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As the Austrian system was moved over to the German, everything which was not explicitly changed remained unaltered. The basic rates were calculated in German currency, while the ancillary charges for express, airmail, registered and pneumatic services remained at the Austrian rate and were expressed in Groschen. For both, either German or Austrian stamps could be used.
On 4th April, the ordinance of 26 March on the introduction of new postage for letters and postcards in Land Austria took effect. The Berlin Gazette published explanatory notes, including that, when calculating the value of the stamps on an item of mail, 1Rpf=1½Gr and conversely 1½Gr=1Rpf, but fractions of Rpf were to be ignored. Any resulting deficit was to be charged Postage Due at the rate of one-and-a-half-times the deficiency. According to the PuTVBl there was no minimum charge for inland mail, although the Commentary states 5Rpf.
In practice, the result of this calculation was rounded up, then multiplied by 1.5 to convert it into Groschen, and Austrian Postage Dues affixed for this amount. A separate regulation applied to Foreign mail where there was a minimum charge, of 5Rpf, the rest of the procedure being the same.
A further complication is that from 15th May, Austrian currency could not be used. This had no effect on the Postage Due calculations, but a considerable impact on those who had to pay them, as they had to use Reichspfennig. See the article "The demise of the Schilling in 1938". The original document gave two "worked examples":
Ex 1: A 15-gram letter from Vienna to Berlin is franked with an Austrian 8 Groschen stamp [from 4.4.1938 correct postage 12 Rpf / 18 Gr; 8 Rpf was the correct rate for the newly reintroduced local letter]; 8 Gr=5.33 Rpf, value 5 Rpf; deficit 12 - 5 = 7 Rpf; Postage Due 1½ * 7 = 10.5 Rpf; charge 11 Rpf.
Ex 2: A 30-gram letter (correct postage 24 Rpf / 36 Gr) from Innsbruck to Munich is franked with a German stamp of 5 Rpf and two Austrian stamps of 12 and 5 Groschen. Total value of the franking is 5 + 8 + 3.33 = 16.33 Rpf. Deficit 24 - 16 = 8 Rpf. Postage Due 1½ * 8 = 12 Rpf.
Notwithstanding these clear instructions, no uniform practice existed in this period. The following variants in charging can be found:
These mistakes are due to the precipitate introduction of German calculations coupled with a lack of information for the post office employees. The numerous contradictory instructions, which were introduced with no logical connection, led to confusion. So for example Section 3 of Regulation 70 (7th April) covered the surcharging of unfranked and insufficiently franked letters, which had been redirected from local to inland. Instead of the "1½ times deficiency" rule, in this situation twice the missing amount was to be charged, with an unspecified minimum. However, Section 2 of the same Regulation covered correctly-franked local mail redirected to inland: it was charged 1 times the difference between the applicable local and the inland rates!
After the Anschluß, an ordinance required the Austrian coat of arms on the various Postal forms to be overstamped or overprinted with the German national emblem. There was no such Order for Austrian Postage Dues; however such overstamping occurs. In "Die Postmarke" for 1938, page 205, is the following note: "Austrian Postage Dues overprinted by a violet hand-cancel with the national emblem of the German Reich are found occasionally in letters from the period. It seems that a Postal official in Vienna I took an erroneous view of the ordinance and also overstamped a few sheets of the 10 Groschen Dues."
Five illustrations follow (the last in part 2), showing examples from this period.
Example 1: Local Vienna letter mailed with 8 Rpf Hindenburg on 6 May, marked with a T and a 2 in pencil meaning it was double weight. So it had 8 Rpf, but needed another 8 Rpf = 12 Gr; the surcharge of 24 Gr must have been calculated as double the deficiency using the old Austrian rules.
Example 2: Letter from Vienna to Vienna 14 June, correctly franked with 8 Rpf. Addressee moved to Pulkau, therefore required postage is 12 Rpf, not 8 Rpf. Originally franked in full, so no penalty for forwarding. Missing 4 Rpf = 6 Gr.
Example 3: PSC card (computer-enhanced) with 6 Rpf imprint sent from Erlangen on 29.6.1938, arriving in Liezen on 1.7.1938 (cancel at bottom left) and collected on 2.7.1938 (cancel over the Due). The Postlagernd fee was still 10 Groschen.
Example 4: Letter cancelled in Berlin on 11 July, sent unfranked by agency, namely German consulate in Milan! Says "Portopfl(ichtige) Dienstsache". This cost 24Rpf (double weight, no penalty as recipient would have to pay?) which is 36Gr. May have come by pouch to Berlin from Milan.
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©Andy Taylor. Last updated 25 Aug 2002