Pan American Airways 1939-1944: Atlantic Wartime Operations Catalog

By David E. Crotty

During World War II Pan American Airways, like many commercial companies, performed exemplary service for the U.S. war effort in the Atlantic, while continuing to operate commercial air routes. During that time, however, much of the operation was kept confidential due to security concerns. After the war was over there was a little ceremony in which the U.S. State Department publicly acknowledged some of PAA's accomplishments. One writer wrote that the "Veil had been lifted." Unfortunately most of the information that might have been shared with historians and hobbyists remained hidden in the airline's files. Several historians wrote books describing PAA's history but today they remain in these files unpublished. While the histories of many airlines have been published in recent decades for the historian or the aerophilatelist, the story of PAA remained largely hidden.This author has uncovered a tremendous amount of primary information about PAA in its records that are now open. This information includes unpublished details of the fourteen commercial routes PAA operated in the Atlantic from 1939 through 1944, and includes hourly flight details of these commercial routes. The commercial trip details have been transcribed into a catalog for the researcher and hobbyist. The commercial Atlantic trips have been cataloged by the routes as well as chronologically.In addition, some details of PAA's work with the U.S. Army and Navy that have never been published are included. The first of these operations are known as the Special Missions.The other operations, known as the Cannonball, the Fireball and the Y-Trips are all described in as much detail as possible. Still, little is known about these operations and investigations into them continue.Most of this information has been hidden for 70 years. It is time to say that truly "The Veil has been lifted."This book is an effort to repay the many aerophilatelists who have assisted the author over the years.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1493552163
• ISBN13: 9781493552160
• Release Date: November 2013
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 441 Pages
• Weight: 2.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 1.0" x 8.5"