, the introduction of a direct airmail service from Leopoldville to Miami must have seemed a great relief. As it turned out, with only 12 direct flights from Leopoldville in the period December 1941 through October 1942, it could have been a disappointment. However, thanks to the Pan American Special Mission flights, mail could still be carried on an “all-air” route via Lagos, and that is what seems to have become nor - mal practice. Although the Congo rate tables issued on January 1, 1942 [Ref.3], presumably to accommodate the new service, show only an airmail sur - charge for the Pan American route from Congo to Miami, there is a rate shown from Congo to Nigeria. Given the prospect of mail lying uncol -

PAGE 370 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 371 on Route 6, together with the details of mail carried. It has thus been pos - flown to Trinidad and off-loaded for censorship (Censor 8018) before for - sible to locate covers that were genuinely carried on the flights from warding to New York, arriving there on January 22. Leopoldville. These covers are not easy to find and some may well lie Identifying these rare covers can only be achieved by an accurate undetected in collections of Belgian Congo postal history. Here is an knowledge of the flight details. Although some flight records have been example. located in the Pan American archive, they do not cover all the flights in This cover was posted in Leopoldville on December 27, 1941 and the “FAM-22” period from December 1941 to October 23, 1942. One thing censored on December 30. It was flown from Leopoldville on the first is certain however; the “genuine” FAM-22 flights numbered only 12 return flight of Route 6 (flight 6002) leaving on 7 January 1942. Mail was round trips and there were no Route 6 flights after 6013/6014 in October. off-loaded at Trinidad for censorship, with a Trinidad censor label dated Most of the mail between the United States and West Africa was carried January 9, 1942. All details are confirmed by the flight records held in on the frequent Special Missions and not on the 12 so-called “FAM-22” Miami. This flight started out as Special Mission #6 from New York to flights. Calcutta but became flight 6002 on return from Calcutta-Karachi-Khar - References [1] Ordonnance No. 91. Belgian Congo Postal Bulletin 20 May 1935. [2] Ordonnance No. 245. Belgian Congo Postal Bulletin 1 September 1940. [3] Ordonnance No. 484. Belgian Congo Postal Bulletin 1 January 1942. [4] ASM 0341 Box 105 Folder 26. [5] “FAM-22 Fact or Fantasy,” Airpost Journal, May 2012.

toum-Leopoldville. Some mail from the Congo was carried on one non-certified Spe - cial Mission flight that passed through Leopoldville on its return from Bombay. The flight records for Special Mission 8 record that it carried 5.2 kg of mail from Leopoldville to Trinidad. The cover shown below is one carried on that flight. Posted in Leopoldville on January 12, 1942, it was picked up by NC-18611 Anzac on Special Mission #8 in Leopoldville January 15, 1942, PAGE 372 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 373 PAGE 374 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 375 Ammel's Blue Flash Flight from New York to the Canal Zone

Julius Grigore Jr.

On November 9, 1930, Captain (later Major) Roy W. Ammel flew from Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, non-stop to France Field in the Canal Zone. Ammel was a member of the U. S. Army Air Corps Reserve, a flyer, a New York City Aerial Police Reservist

Captain Roy W. Ammel, right, and his Lockheed Vega Blue Flash before taking-off from Barren Island Airport, New York on his non-stop flight to France Field, Cristobal, Canal Zone. The policeman posing with him is not identified.

and a Chicago stock broker. Ammel flew 3,189 miles in Blue Flash (NR- 101-W). His was a record-breaking flight, 24 hours and 34 minutes, although his crossing of the Caribbean without nighttime navigational aids was a continuous battle against headwinds and storms.

Authority for Ammel and Blue Flash to land at France Field as signed by Harry Burgess, Governor of the Canal Zone. Cover carried aboard Blue Flash on November 9. 1930

PAGE 376 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 377 Newspaper headline about the perils of Ammel’s flight as it appeared in the November 11, 1930 edition of the Pana - ma American .

