![]() The Southern route sent crews over lush jungles in South America before hopping east to Africa, with a final stop in Morocco after navigating over the towering Atlas Mountains.Ĭrashes getting to combat in England were so common that airman James Mahoney recalled: “An Air Transport Command Navigator once ventured that you could navigate the land portions of both routes by merely following the carcasses of fallen planes.” 3. The Northern route wove from Canada to Greenland or Iceland, giving crews a glimpse of the Northern Lights and icy fjords before touching down in England. Air Transport Command Ferry Routes, September 1945 (Source: NARA) All told, the flight time logged from the eastern seaboard of the United States to England was over 20 hours.īecause air traffic from the United States to Europe became so congested during the war, two different routes to England were established, named the Northern and Southern route. Even in the advanced B-24 Liberator, the flight from the United States to England required multiple overnight stops for rest and refueling. Hopping “across the pond” was a prolonged endeavor. Bottom: The ice caps in Greenland as a B-24 approaches BW-1 Base in Greenland. Top: A B-24 in flight taken from the waist window of an adjacent B-24. Flying from the United States to Europe took over twenty hours, including an overnight pitstop in Morocco or Greenland. Today, an American boasting a connection to the air war is greeted in East Anglia with open arms and profuse thanks for what our forefathers did in the War. By war’s end, a fondness transcending time developed between the English and the Americans that came to be known as the “Friendly Invasion.” The brashness and vigor of American airmen clashed with the more subdued English way of life. Life in villages dotting the East Anglian countryside was quiet. Over 50 air bases were hastily constructed for wartime operations. The pastoral countryside home to farms and storybook English villages transformed into an ostensible aircraft carrier during WWII. ![]() Over 350,000 Americans were based in East Anglia during the War organized under the auspices of the 8th Air Force. In late 1942, droves of American airmen descended on East Anglia, the protruding thumb of England that looks out on the Normandy coast. (Source: NARA) Bottom: Airmen of the 44th Bomb Group pictured in from of the Royal Standard Pub in Shipdham Village with the English proprietor. (Source: Shipdham Flying Club Museum) Middle: An English woman works on a farm abutting a heavy bomber base. It’s remembered as the “Friendly Invasion.” Top: Airmen of the 44th Bomb Group ride bikes in Shipdham Village. American troops invaded England in late 1942. Let’s take a page from the past to look at ten little-known facts about wartime life in England for American airmen whose collective efforts led to Victory in Europe: 1. For Allies, the air war fought from England was the last vestige of hope in the fight for the western world when all of Europe fell to Hitler. There was an inherent discomfort in the unpressurized, unheated fighters and bombers necessitating oxygen masks and protective equipment. Missions lasting the better part of a day were spent in a tin can with only one’s crew. But it was also replete with hope for a victorious conclusion.įew servicemen had an experience more isolating than airmen. The only analogy to the current pandemic in living memory is that of WWII. ![]() Today, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, “we stand together alone” captures the ethos of a very different war, one that can only be won by staying apart. “ We stand alone together” has come to define the ethos of the Greatest Generation’s WWII fight. On the same date in 1945, V-E day celebrations were raucous after six years of prolonged war.Ĭommemorating the end of the war in Europe means remembering the men who fought it and the reality of their wartime lives. Marked 75 years since war in Europe ended in World War II.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |