An Odd Ferry Route

[Jim Oxley]

When the 391st Bomb Group (B-26) flew to England to join the 9th AF in Janaury they flew from Hunter Field in Georgia to Morrison Field in Florida, then south to Borinquen in PuertoRico, Atkinson in British Guyana and belem and Natal in Brazil. From there they flew to the tiny island of Ascension in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. From there they flew NNE to Roberts Field in Liberia.After a thorough overhaul of all aircraft their next leg was to Marrakesh in Morocco, then to St. Mawgan in Cornwall in the UK. Their final destination was Matching aerodrome in Essex.I would have thought that the well travelled route up through the US to Canada, across to Greenland , then Iceland and Scotland would have been the better option.

[rafcommands]

Hi Jim,

The Southern route was the preferred option in winter.

Ice, snow and fog in Canada and Iceland could make the northern route a very long journey.

Regards
Ross

[Jim Oxley]

That makes sense.

[Chris Goss]

When I was first at Ascension innthe 80s, there was much still there relating to the southern route, including the wreckage of a B-26 at the end of the runway. I worked out of the 'Nose In' hangar which was where you could get a B-24's nose and engines under cover to service them (there was a photo of this in the Georgetown Museum)