Ammel carried an unknown number of flight covers during his hazardous non-stop flight to Panama. Blue Flash crash cover originated by Postmaster Bliss, Cristobal Post Office, and signed by Captain Roy W. Ammel. According to The Star & Herald of November 11, 1930, Ammel's feat, although little heralded in the United States, was "comparable only Here is what appeared in the November 21, 1930 issue of The to that of the epochal solo Atlantic flight of Lindbergh in 1927.” Ammel Star & Herald about letters carried by Ammel on his ill-fated flight to was greeted throughout Panama by thunderous ovations; his presence Chicago: and popularity on the Isthmus rivaled that of Lindbergh's. He was Letters carrying greetings to officials and friends in Chicago and other referred to as the “Lone Eagle of the Caribbean.” cities in the United States will be carried by the Chicago aviator. Among those Ammel was no novice to setting records. When he was stationed sending such messages are President Florencio Harmonio Arosemena, Governor at France Field in 1919, and while assigned to flying boat patrol, he estab - Harry Burgess, Major General George LeRoy Irwin (Commanding General, lished an altitude record of 19,500 feet. Panama Canal Department), Rear Admiral H. H. Hough, (Commandant, Fif - Ammel planned to rest in Panama a few days and then make a teenth Naval District), Colonel and Mrs. Mars, and other officials of the Repub - return non-stop flight to Chicago. For an interview in The Star & Herald lic of Panama, the Canal Zone, and Military and Naval forces. on November 12, 1930, he said, “My flight to Panama was an aftermath A special communication will be dispatched to the National Comman - of a flight I had projected to Berlin or Rome about two months ago. der and other leaders of the American Legion from the Departmental Headquar - Lockheed built Blue Flash for that purpose. But I sat around for six weeks ters of the Legion, Balboa. waiting for a break in the weather which never came." The Cristobal-Colon Rotary Club has addressed greetings to the head - (Note: Blue Flash was a new low-wing, 500-hp Lockheed Explorer version of a quarters of the International Rotary, Chicago, and the Chamber of Commerce Lockheed Sirius (NR-211) adapted by Lindbergh for his survey of a Pacific route likewise will dispatch a letter to the Association of Commerce of Chicago. to the Orient, via Alaska, for Pan Am during 1931.) Ammel's crash was thoroughly described and photographed in Ammel was stationed at France Field as an Army flyer during an exclusive story, which appeared in the November 23, 1930 The Star & 1918-19, according to a photograph appearing in the November 30, 1930 Herald . According to the article, it was a horrendous affair. The crash issue of The Star & Herald . He resigned from the Air Service (Corps) in occurred during his take-off attempt from Anton Air Field, reportedly a 1919 to accept the position of Instructor of Military and Naval Aviation poorly attended dirt strip. for the Republic of Peru, remaining at that post for two years. Years earlier, the airfield at Anton served as an auxiliary to On November 21, while taking off from Anton, Cocle Province, France Field. It was selected for Ammel's take-off so as many people as Republic of Panama, for his attempted non-stop flight to Chicago, possible, especially school children from the interior of Panama, could Ammel crashed Blue Flash and was severely injured. witness the start of Ammel's historic flight. For most of his flight north - PAGE 378 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 379 ward, Ammel intended to follow the Pan Am route from Cristobal to Miami, as well as relying upon weather reports provided by Pan Am. Upon impact, Blue Flash flipped on its back. The engine was ripped from the fuselage and the rest of the plane was a twisted, grotesque wreck. Ammel was rescued from the wreckage by France Field Army mechanics. He was flown in a Ford Army tri-motor aircraft to Gor - gas Hospital, Ancon, Canal Zone, for treatment. The crash of the Blue Flash is included in Crash Covers, An Aerophilatelic Challenge, by Joseph L. Eisendrath. A pair of covers described in Eisendrath’s work appeared in Al Zimmerman's 53rd Auc - tion on February 1, 1986. They were signed by Ammel. Chances are excellent that an Ammel-Bliss signed cover may eventually be reported, as it is unlikely that Bliss would have missed out on the aerophilatelic potential of Ammel's record breaking, solo flight or upon his subsequent crash with Blue Flash . After the crash, Ammel returned to Chicago and mailed an unknown number of souvenir covers to Cristobal, on January 5, 1931, inscribed: "Airplane "Blue Flash" crashed on take-off/November 21, 1930/Ancon, R. de P. /Roy W. Ammel.” Following his return to Chicago, Ammel immediately began planning for a round-the-world flight. To this extent, he asked permis - sion from the Navy department to refuel in the air from the airship USS Macon, while making a non-stop flight from New York to Los Angeles, but he was refused. His planning also included requests to foreign gov - ernments to issue commemorative stamps and for other philatelic assis - tance. The aircraft he had selected for the trip was a tandem, twin- engine Bellanca, which he named the Blue Eagle . Ammel was unsuccessful in obtaining financial support for his Will Rogers' crash on August 15, 1935, with Wiley Post, the ambitious venture, and he faded into oblivion until 1941 when the 77th famous round-the-world flyer, occurred on Walkakpa Lagoon, near Session of the U. S. Congress passed Senate Resolution No. S-2177, Point Barrow, Alaska. The two were supposedly on a survey flight to December 11, 1941, awarding him the Distinguished Flying Cross for his determine the feasibility of establishing an air route between Alaska and remarkable flight, non-stop, from New York to Panama in Blue Flash . Siberia. Their flight was alleged to have been funded by Pan Am. Ammel's non-stop flight proved that trans-Caribbean flight was In preparation for their flight, Post, who was short of cash, set - possible, even at night. Thus, Ammel's pathfinder flight served as a guid - tled for the assembly of a hybrid aircraft using parts of two previously ing light for others in American aviation circles, especially that of Pan damaged aircraft. This modification was done against the advice of Lock - American Airways and PANAGRA, and postal administrator hierarchy. heed officials. Ammel’s crash in Blue Flash had a curious, and serious, connec - The basic aircraft was a Lockheed Orion which had been operat - tion with the death of Will Rogers in a red Lockheed monoplane. Rogers ed by TWA for two years before it was disabled in a crash. According to was the most loved and widely quoted American of his time. PAGE 380 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 381 Revolution in the Sky, The Lockheeds of Aviation’s Golden Age, by Richard Sanders Allen, to Post’s Orion were added the wings off the Lockheed Explorer that had crashed upon take-off from the airfield at Anton, Republic of Panama. The wings of the Explorer, therefore, could only have belonged to Ammel's Blue Flash . When Rogers' and Post's aircraft crashed, it lost a wing and also flipped over on its back upon impact. Both Oklahomans were killed instantly.

