WWII Pan Am FAM-22 First Flight Cover Trio 1941-1942 Bathurst-Belem-Miami B314. For Sale

For sale is a highly remarkable, scarce 3-cover philatelic collection documenting the chaotic transition of commercial aviation into World War II military operations. These covers map the historic second return flight of Pan American World Airways' Foreign Air Mail Route 22 (FAM-22), flown across the South Atlantic by a Boeing 314 flying boat.All three covers feature the standard purple cachet reading: "American-African Ferry Air Mail Service FIRST FLIGHT."Because these traveled in the immediate weeks following the Pearl Harbor attack before the U.S. Office of Censorship was fully systematized, they successfully bypassed military censorship—leaving the cachets completely clean and unobstructed.THE TRIO INCLUDES:

1. Cover Number 1: Bathurst (Gambia) to Belem (Brazil)

• Addressed to: Jas. C. Wilkes, Jr., 1645 Jonquil St., NW, Washington D.C.
• Postmark: December 14, 1941 (Bathurst, Gambia)
• Arrival Backstamp: January 1, 1942 (Belem, Brazil)
• Historical Note: Documents the famous "Bathurst Snafu" where mail was postmarked for the inaugural return flight but stranded on the African dock due to wartime weight and secrecy limits, finally crossing the ocean 17 days later.

2. Cover Number 2: Bathurst (Gambia) to Belem (Brazil) with Provenance Note

• Addressed to: Edward F. Unger, 200 Fifth Avenue, New York City (The historic Fifth Avenue Building).
• Postmark: December 14, 1941 (Bathurst, Gambia)
• Arrival Backstamp: January 1, 1942 (Belem, Brazil)
• Unique Feature: Includes a historic handwritten pencil notation by the collector: "Ret Ny Jan 23/42", perfectly mapping the exact multi-week delay of international mail transit to New York during the outbreak of WWII.

3. Cover Number 3: Bathurst (Gambia) to Miami (USA Gateway)

• Addressed to: Jas. C. Wilkes, Jr., 1645 Jonquil St., NW, Washington D.C.
• Postmark: December 14, 1941 (Bathurst, Gambia)
• Arrival Backstamp: January 8, 1942 (Miami, Florida - Dinner Key Seaplane Base)
• Historical Note: Marks the definitive entry point into the United States mainland, showing it took exactly one week to travel north through the Pan Am Caribbean network after hitting South America.

Condition:
Excellent vintage condition for 1940s postal history. Relatively clear, legible hand-stamps, clean edges, and bright ink. No military tape tears or heavy staining. Please view all high-resolution photos carefully to evaluate condition grades independently.The photographs shown in the listing are included. The post card size item has the photographs on the front and back.(One for each cover)
The photographs: The Boeing 314 Flying Boat, considered to be the best of Pan American's Clipper fleet at the time.The second photograph is actually of the original 1935 crew after landing in Honolulu on the first Trans Pacific flight in 1935. It's just the best picture of a Clipper crew that I could find and use. Many of these men went on to Fly in the Boeing 314's.
The Boeing 314 Clipper was an opulent, long-range flying boat produced between 1938 and 1941. As one of the largest aircraft of its era, it pioneered transoceanic commercial flights with a range of 3,500 miles. Only 12 were ever built, offering passenger comfort comparable to luxury ocean liners before being pressed into military service during World War II.