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 purchasing combat aircraft to supplement existing Royal Air Force and Armée de l'Air 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.

With the Fall of France in June 1940, and the loss of much war materiel on the continent, the need for the British to purchase replacement materiel from the United States was urgent. The only way to get aircraft purchased in the United states to Europe 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 operated against the North Atlantic Ocean shipping routes making it hazardous for merchant vessels.

In the summer of 1940, President Roosevelt began negotiating with the 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 the 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.

Neither the United States, nor Canada or Great Britain desired any Nazi facilities or armed forces in Greenland. The US 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 a danger that Greenland might be converted into a point of aggression against nations of the American Continent by Nazi Germany. The agreement, after explicitly recognizing Danish sovereignty over Greenland, granted to the United States the right to locate and construct aircraft 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, land based 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.

Airfields

North Atlantic Route

Name	Location	Coordinates	Notes
United States
Grenier Army Air Base	ME	42°55′57″N 071°26′08″W
Presque Isle Army Airfield	ME	46°41′20″N 68°02′41″W
Dow Army Airfield	ME	44°48′51″N 068°49′51″W
Newfoundland
Stephenville Air Base	NF	48°32′38″N 058°33′12″W
RCAF Station Gander	NF	48°56′13″N 054°34′05″W
Labrador
Goose Bay Airdrome	LB	53°19′09″N 060°25′33″W
Greenland
Bluie West 1	GL	61°10′00″N 045°25′59″W
Bluie West 8	GL	67°00′38″N 050°42′33″W
Bluie East 2	GL	65°34′59″N 37°37′00″W
Iceland and Faroe Islands
Meeks Field	IS	63°59′03″N 22°36′24″W	Built in 1941, headquarters of Iceland Base Command. Long runway used for ferrying of multi-engined aircraft. 1386th AAFBU, North Atlantic Division, ATC. Became NATO interceptor base during the Cold War as Keflavik Airport. Turned over to Iceland Government 2006.
Patterson Field	IS	63°57′31″N 22°32′58″W	Originally Svidningar field, used by Iceland Base Command as a fighter base for air defense, however also used by ATC as an overflow base for ferrying single-engine aircrft due to it's short runways. USAAF air activity ended at the airfield in March 1947.
Reykjavík Airport	IS	64°07′48″N 021°56′26″W	Built by Royal Air Force in October 1940. Used as a civil/military airfield during the war, tuned over to Icelandic government in July 1946 and since then it has been operated by the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority (now named Flugstoðir Airport).
RAF Vágar	FI	62°03′49″N 007°16′38″W	491 miles (790 km) air miles from Iceland. Used as refueling/servicing/emergency landing base. Built by British Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers in 1942 after April 1940 occupation by the British of the the Danish Faroe Islands due to the occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany. Control of the islands reverted to Denmark following the war,
United Kingdom
Prestwick Airport	Scotland	55°30′34″N 004°35′40″W	467 miles (752 km) air miles from RAF Vágar, 852 miles (1,371 km) air miles from Iceland. Initial ATC base in United Kingdom for receiving ferried aircraft from the United States. 1403d AAFBU, European Division. Began operations in July 1941 as Eastern Terminus, Atlantic Division, Ferrying Command. Remained as primary terminus of North Atlantic route throughout the war. Under United States control until 31 May 1945.
RAF Nutts Corner	Northern Ireland	54°37′45″N 06°09′00″W	519 miles (835 km) air miles from RAF Vágar, 863 miles (1,389 km) air miles from Iceland. Established in June 1943 at ATC base, 1404th AAFBU, European Division. Detachment also at RAF Langford Lodge, Northern Ireland. Closed 30 June 1945.
RAF Valley	Wales	53°14′53″N 04°32′07″W	621 miles (999 km) air miles from RAF Vágar, 979 miles (1,576 km) air miles from Iceland. Established in April 1943 as ATC base, 1407th AAFBU, European Division. Was closest ATC controlled airfield closest to most Eighth and Ninth Air force stations in East Anglia. 60-70 aircraft arrived each day, then forwarded to operational bases. Returned to RAF control in September 1945. During the 1950s, MATS operated WB-50 Superfortress weather aircraft (28th Weather Squadron) from the base.
RAF St Mawgan	England	50°26′16″N 05°00′21″W

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

• [1]