Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

Hello
I am researching career of a pilot who in 1943 flew from Washington to Kunming. As I have nothing on organisation of air transport, I am wondering if anybody can add any information. Most of the route was flown in C-54 but also C-47. I do not know if they were military or civilian. The route was Washington-Miami-Puerto Rico-British Guyanne (Georgetown?)-Belem-Natal-Ascension Island-?-Sudan-Cairo-?-Karachi-Calcutta?-Kunming. I suppose the bases on the route were well known and it would not be a problem to verify them all.
Thanks

Re: Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

Sounds like your man was lucky or had a priority ticket. The C-54 of the Air Transport Command (ATC) would have taken him either to the Middle East or India. then it would have been another ATC plane (C-46/C-47/C-54/C-87/C-109 if real unlucky) to China from one of the Assam forward fields.

Re: Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

You may wish to check the history of the Fourteenth Air Force which was activated in Kunming, China on 10, March 1943. It became a part of CBI operations in October 1944.


Also see this site http://www.comcar.org/comcarhome.htm


Ed

Re: Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

Thanks for the replies.
Indeed the man likely had a priority ticket, diplomacy has its own rights. ;)
I have briefly went through the link but frankly I am most interested in the route Washington-Kunming. I know the man in question diverted from the route by flying to Cairo - the aircraft he travelled was unserviceable. I would like to know what were airfield on the route used by the 'airline'. Unfortunatelly, I do not have any related documents or log books. Also, I would like to know if any other units covered the route, eg. RAF TC or BOAC, etc.
Thanks

Re: Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

Hi Franek,

I can fill in the airfields between South America and Cairo:

Natal, Brazil
Ascension Island
Takoradi
Accra
Lagos
Ikeja
Kano
Maiduguri
Fort Lamy
El Fasher
Wadi Seidna
Wadi Halfa
Cairo

Regards
Ross

Re: Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

The RAF flew from the Middle East to India but tended (not always) to go via Lydda in Palestine and Habbiniya in Iraq. There are a couple of Transport Command histories. To generalize, it was not until 1944 that it was running substantial numbers of four-engine transports on regular missions to India.

Re: Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

Thanks again for the replies.
David, by any chance do you have any nice photo of ATC Skymaster which flew somewhere on the route in 1943?

Re: Passenger connection Washington-Kunming
 

Hi, responding from memory I can tell you this. Many years ago I was studying the ATC on the Northern Atlantic-Route from USAAF records. However in 1943 most of the (still too few) C-54´s were flown by AMERICAN CIVIL CONTRACT-CARRIERS (i.e. crews from TWA, Amercan Airliners, etc.) There were also used ´Transport´ B-24 Liberators, C-47, C-53, Boeing C-75 Stratoliners and some flying-boats but the USN was also flying R5D Skymasters but with VR- squadron Navy crews (mainly from 1944 onwards). The Skymasters were USAAF owned but run and flown by Civil crew in uniform. Since your guy flew on a ´Skymaster´ it was likely an military (camouflaged) C-54 or C-54A owed by the USAAF ATC ´South-Atlantic Wing´ as far as Africa or Egypt, then by USAAF C-47 from perhaps Egypt/India ....

cheers
ed