United States APO-BPO 30c Airmail to Rodenbourg in 1946

 

U.S. Army Postal Service
11th BPO
29 August 1946
to
Rodenbourg

The 30c/½ oz. European airmail rate remained
in effect from 28 Apr 1939 to 1 Nov 1946.

 

BPO [Base Post Office] 11 was located in Paris, France, from 22 Oct 1944 to 1 Apr 1947. APO 513 (shown here as the sender’s return address) was also located in Paris during 1946.

The 6c Monoplane air envelope only paid United States military concession airmail service to addresses in the United States. Mail to other addresses had to be paid at the standard United States rates. Thus, this air mail cover was marked “Postage Due __ cents” with ms 24, after which a pair of the 12c Taylor Prexie was added uprating the cover to the 30c airmail rate, and the postage due auxiliary mark was then crossed out.

APO and BPO mail to non-domestic addresses is uncommon.  A more direct and less expensive alternative would have been to post the letter through the French postal service.  The result, however, is an especially attractive and unusual use of the 12c Prexie!