North Atlantic air ferry route in World War II

The North Atlantic air ferry route was a series of Air Routes over the North Atlantic Ocean on which aircraft were ferried between the United States and Great Britain during World War II to support combat operations in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).

The routes originated at several Army Air Bases in New England, which permitted short range single-engined aircraft to be flown to Britain using a series of intermediate airfields in Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland and Iceland. Long-range multi-engined aircraft could be flown from Newfoundland directly using Great Circle routes to airfields in Ireland and southwest England; or via the Azores to the UK or airfields in French Morocco to support Allied air forces in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Later in the war, air routes over the North Atlantic were developed from South Florida via Bermuda to the Azores.

Origns

With the outbreak of World War II in Europe, both the British and French governments contacted the United States with regards to purchacing combat aircraft to suppliment existing Royal Air Force and Armée de l'Air existing peacetime forces.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the British Imperial Airways had developed air routes thughout the British Empire, but air routes to North America consisted of seaplane service opeated by Pan American airways. The only way to get aircraft purchaced in the United states was by cargo ship. Aircraft purchased in the United States were flown to ports in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, loaded on ships and transported to England, a process that could take several weeks at best. In addition, German U-boats hampered North Atlantic Ocean shipping routes making it hazardous for merchant vessels.

With the Fall of France in June 1940, and the loss of much war materiel on the continent, the need for the British to purchace replacement mateirel from the United States was urgent. In the summer of 1940, President Roosevelt began negotiating with British Ambassador to the United States, for the American lease of British bases, the "rental" to take the form of fifty over-age destroyers. On 2 September 1940, the Destroyers for Bases Agreement was completed. In exchange for the destroyers, the U. S. got ninety-nine-year leases for air and naval bases in Dominion of Newfoundland, Bermuda, British Guiana, Antigua, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

While the exchange of destroyers for a string of Atlantic bases was under negotiation, and then, while plans and preparations for developing the new bases were getting under way, Great Britain and Canada were consolidating their position in the North Atlantic by stationing troops in Iceland and were attempting to counter German activities in Greenland.

The United States, nor Canada or Great Britain desired any Nazi facilities or armed forces in Greenland. The Department of State reached an agreement on 9 April 1941 with the Danish Foreign Minister that as a result of the European war there was danger that Greenland may be converted into a point of aggression against nations of the American Continent by Nazi Germany. The agreement, after explicitly recognizing the Danish sovereignty over Greenland, granted to the United States the right to locate and construct airplane landing fields and other facilities for the defense of Greenland and for the defense of the North American Continent. As soon as the agreement with the Danish Government was concluded, President Roosevelt authorized the War Department to go ahead with the preparations for building airfields and other facilities in Greenland. The United States had also taken over the defense of Iceland in July 1941. Army engineers began improving airstrps previously occupied by the RAF.

Using these new airfields, air routes could be developed to transport United States aircraft, soldiers and war supplies between the United States and the United Kingdom

North Atlantic Route

Under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, the first United States troops arrived in Newfoundland on 29 January 1941. The first USAAF presence in Newfoundland was in May 1941 when six B-18 Bolos from the First Air Force 21st Reconnaissance Squadron arrived at RCAF Station Gander. As an alternate, the Canadian government in September 1941 began the development of Goose Bay in Labrador. During the preceding July the United States had sent engineers to Narsarssuak in Greenland for the building of the air base that came to be known as Bluie West 1 (BW-1), and in the following September work began on Bluie West 8, a much more northerly base on the western coast of Greenland and Bluie East 1 and 2 on the east cost. These airfields, along with airfields in Iceland established an air route of "stepping stones" across the North Atlantic Ocean though which aircraft could be ferried to Great Britain from manufacturing plants in different locations in the United States to Prestwick Field in Scotland. This route was known as the North Atlantic Route.

The North Atlantic Route was initially operated by the 23d Army Air Forces Ferrying Wing, Army Air Forces Ferrying Command, initially headquartered at Presque Isle Army Air Field, Maine. Ferrying Command was re-designated Air Transport Command on 1 July 1942. The 23d Ferrying Wing was replaced by the ATC North Atlantic Division, Grenier Army Air Base, New Hampshire on 1 January 1944. The Royal Air Force counterpart organization was the RAF Ferry Command (No. 45 Group RAF) within RAF Transport Command.

The winter of 1942-43 presented major problems all along the North Atlantic Route. A high accident rate due to weather was experienced beginning in September 1942 and it continued to climb. On 22 November Air Transport Command suspended the transportation of passengers across the North Atlantic for the duration of the winter. ATC traffic to Great Britain was diverted to the South Atlantic air ferry route in World War II. The distance to Britain by this route was significantly longer than the North Atlantic route, but distance dis-advantage was eclipsed by the fact that operations that could be maintained on a year-round basis.

