The remarks printed here are based on a contemporary commentary "Der Übergang des österreichischen Postwesens an das Reich", a series of articles in the issues of "Die Postmarke" from April to July 1938 written by persons oleaginously sympathetic to the new order.
The historic events of the past weeks, the creation of Greater Germany, have of course had a great impact on the postal system as Austria became a Land of the German Reich. The independent postal system disappeared, being absorbed into the Reichspost of Greater Germany. Upheavals of this kind are always accompanied by remarkable and interesting postal history events, and it is the task of a specialist journal to record all the details and to capture them for later times. We shall discharge this duty in the form of a series, in which shall be put down all which has happened in the time after the radical change in Austrian philately, so that our contribution to the history of this great time can be delivered.
On the 13th March 1938 the reunification of Austria with the German Reich was accomplished; a mere six days later on 19 March the integration of the Austrian Post and Telegraph administration with the German Reichspost and their subordination to the Reichspostminister resulted. Legally a clear situation was created; in practice, philatelically at least, nothing changed immediately. The Austrian postage stamps remained in use; they were however now no longer Austrian postage stamps, but should be regarded as German for Land Austria. At 19 March 1938 the following stamps [These are ANK 567-587 (but not 588!), 468-487 & 598-612, 488-493, 646-648, 658-9, 642-645, 649-657, and ANK 159-174] were valid for franking: the 1934/35 issue with the exception of the 10 schilling [the Dolfuss], the Air Post issues 1925/30 and 1935, the Nibelungen series of 1926, the Railway set of 1937, the Greetings stamps of 1937, the Winter Relief set of 1937, the Doctors set of 1937, the Postage Dues of 1935, as well as all Postal Stationery in Groschen currency. All these postage stamps are to be regarded therefore as the first stamps of the German Postal District of Land Austria.
The postal realization of the Anschluss came about with surprising speed. On 1st April the Land Austrian post switched to rendering its accounts in Reichsmark; the entire financial transaction was carried out in Reichsmark, even though the payment could be made in Schilling notes and coins. On all forms the designation of value were altered to RM and Rpf, for which the post offices had rubber stamps available. Austrian postage stamps were sold unchanged, but the payment could be made in Schilling or in Reichsmark at the official rate of 1 RM = 1½S.
It was expected that the next step in the changeover would be to overprint the Austrian stamps with values in Reichsmark, but this did not happen: the Reichspostminister decreed on 26 March a new scale of rates for letters and postcards in Land Austria, to take effect from 4 April. These had been especially high in Austria, and the transition to German rates meant a rate reduction of around 50%. The other postage rates remained, because they were largely lower than the German rates, especially for printed matter. So some of the postal rates were expressed in Schilling currency, others in Reichsmark. The changed rates are the following, where we indicate in brackets beside the Rpf-amount its conversion to Groschen.
| Local | Inland, Lux'bg | Czechoslovakia | Hungary | Foreign | |
| Letters to 20 gram | 8 (12) | 12 (18) | 20 (30) | 20 (30) | 25 (38) |
| Letters per additional 20g | 15 (23) | 10 (15) | 15 (23) | ||
| Letters 20-250 gram | 16 (24) | 24 (36) | |||
| Letters 250-500 gram | 20 (30) | 40 (60) | |||
| Postcards | 5 (8) | 6 (9) | 10 (15) | 10 (15) | 15 (23) |
If the only change had been to introduce these new rates, considerable trouble would have resulted, as it would have been difficult to make up these rates with the available stamps. This was solved in a simple and more generous way: on the day at which the new rates took effect, the required German postage stamps (ie Hindenberg 5, 6, 8, 12, 15 & 25 Rpf) were made available at all post offices in Land Austria. Officially, only these German stamps were permitted in Land Austria, but in reality not only the other definitives but also Air Mail, Winter Relief, and Commemoratives were sold: even Official stamps and obsolete commemoratives repeatedly slipped through. Mail from Land Austria could be franked with German only, Austrian only, or a mixture of stamps. The Austrian stamps are converted into Reichsmark, fractions of a Pfennig being ignored. One can assemble therefore the most beautiful mixed frankings, of which possibility the philatelists of course make ample use. For the Land Austrian post office employees this does not make matters easy; the philatelists with their versatile mixed frankings are not very popular with them at present. For underfranked mail, the surcharge is one-&-a-half times the missing amount, with a minimum of 5 Rpf. The use of Austrian stamps in the old Germany is not allowed.
The first German postage stamps which arrived in Land Austria at the counters and came into use were not however the projected Hindenburg stamps but the [1937] Führerblock, which went on sale a day earlier, on 3rd April. This happened only at the special Post Office opened on the occasion of the Führer's visit to Graz, which can thus claim the fame of being the place where the first German postage stamps were sold in Land Austria at a post office counter. Further sales of the block were made only at the special Post Offices "Der Führer spricht", which were open only on the day of the Führer's presence (4 April Klagenfurt, 5 April Innsbruck, 6 and 7 April Salzburg, 7 and 8 April Linz, then 9 and 10 April Vienna). From 13 April the block was obtainable at the post offices of the state capitals (Bregenz, Eisenstadt, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg and Vienna), as well as at the post office of Braunau am Inn; it could be ordered at all remaining post offices in Land Austria. Stamps from the block were valid in Land Austria from 3rd April; the imperf version was never on sale in Land Austria. The "Der Führer spricht" cancellers were rubber, and struck on the stamps except in Graz which initially used them as cachets.
