PITCHING HORSESHOES By: Billy Rose
WORLD'S BIGGEST AIRLINE,
THAT WAS!
Rommel was storming across Africa.
The Mediteranian Sea was blocked .
Flying supplies across the middle of Africa was the answer.
Where airplanes fly there are wrecks.
My job was to pick up the pieces.
I spent three years in Africa repairing and salvaging wrecks.
H. Olander
H.Olander@mail.interconnect.net
7. CAPTAIN HEFFNER'S OWN STORY
A SEVEN PART REVIEW
1. A SECRET PLAN BEFORE THE WAR
2. THE BACK DOOR SUPPLY ROUTE
DURING NORTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN
3. THE AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND'S BEGINNING
4. AN AIR DEPOT IN THE MIDDLE OF AFRICA
5. AN AIRPLANE NAMED PELICAN
6. WHERE AIRPLANES FLY THERE ARE WRECKS
ABOUT THE SALVAGE OPERATION
PITCHING HORSESHOES By: Billy Rose
A SECRET PLAN BEFORE THE WAR
The year 1941, before USA entered the war
At this time the United States was neutral but was selling equipment to England.
Being neutral meant in appearance doing nothing threatening to either side.
The safe way to accomplish such a mission was to use a civilian business
as a cover for a military venture.
Pan-American Airlines was expanding its air route into South America
when approached by the military to develop airline service to and across Africa.
With the advancement of funds Pan-Am was glad to proceed.
They surveyed and built runways at West Palm Beach, Florida, at Trinidad Island,
at Natal, Brazil, at Ascension Island (which is half-way across the Atlantic to Africa).
They built an airport at Accra, Gold Coast, now called Ghana.
Accra is four degrees off the equator, very warm and at times very wet.
Airports in Africa were placed much closer together so fighter planes
could take off from aircraft carriers and hop across Africa to the North African front.
The next landing field was at Lagos, Nigeria.
Others were at Kano, Nigeria, another at Maiduguri, Nigeria, then
El Fasher, Sudan, Khartoum, Sudan, and finally Cairo, Egypt.
When we entered into the war in 1941 the Army Air Force
(this was before the Air Force became a separate division)
took over airfields, Pan-Am airplanes, and pilots and became known as
the Army Air Transport Command.
The first advanced detail of Army personnel arrived
at the Accra Air base August, 1941.
(please use Arrows to view the additional story)
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