 | Lend/Lease support to England...| Aviation Discuss Lend/Lease support to England... in the World War II - Aviation forums; Does anyone know if there were ever any airdrops of supplies/rations/munitions delivered to England? I thought there were ... |
|
02-12-2008, 02:12 PM
|
#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2
Country:  | Lend/Lease support to England...
Does anyone know if there were ever any airdrops of supplies/rations/munitions delivered to England? I thought there were airdrops, but someone recently claimed the U.S. only used shipping lanes, not air. | 
|  | |
02-12-2008, 03:14 PM
|
#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Texas
Posts: 858
Country: | I do not remember hearing of any. It sounds counter productive since the shipping lanes were open.
DBII | |
| | |
02-12-2008, 03:33 PM
|
#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Dallas, Tx
Posts: 2,682
Country: | Never heard of any either.....But I'm not discounting it.
__________________  | |
| | |
02-12-2008, 03:35 PM
|
#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: oregon
Posts: 2,257
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by American Bulldog67  Does anyone know if there were ever any airdrops of supplies/rations/munitions delivered to England? I thought there were airdrops, but someone recently claimed the U.S. only used shipping lanes, not air. | Only surface - it was a looooooong flight from say NY and a smaaaaaaaaaaaall payload in contrast to Liberty Ships..
On the other hand the 82nd and 101st did do practice drops from England to England. Does that count? | |
| | |
02-12-2008, 05:09 PM
|
#5 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by drgondog Only surface - it was a looooooong flight from say NY and a smaaaaaaaaaaaall payload in contrast to Liberty Ships..
On the other hand the 82nd and 101st did do practice drops from England to England. Does that count? | Yeah NY to England is long. However I was reading up on the whole North American Ferry Route. The construction of BLUIE WEST 1 Air base in Greenland was pivotal. Located on the S.W. coast, pilots departing from Presque Isle Airfield in Maine would land @ Bluie to gas up. The next stop was usually Reykjavik or Keflavik in Iceland. From there they’d fly to PRESTWICK FIELD in Scotland, eventually landing @ SNETTERTON HEATH, HALESWORTH, and HORSHAM. AT no point did the B17s and their escorts remain airborne for more than 900 miles at a clip. Seems they could have done some airdrops... | |
| | |
02-12-2008, 05:15 PM
|
#6 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NIAGARA
Posts: 4,583
Country:  | Quote:
Originally Posted by American Bulldog67 Yeah NY to England is long. However I was reading up on the whole North American Ferry Route. The construction of BLUIE WEST 1 Air base in Greenland was pivotal. Located on the S.W. coast, pilots departing from Presque Isle Airfield in Maine would land @ Bluie to gas up. The next stop was usually Reykjavik or Keflavik in Iceland. From there they’d fly to PRESTWICK FIELD in Scotland, eventually landing @ SNETTERTON HEATH, HALESWORTH, and HORSHAM. AT no point did the B17s and their escorts remain airborne for more than 900 miles at a clip. Seems they could have done some airdrops... | but answer this why would they ....there is absolutely no reason unless it was a one of . You should also add a couple of stops in your
route either Goose Bay or Gander or even Frobisher would have been the next stop prior to Bluie west or Narssasaauaq(sp?)
__________________  | |
| | |
02-12-2008, 06:02 PM
|
#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: oregon
Posts: 2,257
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by American Bulldog67 Yeah NY to England is long. However I was reading up on the whole North American Ferry Route. The construction of BLUIE WEST 1 Air base in Greenland was pivotal. Located on the S.W. coast, pilots departing from Presque Isle Airfield in Maine would land @ Bluie to gas up. The next stop was usually Reykjavik or Keflavik in Iceland. From there they’d fly to PRESTWICK FIELD in Scotland, eventually landing @ SNETTERTON HEATH, HALESWORTH, and HORSHAM. AT no point did the B17s and their escorts remain airborne for more than 900 miles at a clip. Seems they could have done some airdrops... | Gas more precious than supplies. If it could carry supplies, why airdrop, just land!
I have been into Bluie West One (once) in low ceiling conditions and nearly experienced the opportunity to french kiss the radio tower in the middle of the Fjord. I do not reccomend approach in bad weather, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do as long as you know about it.
It's on the Jeppeson Approach Chart. Reminds much of Kodiak Is airport for those that have done that one.
You land uphill into a mountain near the village of Narsarsuac... and take off down hill into Fjord.. bad place to lose an engine. | |
| | |
02-13-2008, 04:30 AM
|
#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 12,057
Country:  | Aircraft did fly over to Great Britain from the U.S via Greenland and Iceland. I believe it was mostly B-17s and P-38s making the trip. But I don't think any airdrops took place.
Glacier Girl (the restored P-3  was making the trip to Britain with B-17s and P-38s when they all lost their way and crash landed in Greenland.
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004  To those in that club. | |
| | |
02-13-2008, 07:56 AM
|
#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: South Jersey, United States
Posts: 6,700
Country: | I don't think there were any airdrops, just ferry flights for aircraft and essential personnel. There was a website I just found (and lost freakin lost!) that listed aircraft that crashed or landed in Ireland and what they were doing at the time of internment. Will have to find again, great list.
Ok, just found it. Aircraft Landings Ireland 1939 - 1946
another interesting site that gives somewhat the same info. Airwar over Denmark and surrounding waters 1940
__________________ 
"If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it's English, thank a soldier!"
Last edited by Njaco : 02-13-2008 at 08:12 AM.
| 
| | |
02-15-2008, 03:11 PM
|
#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cardiff
Posts: 175
Country:  | Quote:
Originally Posted by American Bulldog67 Does anyone know if there were ever any airdrops of supplies/rations/munitions delivered to England? I thought there were airdrops, but someone recently claimed the U.S. only used shipping lanes, not air. | Well done for correction Plan_D i.e. 'Great Britain'.
Just why do Americans refer to Great Britain or UK - as England?? | |
| | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:57 AM. | | |