The next new postage stamp to appear in Land Austria was the Plebiscite stamp which was issued on the 8th April in the whole Reich: a Berlin printing in Germany and a Viennese printing in Land Austria. Originally the stamps were intended to differ; the Viennese printing was to be denominated 12 Groschen (and not 6Rpf) and inscribed Deutsches Reich / Land Oesterreich. However due to the introduction of the new postage rates from 4 April both printings are 6 Rpf; there are many differences such as size, perforation, paper, sheet size, etc. As the first stamp of Greater Germany and the last of Austria, the Plebiscite stamp will take a place of honour in the collection of every German philatelist.
The manufacture of new cancellers for Land Austria will be done in Vienna, by the same firm as previously, and will naturally follow the guidelines for the Reichspost. The only cancellers to be changed immediately are those with the Austrian Coat of Arms: especially the office seals, which will be replaced by the national emblem of the Reich.
After the surprisingly quick first steps for the take-over of the Austrian postal system, the Reichspost now wants a slower tempo, to avoid difficulties. Nothing essential has changed in the postage rates since the 4th April: the German ones are only for letters and postcards, while for other kinds of mail the old Austrian rates remain in effect; likewise no further German postage stamps have been introduced and the Austrian stamps remain on sale. Post office employees complain about the absence of 1, 3 and 4 Rpf stamps, because at the Land Austria post offices no stamps are obtainable under 5 Rpf. The most beautiful mixed frankings with all permissible and impermissible German and Austrian stamps are still produced, often with the co-operation of post office employees, who willingly cancel them.
Difficulties have emerged following the change in the selling prices of the Austrian stamps to Reichsmark. With the rounding-off, remarkable effects are produced. For example, stamps of 3, 4, 5 & 8 groschen cost 2, 3, 3, 5 Rpf respectively. If then one wants to frank a Foreign Printed Matter item with the necessary 8 groschen, one can use an 8 groschen stamp (cost 5 Rpf) or a 3 and a 5 groschen (cost 2 + 3 = 5 Rpf). However two stamps of 4 groschen cost 6 Rpf. A regulation is expected shortly which will eliminate these difficulties.
The Reichsgesetzblatt of 2 May announced the transformation of the headquarters of the Post and Telegraph Administration in Vienna into a sub-office of the Reichspostministry for Land Austria. The leader of this government department is Dipl.-Ing. Fleischmann, who had come several weeks previously to Vienna on behalf of the Reichspostministry, to prepare the takeover of the Austrian post; to him are also subordinate the parcel post and the Post Office Savings Bank, which up to now had been independent state enterprises. The Postdirektion and the Telegraphendirektion in Vienna (covering Vienna, Niederösterreich and Burgenland) have been converted into a Reichspostdirektion; as have the Post- and Telegraphendirektionen in Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt and Linz. This marks a decisive step in organisational standardisation.
The Post- and Telegraph-Verordnungsblatt, in which all decrees were published which affected the Austrian postal system, was called since the Anschluss "Post- und Telegraphen-Verordnungsblatt für das Land Oesterreich". It has now changed its name to "Nachrichtenblatt der Abwicklungsstelle des Reichspostministeriums für das Land Oesterreich" ["newsletter of the clearing office of the Reichspostministry for Land Austria"]. On 3rd May, the Austrian rates which applied for letters and postcards for the cross-border traffic to Switzerland were replaced by the corresponding German rates. A postcard consequently costs 6 Rpf, a 20-gram letter 12 Rpf.
In a decree of 21st April it was ordered that on all postal forms [eg COD forms, envelopes for money letters, package cards, etc] the old [Austrian] national emblem [on the form, not on the imprinted stamp] shall be overprinted with the new national emblem [ie the eagle bearing a swastika]. All post offices have received two cancellers for this purpose, and have to amend all previously-delivered stocks. Stationery with the old coat of arms may no longer be sold: nevertheless at the beginning of May individual post offices, even in Vienna, were still selling unaltered items. 'Postal forms' includes items with imprinted stamps [eg the money order form], so that one can collect a quantity of temporary arrangements having different positions and colours of the imprints - each post office being unique - presenting a new area for a specialist collection.
On 20th April the special postmarks system used by the Reichspost for some years was introduced in Land Austria, and on that morning one could obtain at the Vienna Collectors Counter the special postmarks of Braunau, Graz and Linz; previously these special postmarks were obtainable only at the relevant special post office. The time and postage previously expended to procure the special postmarks from the places concerned used to cause some annoyance; in future collectors can save themselves this trouble owing to the obligingness [das Entgegenkommen ] of the Reichspost.
