German censorship 1940 - a query
please see the attached cover.
Surface rated letter from Aden to Amsterdam. Censored in Aden and postmarked 8am 9 May 1940., the day before the German invasion of Holland, Belgium etc... Holland was officially occupied from the 17th.
German OKW 'Opened' resealing tape tied by an OKW 'Cleared' Handstamp. The only potential distinguishing detail that I can see is that the tape has the letter C under the Nazi insignia.
Dutch receiving/delivery mark (square 10) but unfortunately no dates after Aden.
This letter, I assume, must have left British control by the 17th otherwise it would be a case of 'service suspended, return to sender' . It could have made it to Brindisi by mail steamer by the 16th. Obviously, it's been intercepted/captured somewhere and somewhen and then processed in German censorship somewhere and delivered ... I'm completely out of my expertise zone with this!
Grateful for any help with the where and when questions.
Neil W
Hi Neil, the German censorship devices on this cover were used in Cologne (hence the letter "C"). Cologne was responsible for mail between Germany and the Netherlands. The censor label was introduced in June 1940 according to Horst Landsmann. Not sure about a possible route from Aden to Cologne.
best regards, Peter