Delayed Pan Am Airmail John Johnson Philippine Clipper , NC14715, lost Engine #1 on a March 7, 1936, scheduled FAM 14 westbound flight between Guam and Manila, P.I. The aircraft log does not indicate the nature of the problem. Upon arrival at Manila, it was determined that a replacement engine was required. China Clipper , NC14716, arrived in Manila on March 26, replace - ment engine on board. After a three-day layover, she left for Alameda, California, on March 29 with a backlog of mail. Registration #1078. Peso 2.20

The first two covers illustrated were registered and posted at Bagnio, Mountain Province, Post Office on March 7. There were flown to Manila by the Philippine Aerial Taxi Co. (PATCO), sitting in the Manila post office awaiting an eastbound flight. They were both carried on the China Clipper. These postal markings appear on both covers: 7 March: Registered Bagnio, Mountain Province 8 March: Registry Section, Manila P.O. (reverse) 31 March: Registry Section, Honolulu P.O. (reverse) 1 April: Fort Shafter Station, Registered (reverse). The following itinerary is taken from the log book of the Philip - pine Clipper:

1-2 March Alameda - Pearl Harbor 3 March Pearl Harbor - Midway 4-5 March Midway - Wake 6 March Wake - Guam Registration #1077. Peso 1.20 7 March Guam - Wake 8 March Ship moored, Manila Bay PAGE 382 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 383 10 March Engine #1 removed 31 March New engine #1 installed 3-7 April Test flights, Manila area 8 April Manila - Guam 9 April Guam - Wake 9-10 April Wake - Midway 10 April Midway - Pearl Harbor 11-12 April Pearl Harbor - Alameda

This cover was posted in Manila on April 6. It was carried on a return flight to Alameda in Philippine Clipper . It is believed the cachet was made by or for the Berger Co. Flight data for both Clippers is taken from the ships’ logs located at Pan American Airways headquarters in New York City in the mid- 1980s. Airmail rates at the time of the flights were: Manila - Hawaii 1.00 Peso per 15 grams Manila - USA 1.50 Peso per 15 grams Registry fee .20 Peso The “Registered” handstamp was applied at the Hono- lulu Post Office.