Mid-Atlantic Route

Efforts on another front were also productive. Prior to 1943 the Portuguese government only allowed German U-boats and navy ships to refuel in the Azores. However diplomatic efforts in 1943 persuaded Portuguese dictator Salazar to lease bases on Azores Islands to the British. This represented a change in policy and was a key turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic allowing the Allies to provide aerial coverage in the middle of the Atlantic.

Routes for long-range aircraft over the Atlantic were established between Newfoundland to Terceira and Santa Maria Island in the Azores (1,500 miles) though which the aircraft could be flown to Cornwall in Britain (1,300 miles) or to French Morocco (1,100 miles). A more southernly route, the Mid-Atlantic Route, from South Florida via Kindley Field, Bermuda (1,000 miles) could be flown to the Azores (2,100 miles) which allowed multi-engine aircraft fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks to be ferried all throughout the year. Single-engine aircraft, however, had to be ferried on the North Atlantic Route due to their shorter ranges.

Crimson Route

Main: Crimson Route

The Crimson Route was a planned Great Circle route to ferry aircraft from manufacturing plants in Southern California via Montana over Canada to Greenland using Sub-Arctic air routes. This route had the advantage of avoiding the poor weather over the North Atlantic by flying over northern Canada to Greenland, then across Greenland to Iceland and on to Great Britain. Aircraft manufactured in the Midwest and Eastern United States could be flown north over Canada to Greenland as well, avoiding the North Atlantic. Several airfields were developed in northern Canada, and it was tested by some RAF aircraft, however the project was ended in 1943 by the development of the Mid-Atlantic Route and never fully developed.

Overview

During World War II, ferrying aircraft such as the C-47 Skytrain (better known as the DC-3 or Dakota) from United States to the European Theater of Operations was difficult, dangerous, and time consuming. Airports were established or expanded between the North East of the United States, and Prestwick Airport in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom to resupply the British Isles, and win the Battle of the Atlantic.

German U-boats hampered North Atlantic Ocean shipping routes making it hazardous for U.S. warships and merchant vessels. In order to transport American made airplanes, soldiers and war supplies, to ETO, it became necessary to open up an air corridor between the United States and the United Kingdom. There was also a "South Atlantic" route, oddly north of the equator, so really the "South(ern) Atlantic (Route)", was also used to connect the U.S. to North Africa, via Brazil and Liberia. then as now to differentiate this particular route from the important Newfoundland to Prestwick (Scotland) air bridge.

RAF Ferry Command was the British unit that ferried aircraft to the UK, by mid war it was a group (No. 45 Group RAF) within RAF Transport Command

Airfields

Army engineers did much of the initial work on the airbases and other installations in Greenland and Iceland for the north Atlantic route.

The North Atlantic air bridge was 2,700 mile trip from Maine to Scotland. Airports include

• RCAF Gander in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Earnest Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
• RCAF Goose Bay, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador,
• Bluie West One/Narsarsuaq, Greenland
• Bluie West Eight/Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
• Bluie East One (South East of Narsarsuaq), Greenland
• Bluie East Two (east coast, east of Bluie West Eight), Greenland
• Keflavík, Iceland
• Reykjavík, Iceland
• RAF Vaagar, Faroe Islands (British seized Danish territory, airport built in 1942-1943.)
• RAF Prestwick, Glasgow, Scotland

Crystal Route from western North America to Greenland

• Gore Field, Great Falls, Montana, US
• The Pas, Manitoba, Canada
• Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
• Coral Harbour, South Hampton Island, Canada

• • Crystal 1 (Northwest of Goosebay on same land mass), Quebec, Canada
  • Crystal 2, Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, Canada
  • Crystal 3, Baffin Sea, Baffin Island, Canada

Bermuda Azores Route

• Florida
• Homestead Field, Florida, US
• Morrison Field, Florida, US
• Miami, Florida, US
• Bahamas
• Kindley Field, Bermuda
• Azores
• RAF St Mawgan, UK
• Marrakesh, Morocco
• Casablanca, Morocco

Pan American World Airways

Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) was the chosen instrument for building a series of airfields in Africa capable of receiving the planes ferried across the ocean from Recife, Brazil. Besides its reputation as the world's leading airline, Pan Am already had a major aircraft servicing facility at Recife.

See also

• South Atlantic air ferry route in World War II
• Northwest Staging Route

References

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