Evening star., 1941-02-25
Lack Of Ships Holding
Up Arrival Of u. :.
Planes in England
hort-Ronee Croft
PiIine Up at Docks
Waiting for Transport
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

BY JOSEPH ). EDGERTON.
American aviation aid to Great
Britain has encountered a new and
crippling "bottleneck" which may
prove within the next few months
to be the most serious of all of those
which have delayed the arrival of
United States fighting planes at the
battle front.
The new "choke-point" has Moth
ing to do with raw materials, plant
space. trained labor, engineS-all of
which have developed critical spots
in recent months. 1t is the lack of
shipping to transport the short
range pursuit and dive bombing
types of aircraft across the Atlantic
1t is estimated that airplanes of
this type now are piling up on piers
and docks in United States and
Canadian harbors at the rate of
from so to 100 month waiting for
ships to carry them through the
German U-boat and air blockade.
$50 Planes Flown to England.
With American airplane produc-
ton now beginning to increase rap
idly as new plants swing into pro-
duction, this problem of shipping
facilities may rapidly become crit
ical. A single steamship cannot
carry many airplaneS, even of the
smaller pursuit and dive bomber
types With a single American plant
now turning out pursuits for Eng
land at rate of eight day, a ship
is rapidly filled and conveys are
required at a continuously increas-
ing rate to keep pace with mounting
production.
All American aircraft built for
England which have sufficient range
to cross the Atlantic are being flown
across via the Great Circle route
from Newfoundland.
1t is estimated by officials of the
Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce
that at least $50 bombardment air.
planes and naval patrol flying boats
have been flown TO England since
"fy-aWay" deliveries began about a
year ago. The service has been re-
marka bly, successful and there is no
authenticated record of the loss of
any of these airplaneS, although
some of them have encountered
highly dangerous weather condi-
tions and some enemy aircraft.
Picturesque War Drama.
The recent Nazi air attack on
Iceland, which is close to the Great
Circle route followed by virtually all
the landplane bombers, is indicative
of the increased German aerial ac-
tivity in the North Atlantic.
1t is estimated that between so
and 10 per cent of all airplanes
so far delivered to England by air
have been Lockheed twin-engined
Hudson" reconnaissance airplanes,
which have been used extensively
from Norway to Spain. These are
the first long-range American
planes for England to attain con-
siderable production rate. Orders
for the Hudsons were placed late
in 1888 ana it is estimated that 600
of them have been delivered-ap-
proximately half of them under
their own power.
This fight delivery of fighting
planes to England is providing one
of the most picturesque dramas OF
the war. 1t is a dangerous service,
despite the perfect record which has
been maintained for nearly year,
and there has been some difficulty
recruiting volunteer pilots for the
job.
Little Known of Unsung Heroes.
There are probably not more than
80 United States pilots engaged in
this work today Many Canadian
pilots have made the trip, remaining
in England for war duty. The
Americans must be returned by air
or ship. Some English pilots come
back with them to ferry" new air.
planes back home.
If the shorter-range pursuits and
other types are to be delivered by
air to overcome the lack of bot
toms for shipping them, it will be-
come necessary to establish inter-
mediate fueling stops in Greenland
and Iceland. This would result in
an entirely new phase of the war
in the North Atlantic. Even the
breaking of the Atlantic hop into
i three over-water legs by this method,
however, would not solve the prob
lem for some of the interceptor
types of fighters, which have sacri-
feed fuel capacity for speed and
guns.