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PAGE 384 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 385 MORE on SCADTA: The 1918 Jenny Issue

Joe Kirker

Having thoroughly enjoyed George Struble's July 2012 presenta - tion on the saga of SCADTA, this author has relocated long ago acquired items from my US 1918 airmail collection with that connection. The first example was originally illustrated in an article by Jacob S. Glaser in the September 1, 1948 issue of The Aero Philatelist’s News , a bi- weekly publication which ran from June of 1946 until June of 1953, and was the forerunner to the long-running Aero Philatelist Annals . In that specific article, the third in a series about the SCADTA issues, Glaser discusses the popular consular overprints, presenting an overview of the various types and some nice examples, including the use sent via surface mail to Colombia, then flown from the seacoast to the with the 16-cent Jenny. With all postal issues affixed in New York, it was inland capital city of Bogota with registry. The 30-centavo (per 20 grams) payment with added 20 centavo overprint issue for registration is the correct amount for SCADTA pay - ment, with the C2 Jenny being a philatelic plus. It was posted August 4, 1925 and still contained the registry receipt. This example, at about 30 years ago, was secured. The second cover was acquired several years later in auction. Mailed on the same day and again from Eddie Buser to Roberto Garcia

PAGE 386 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 387 Pena in Bogota, it is franked with only 15 centavos in regular postage flights of May 1938 in the May issue of Tell , published by the American along with the fee for registration. Possibly the "Printed Matter" hand - Helvetia Philatelic Society. He obtained records from the PTT Archive stamp allowed the smaller fee. Franked with a pair of the 6-cent Jenny and Library in Bern and shows some of the planes, a number of covers issue of 1918, it would have traveled the same route as the former, and with the specially overprinted stamps, and statistics on a number of with the registry receipt surviving. items flown on these flights from various cities. A third example resides in the author's collection, also franked Noted aerophilatelist Egil Thomassen discusses mail flown with the proper consular overprint issues totaling 30 centavos, but with - between Sweden and Scotland during World War II and describes the out registration. Posted June 1, 1925, it was probably sent from Joseph A. aircraft used by Britain, Sweden and Norway in the June issue of Norwe - Steinmetz to himself in care of Jefferson Paterson in Bogota. Even with gian War and Field Post Journal. He also shows several censored covers the philatelic flair, as Steinmetz created many unusual airmail covers, it carried on these routes including items damaged by accident. is a rare and desirable use. William P. Winter describes the first airmail service between I wonder if Eddie Buser or Joseph Steinmetz created any SCAD - Chungking and Kunming in the July issue of The China Clipper . The TA cards or letters with the first Jenny issue (the 24 cent carmine and China National Airway Corporation established the route in order to blue). It would be wonderful to someday "complete the set"! overcome the 24-day transit by foot trails through the rugged mountains of southwest China. The service began in July 1935 but was abandoned References within a year due to technical difficulties. The route was later provided Colombia -- "Consular Overprints on SCADTA Stamps," by by the Eurasia Airways Corporation. Jacob S. Glaser, The Aero Philatelist’s News , Vol III, No.16, September 1, Howard Geisler points out in the June German Postal Specialist 1948, pages 66-67. that despite the issuance of two airmail stamps by the Saar territory in 1926 the first airmail flights did not occur until 1938. He shows several September 19, 1938 first flight covers. Writing in the April-June BNA Top - ics, Gordon McDermid shows an airletter sent by famed World War I pilot Billy Bishop in 1942 to an RCAF pilot stationed in Abu Sueir, Egypt. Airmail Elsewhere in Print Ken Lawrence begins a series on unpublished airmail rates for Alan Warren U.S. Pacific island possessions during the 1935-1946 period in the July The United States Specialist. In this installment he addresses Midway Island and Wake Island and the rates between those two islands and (This is an occasional column bringing attention to articles about Guam, Hawaii, the Philippines and the United States. Frank Walton aerophilately that appear in other journals. Copies of the complete articles can shows a heavy airmail letter sent from Taipei to Washington, D.C. dur - usually be obtained from the American Philatelic Research Library ing the brief rate period of October 2-12, 1947 in the June issue of the in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.) Journal of Chinese Philately. The letter was registered and is estimated to have weighed 255 grams or a little over. In the May issue of Gibbons Stamp Monthly , Ian Hamilton dis - cusses the centenary of the founding of Britain’s Royal Flying Corps (later Royal Air Force) and its pioneering pilots and equipment in the early days of military aviation. Robert Johnson describes airmail from The Airpost Journal is China to foreign destinations during the period 1939-1942 in the April Journal of Chinese Philately . He mentions the routing to addresses in Cana - YOUR magazine. da, India, Southern Rhodesia, Hawaii, Egypt and elsewhere. e welcome articles . . . lots of articles! Hugo Ruoss reveals his research on Switzerland’s Pro-Aero mail W

