trans atlantic mail by air 1928-1940

C.G.A. 1928-1933 AIR FRANCE 1933 TO THE BEGINING OF THE WAR.

charlietuna619 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:09:55 +0000

On 29-9-1927 CGEA became the Compagnie General Aeropostale (CGA). In the beginning of 1928 mail was traveling by fast dispatch boats across the Atlantic. The first airmail carried completely by air was Paris-Santiago in May 1930, by seaplane from Saint Louis-(Senegal) to Natal (Brazil), however, it was necessary to await more powerful and dependable planes to enable regular crossings to be made.

All this sustained effort was eclipsed in public esteem by THE spectacular flight on 12/13 May 1930. A Latecoere 28 seaplane, the Comic de la Vaulx, piloted by Jean Mermoz, with Jean Dabry as navigator, and Leopold Gimie as radio-operator, made the Atlantic crossing from Saint-Louis, Senegal, to Natal in 21 hr 15min. The difficulties of navigation, then a science still in its infancy, were taken in their stride. The mail consignment from France on this flight left Toulouse at 06.10hr on Sunday. 11 May 1930, reached Rio de Janeiro at 13.00hr on Tuesday,13 May and was triumphantly delivered in Buenos Aires at 19.25 on Wednesday 14 May. To this day, the flight, together with Menmoz’s esteem as a pilot, ranks in France as Lindbergh’s solo Atlantic flight ranks in the U.S. A. (Taken from Airlines of Latin America by R.E.G. Davies published by Putnam page 360).

In 1934 and after CGA. had been reorganized and re-named AIR FRANCE was it that L’arc-en-ciel succeeded in crossing the Atlantic with flying boats. At this time “fast dispatch boats” were no longer in service.

Paris flight connects in Marseilles to:

Dakar (North Africa)
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Santiago (Chile)

English adhesives 193 and pair 200 both with HUTH perfins tied to cover by December 13, 1928 London cancels and additional 200 [without perfin] tied by December 14, 1928 cancel, By Air Mail label tied by Servico de Transportation Aero, February 2, 1929, Cartagena, Columbia [additional similar cancel on reverse] and Purple APARTADO cancel. Relatively early South American airmail service.

charlietuna619 — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:42:22 +0000

Brasil adhesives 2x 1000Rs+1x500Rs+2x200Rs=2900Rs pays single letter rate to Hamburg Germany. Rio de Janeiro cds 11-11-1931 Marserlle cds on reverse 19-11-1931. Nice CGA cover.

charlietuna619 — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:23:34 +0000

LATI (Linee Aeree Transcontinentali Italiane) LATI began service to South America in December 1939 and ceased operations in December 1941. From: Rome To: Seville (Spain) Villa Cisneros, (Africa) Sal (Portugese Cape Verde Island group) Natal or Reciefe (Brazil) depending upon weather Rio de Janeiro Buenos Aires After December 7, 1941 Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The United States had felt since the advent of LATI that the airline was a thorn in the side. LATI air routes crossed the South Atlantic sea lanes and it was felt that the pilots would/were reporting to German Subs in the area the positions of vessels. It was decided to cut off all fuel supplies, thus putting LATI out of business. Repercussions of this also almost put Condor out of business.

charlietuna619 — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:21:42 +0000

German adhesives 3x.50pf+1x.20pf+1x.05pf= 1.75rm pays single letter rate Lobben (Spreew) to Buenos Aires. Lubben (Spreew) cds 30-5-1940. Lufthansa to Rome. Rome,Seville,Villa Cisneros,Sal,Natal,Recife,Rio de Janeiro. Condor to Buenos Aires. OKW Geoffnet censor tape on reverse. Partial cds Buneos Aires cds..

charlietuna619 — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:06:18 +0000

Brasilian adhesives 1 x 5,000R + 2 x 200R pays the single letter rate, Sao Paulo Brasil to Leipzig. SM83 I-ASSO, Captian Balletta. Arrives Rome 8.4.1940. Livraria Delinee, Distrubitor & Editors of National Books advertising cover. Censored Frankfurt.

charlietuna619 — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:00:56 +0000

German adhesives 1 x 100pf + 1 x 50pf pays the single letter rate from Germany to Brazil. Canceled 14.10.1940 SM82 I-BAIA captian Farioli. Censored Frankfurt. Reverse cancel shows arrival 29.10.1939 in error. Rectangle box I CALXA.

charlietuna619 — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:41:58 +0000

Deutsche Lufthansa

charlietuna619 — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:21:59 +0000

Commercial airplanes did not have adequate range for trans-ocean flights in 1933, so DLH, which had conducted successful catapult flights in the North Atlantic since 1928, had the NDL steamship Westfalen converted to a catapult support ship for Dornier Wal flying boats in the mid-South Atlantic. The first mid-ocean trial flights were in June 1933. Later trials showed that the Westfalen was needed to launch the westbound flights, so it would steam southwest for a day and half before catapulting the flying boat. The ship would then wait at mid-ocean for the return flight, pick it up for servicing and refueling, and catapult launch it northeast to Bathurst, Gambia. Technological improvements eliminated the mid-ocean launchings and soon reduced the Germany – Brazil total transit time from over 100 hours to less than 60 hours, and DLH was given the rights to fly the letter airmail, displacing the Graf Zeppelin. Continued improvements in the airplanes reduced the time to less than 40 hours by 1938.

The DLH South Atlantic route was Stuttgart (Frankfurt beginning April 1936) – Marseilles – Seville (later Lisbon due to the Spanish Civil War) – Las Palmas – Bathurst – Natal. In South America, the airmail was flown by Condor to Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo (Uruguay), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Santiago (Chile)(beginning October 1935). Other routes serviced Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and later Ecuador and beyond.

The DLH South Atlantic service was discontinued at the start of World War II. Airmail between Germany and South America was flown by either Pan American Airways via New York (beginning October 1939) or LATI (an Italian South Atlantic service that began in December 1939).

Argentina adhesives 1peso + .40centavos +.05centavos pays the single letter rate to Germany. Post marked 17-Jan-1940, plane SM83 I-AZUR Captained by Castellani departs 20-Jan-1940 (Note: Beith lists earliest flight W-E as 21-2-40 Argentian to Germany)(checking with Beith for update).

charlietuna619 — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:22:10 +0000

Catapult ship

charlietuna619 — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:45:44 +0000

Westfalen catapult ship on site in Bathurst