4 May: an example of the dual calculation system. Franked 108Gr. The foreign letter rate was 25Rpf, which converts to 38Gr, and the airmail surcharge to Southern Rhodesia was still the 'Austrian' rate of 70Gr: total 108Gr.
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19 April: The special issue stamps of 12+38 Rpf with the picture of Adolf Hitler [this is ANK664, Hitler's 49th Birthday, issued on the 13th] came into circulation. "Each member of the post in Land Austria must consider it as his particular duty, to further the distribution of the stamps by all means possible" (urged the Vienna PTVB). According to the Berlin ABR, distribution of these stamps in Land Austria on their issue date was "not possible for technical reasons".
21 April: Decree: The available 12 Groschen postcards may be used as Foreign postcards if the corresponding supplementary franking be affixed. Attention is drawn to the present fees for postcards to Czechoslovakia & Hungary (10Rpf = 15Gr) and to other foreign countries (15Rpf = 23Gr).
25 April: Austrian currency declared no longer legal tender (it was still accepted at Post Offices etc till 15 May)
| See Der Uebergang des österreichischen Postwesens an das Reich Part 2: 30 April 1938 |
3 May: with immediate effect the "Swiss Border" rates become the Germany-Switzerland Border rates: for letters 12 Rpf or 18 Groschen per 20 grams, for simple postcards 6 Rpf or 9 Groschen, for reply-paid postcards 12 Rpf or 18 Groschen.
4 May: an example of the dual calculation system. Franked 108Gr. The foreign letter rate was 25Rpf, which converts to 38Gr, and the airmail surcharge to Southern Rhodesia was still the 'Austrian' rate of 70Gr: total 108Gr.
9 May: a very mixed franking! (1+3+4+3+12)= 23 Gr * 2/3 = 15.33 ie 15 Rpf + 6 + 6 makes 27Rpf, enough for the foreign letter rate of 25Rpf.
Another example of dual systems is the "Rückschein" and "half Rückschein" systems. The Rückschein was where the sender paid for his mail (on the usual weight-related scale) plus the return postage for a proof-of-delivery card plus a fee for the service. The schedules for ordinary Rückscheinbriefe were accordingly listed (PuTVBl 30 March), as: Weight (up to, grams) 20/250/500: local rate (Rpf) 18/26/30; inland rate (Rpf) 22/34/50. These rates equate to 8/16/20Rpf for the outgoing local mail, plus 8Rpf for the local return mail, plus 2Rpf fee. The German system was quite different, and was charged differently.
The HALF Rückschein was where the sender was entitled to post unfranked mail, eg as a government department, or a local authority who paid in cash: the HR then covered local-area return postage on the card plus fee, so was 8 Rpf + 2 Rpf making 10 Rpf, the same as the pre-Anschluß rate of 15 Gr.
15 May: Austrian currency no longer accepted at Post Offices, banks etc
| See Der Uebergang des österreichischen Postwesens an das Reich Part 3: 16 May 1938 |
18 May: 30 Gr * 2/3 = 20 Rpf + 5 makes 25Rpf, the foreign letter rate of 25Rpf.
20 May: The Field-post for German troops was discontinued on 20th May, and the exemption from fees and charges ceased: "The Amtsblattverfügung Nr.94/1938 is cancelled, since the Fieldpost service has been discontinued for German troops remaining in German-Austria. The designation 'Feldpost' is no longer to be used. With this, all rate reductions cease; letters and postcards are fully chargeable in both directions again."
21 May: By the rules: (1+3) = 4 Gr * 2/3 = 2.67 Rpf + 12Rpf makes 15Rpf if rounded up, as was the practice by May. The foreign postcard rate was 15Rpf.
27 May: The "Abwicklungsstelle des Reichspostministeriums für das Land Österreich" (the former Generaldirektion of the Austrian Post Office) announced that "the stamps of 8, 12, 25, 45 and 64 Groschen are now not required and are to be withdrawn from counter sale and returned to the central warehouse".
| See Der Uebergang des österreichischen Postwesens an das Reich Part 4: 31 May 1938 |
| Back to Anschluß index | On to the 2nd period, part 3 |
©Andy Taylor. Last updated 24 Aug 2002