PAGE 388 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 389 A 1939 Westward Around-the-World Cover John Harper

This cover is, I believe, a first westward around-the-world dis - patch that is unlisted in the Trans-Ocean Record Flights section of the American Air Mail Catalogue. The cover was mailed on May 16, 1939 in New York. It bears typed directions: By TRANS-PACIFIC airmail via HONG KONG to INDIA BY AIR TO MARSEILLES AND NEW YORK It is postmarked New York (May 16), San Francisco (May 17),

PAGE 390 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 391 Hong Kong (May 26), and Bombay (June 2). At Bombay, it was apparent - ly received and immediately remailed to the original sender in Crest - American wood, New York, registered, with 12½ annas India postage added on the reverse. It was postmarked again in New York on June 12 and at Tucka - Air Mail Society hoe, New York on June 13. There is no Marseilles transit postmark, so presumably the cover Dedicated to the research, study, documentation and went from Bombay to New York in a sealed bag to the U.S., flown by preservation of aerophilately. Imperial Airways from India and then from Marseilles by Pan American Organized in 1923, Incorporated in 1944 as a non-profit corporation of Airways. the state of Ohio Incidentally, this is a first day cover for the 30¢ winged globe IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization APS affiliate #77 U.S. airmail issue! PRESIDENT: Jim Graue, 11911 East Connor Road, Valleyford WA 99036 ([email protected]) 2012 ‘Snowbird’ Covers Available VICE PRESIDENT: K. David Steidley, Ph.D., 11 Davey Dr., W. Orange The Canadian Aerophilatelic Society (CAS) has received its 2012 NJ 07052 ([email protected] ) Canadian Snowbird Military Aerobatic flown and autographed envelopes. SECRETARY: Dr. Robert Dille, 335 Merkle Drive, Norman OK 73069- 6429 ([email protected]) TREASURER: Stephen Reinhard, P.O. Box 110, Mineola NY 11501 ([email protected]) IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: Mark Banchik, P.O. Box 2125, Great Neck NY 11022 ([email protected]) DIRECTORS AT LARGE: David Crotty Pat Walters Jerry Kasper Kent Kobersteen

ADVISORY EXECUTIVE BOARD (Past Presidents): Cheryl Ganz Jonathan L. Johnson, Jr. Stephen Reinhard The Snowbirds, celebrating 42 years of operations, flew these A.D. Jones Kendall C. Sanford Allen Klein covers over Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada on Canada Day, July 1, to Derrick Pillage Greg Schmidt Mark Banchik commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. The 50 Andrew McFarlane envelopes, autographed by each of the nine pilots, were carried in the Tudor aircraft along with 33 sets of nine envelopes. GENERAL COUNSEL: Each envelope was autographed by the individual pilot and Myron G. Hill, Jr., 3900 Calvert St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20007-1705 show appropriate logos, cancellations and stamps. A special colored brochure about the Snowbirds is free with the purchase of any cover. The covers can be purchased by contacting Major Richard Mal - Application for Membership ott, Apt. 610, 1275 Richmond Road, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8E3 Canada. Applicant to provide two references, philatelic preferred. You can email Richard at [email protected]. Applicants under the age of 18 must be guaranteed by parent or guardian.

PAGE 392 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 393 American Air Mail Society AAMS Membership Report Membership and Subscriptions August 2012 Annual membership dues for new members, which includes a subscrip - Submitted by Membership Secretary Rudy Roy tion to the Airpost Journal is $28 domestic, $33 Canada, $48 Mexico and New Applicants $58 worldwide. 12213 Kloha, David P., Carleton MI. By: Motor City Stamp Club All foreign dues include first-class airmail shipment. 12214 Zack, Hal, Lynnwood WA. AM AU 1D AE APS. By: S. Reinhard 12215 Harris, Paul, Newark DE. AM AU. By: AAMS Website Publication 12216 Rayfield, Sidney Blair, Sr., Sunset Beach NC. JF GF CAM FAM Monthly Official Publication: Airpost Journal PA CC OT RP CF 1D Z HC HA FF FFUS. By: AAMS Website Editor and Advertising: Vickie Canfield Peters, 11911 E. Connor Road, Valleyford WA 99036 ([email protected]) Deceased 08816 Ann DeBayley Nicoll Publications Committee Chairman: Jim Graue, 11911 East Connor Road, Valleyford WA 99036 Reinstated ([email protected]) 10317 Topper, Jonathan

