Today in Postal History

This airmail cover was flown from St. John's on the return Transatlantic
flight of the Italian Air Armada of General Italo Balbo
after a triumphal visit to the Chicago's Worlds Fair.

There is a clear single-rim St. John's CDS marking the departure.
The planes in the squadron were seaplanes and the actual takeoff was from Shoal Harbor.

This timeline says that the Squadron arrived at St. John's on August 1, and stayed eight days.
While there they were visited by two Italian submarines and navy yacht.

Covers for the flight were serialized and handled by the registry divisions en route.
This cover was number 1451 and received an incomplete blue pencilled registry cross.

A circular cachet illustrating the squadron's flight back to Italy was added.
The cachet is inscribed CROCIERA AEREA DEL DECENNALE which translates Aerial
Cruise of the First Decennal that was a reference to the first ten years of Fascist rule in Italy.

The covers were backstamped upon arrival in Rome on August 12-15.
This cover was forwarded to London.

The stamp is a special airmail stamp issued by Newfoundland just for the flight.
The 75c. gold airmail stamp of 1933 (Scott C17) was surcharged $4.50 for the flight (Scott C18).

The cover has a blue bilingual airmail etiquette.

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