Air mail has become increasingly popular since the Anschluss, especially to and from Germany; the amount of mail on some routes has doubled, tripled and more. The imminent introduction of the German Air Mail rates, which are up to 25% lower than at present, will unquestionably produce a further increase in traffic.
The post offices have recently been sternly reminded about the imprinting of the new national emblem on all forms. In particular no form which displays the old emblem of Austria may be used in traffic with foreign countries. The old coat of arms is to be obliterated by the post offices and the new national emblem put at a suitable place; many post offices simplify the matter, in that they use a canceller to overprint the old coat of arms completely with the new national emblem.
[The "new national emblem" was a single-headed eagle carrying a swastika in its claws.]
The difficulties caused by the juxtaposition of two series of postage stamps in different currencies and likewise by having rates in different currencies have made an urgent solution necessary to various problems. The Schilling ceased to be legal tender on 15th May [This is not correct; it ceased to be accepted at Post Offices on 15 May, having ceased to be legal tender on 25 April. See separate article]. All postage rates had to be converted into Reichsmark and Reichspfennig at the exchange rate 1RM = 1½S and also the sale price of the postage stamps was established in Reichsmark. At the conversion, fractions up to 0.4 Rpf were rounded down and 0.5 Rpf and above rounded up. Consequently postage stamps now had the following sale prices:
| Gr -> Rpf | Gr -> Rpf | Gr -> Rpf | Gr -> Rpf | |
| 1 -> 1 | 8 -> 5 | 24 -> 16 | 45 -> 30 | 1 Sch -> 67 Rpf |
| 3 -> 2 | 10 -> 7 | 25 -> 17 | 50 -> 33 | 2 Sch -> 1.33 RM |
| 4 -> 3 | 12 -> 8 | 30 -> 20 | 60 -> 40 | 3 Sch -> 2 RM |
| 5 -> 3 | 15 -> 10 | 35 -> 23 | 64 -> 43 | 5 Sch -> 3.33 RM |
| 6 -> 4 | 20 -> 13 | 40 -> 27 | 80 -> 53 | 10 Sch -> 6.67 RM |
[That is, a 40 groschen stamp would cost 27 Rpf to buy.]
Since by this time the postage rates were expressed in Reichsmark, and as all postage stamps were sold at their nominal value in Reichsmark, the Austrian stamps appeared no longer necessary and their printing was discontinued. To replace them, further German stamps were issued to the Land Austrian post office counters at the beginning of June, namely the values 1, 3, 20, 30 and 50 Rpf. [The regulation to cover this is dated 17th June.] With the help of these stamps all unchanged Austrian rates can be made up, and the Austrian stamps have really become superfluous. The withdrawal of all Austrian stamps is unquestionably likely in the foreseeable future, even though no such decision has so far been taken.
An extensive new collecting area has emerged in the area of postmarks. The old Austrian cancellers have remained in use, so that we can now also find them on German stamps. New cancellers will be produced of course after the pattern of the German, but the old ones will remain in use alongside them, probably for a long time. It is however obvious, that the new political relationships will be accommodated, and replacements will be made for those cancellers which are incompatible with them. The disappearance of the current federal states and the new division of Land Austria into Gaue also brings the necessity of some changes. The dissolution and reallocation of two federal states (Burgenland, Vorarlberg) and the changing of the names of two others (Nieder-, Oberdonau instead of Nieder- and Oberösterreich) will lead to changes in the postmarks of the areas concerned; so will the reallocation of individual areas of other districts, eg Osttirol (previously Tirol, now Carinthia), Kreis Aussee (previously Styria, now Oberdonau) etc. A postmark collection which demonstrates the old Austrian and the new German cancellation for all these historic changes will unquestionably have great postal history value; and anyone who forms such a collection, which today would be an easy matter, can if he tackles the matter systematically unquestionably create a worthwhile object, which will also find due regard outside philatelic circles.
The introduction of the German postage stamps in Land Austria makes further progress. In an ordinance of 17th June the issue of the postage stamps already recorded in the preceding report was announced, but it also informed us that that the values 4, 10, 40, 60, 80 and 100 Rpf had also arrived at the Land Austrian post offices, so that since mid-June all German postage stamps to 100 Rpf were also in use in Land Austria.
The withdrawal of the Austrian postage stamps makes quick progress, particularly as the further manufacture of all values has finally been discontinued, because due to the introduction of all the German stamps no further need for them exists. The remaining stamps especially of 8, 12, 24, 25, 30, 35, 45, 60, 64 groschen and 1 & 2 schilling, are withdrawn: the post offices have to return their stocks to the central warehouse.
Although "Die Postmarke" continued to be published, this series of articles ceased here. The copy in the VöPh library in Vienna (danke, Frau Pollischansky) appears to be complete although in bad condition. It is possible that the author decided to emigrate…
©Andy Taylor. Last updated 11 June 2023