Member Services Lapsed Auction Manager: Don Lussky, P.O. Box 1172, Westmont IL 60559 07348 Logan, James T. Publications Sales Manager: Greg Schmidt, 1978 Fox Burrow Court, 10122 Rose, Philip F. Neenah WI 54956 ([email protected]) Merchandise Sales Manager: J.L. Johnson, Jr., 248 Shore Ave., Eastern — Summary — Point, Groton CT 06340 ([email protected]) Total Membership — July 1, 2012 ...... 1,032 Historian: Len Lukens. 2710 N.E. 131st St. Portland OR 97230 New Members ...... + 1 ([email protected]) Reinstated ...... +1 Membership Secretary: Rudy Roy, P.O. Box 5367, Virginia Beach VA Deceased ...... - 1 23471-0367 ([email protected]) Lapsed ...... - 2 Webmaster: David Crotty ([email protected]) Total Membership — August 1, 2012 ...... 1,031 Convention Coordinator: Ken Sanford, 613 Championship Drive, Oxford CT 06478-3128 ([email protected]) Address Changes Requested Slide Presentation When relocating, please provide as much notice as possi - A 40-minute slide presentation (80 slides), covering the history and ble in order to keep your Airpost Journal scope of aerophilately is available with either taped or typewritten narra - coming in a timely manner. tion. Program is available free for postage and $10 deposit. To schedule, Send all address changes or corrections to contact Roger O. Gilruth, 544 Hampton Ridge Dr., Akron OH 44313. Membership secretary Rudy Roy, Box 5367, Virginia ([email protected]) Beach VA 23471-0367 or email Advance Bulletin Service [email protected] PAGE 394 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 395 AAMS EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT APJ ADS BUY — SELL — WANT LIST All members, including Life Mem - [email protected] bers, are entitled to two free 25-word 11/12 “Wanted and Exchange” notices per * * * year in the APJ Ads section of the AEROGAMMES for sale from all Journal. Their use for commercial, over the world. More than 200 coun - promotional or informational activi - tries represented. Peter Fink, Restau - ties is discouraged, and they may not rant Lowen, CH-9532 Ricken - be used at all for any selling for cash bach/Wil Switzerland. FAX: 011 41 or mint postage or similar purposes. 719124315, telephone 011 41 All notices must be sent directly to the 719233010 1/13 advertising manager . WANTED and EXCHANGE RATES LOOKING for supporting ephemera, TWENTY CENTS PER WORD . covers, like Air France timetables Minimum $5 per insertion. Remit - and brochures relating to the 1940s tance must accompany order and latecourse 631 flying boat. Alan copy. The Airpost Journal, 11911 E. Ladd. [email protected] 10/12 Connor Road, Valleyford WA 99036. * * * Ads must be received by first of CHRISTMAS Greetings Aero - month preceding publication date. grammes used in World War II FOR SALE wanted. Peter Fink, Restaurant Lowen, CH-9532 Rickenbach/Wil DECKS of mint playing cards from Switzerland. FAX: 011 41 domestic and international airlines. 719124315, telephone 011 41 55 different for $325 or trade for 719233010 1/13 C11 & C23 items. Write for invento - * * * ry. Dave Bize, 18226 Gardenview, CREW SIGNED cover from the S.C.W., AZ 85375 10/12 November 22, 1939 first flight of the * * * China Clipper wanted. Contact YOU NEED? I can help. US pioneer, Steve Ornelas, 760-758-7418 or crash, SH, TO, FAM, CAM, email [email protected] 9/12 NAMW, Jet, Deds. Canada 1926-42. Zeppelin, glider, catapult, balloon, rocket. Nonflight - FDC, advertising, polar, ships, WWI & II & Civil War, Wells Fargo, Christmas. Tell me your interests; I’ll get you my lists. Thanks. Mike Rossman, PO Box 189, Occidental, CA 95465-0189 or

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