The South Pacific air ferry route was initially established in the 1920s to ferry United States Army Air Service aircraft to the Philippines. As the Japanese threat in the Far East increased in 1940, General Douglas MacArthur planned that in the event of war, the United States Army Air Corps would play a major role in defending the Philippines. The reinforcement by the Air Corps of forces in the Philippines, and later Allied forces in Australia, became the basis for developing the South Pacific air ferry route used during World War II.
Overview
The Air Ferry Routes of WWII, including North Atlantic Route, South Atlantic Route and South Pacific Route
After the Pearl Harbor Attack in December 1941, the US Air Transport Command pioneered and established scheduled air service to virtually all areas of the Pacific. The islands of the Japanese South Seas Mandate – formerly unfamiliar to the outside world and islands rarely visited before the war – became important air terminals and way stations along the ATC routes in the Pacific.[1]
After the United States' entry into the Pacific War, the only air service to the Orient was operated by Pan American Airways, while normal shipping lanes were cut off by the Japanese. This necessitated the establishment of new routes, which would skirt the area west of the Hawaiian Islands and north of Australia. In response to this need, ATC inaugurated a trans-Pacific cargo and passenger service through Canton Island, the Fiji Islands, and New Caledonia to Australia. As the war progressed with forward movements of the allied forces transport service was expanded to support the combat operations. New routes were established to include the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the Marianas, the Philippines, and the Ryukyu island chain. Eventually ATC routes operated into Occupied Japan and connected to the ATC India-China Wing at Kunming Airport, China.[1]
Ferrying of aircraft to the Philippines from the United States began in 1916 when the First Company, 2d Aero Squadron, was activated at Fort William McKinley, Luzon, on 3 February 1916. This pre-World War I unit was a training school, operating Martin S Hydro seaplanes, first produced in the United States in 1915. These aircraft were sent to the Philippines by ship, with the planes loaded at the port of San Francisco. Stops were made in Hawaii, and then Manila where the aircraft were offloaded.[1]
Pan American Airways inaugurated the first regularly-scheduled air mail service from San Francisco to Hawaii and Manila on 22 November 1935. Passenger and cargo service was subsequently added. In April 1937, Pan American extended its service from Manila to Hong Kong, and to Singapore on 2 May 1941. On 12 July 1940, Trans-Pacific service by Pan American was extended from Hawaii, south to Auckland, New Zealand.[1]
A second flight by the 19th Bombardment Group, consisting of twenty-six B-17D aircraft moved from Hamilton Field, California, to Clark Field, Philippines, via Hickam Field, Midway Island, Wake Island, Port Moresby, New Guinea and Darwin, Northern Territory in the first permanent change of station air movement from the United States to the Philippines. The movement was completed on 6 November 1941.[1]
ATC moved 23rd Ferrying (later Transport) Group to Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base on 29 May 1943. Placed under jurisdiction of 1503d AAFBU, West Coast Wing, Pacific Division, ATC. Ferrying of new aircraft to Hickam Field from aircraft manufacturing plants in Southern California utilized Long Beach Army Airfield and San Diego Municipal Airport was conducted under jurisdiction of 1572d AAFBU.
2,402 miles (3,866 km) from Hamilton Field. 1500th AAFBU. Headquarters, Pacific Division, Air Transport Command (ATC). Hickam was also the location of Air Technical Service Command (ATSC) Hawaiian Air Depot, performed required tropical modifications on all ATC ferried aircraft prior to deployment to Pacific Theater.
1,627 miles (2,618 km) from Guam. Seized by Japanese Army, January 1942. Not used by ATC after liberation of airfield in January 1945.
6,947 miles (11,180 km) Hamilton Field <-> Clark Field
MacArthur believed, as many others did, that the Japanese would not launch any attacks until the end of the 1942 monsoon season. The ensuing months would provide enough time for the Air Corps to ferry additional B-17 Flying Fortresses from the United States to the Philippines. The bombers would fly the route until December 1941. However, this central route, which passed close to the Japanese League of Nations mandate which consisted of several groups of islands (modern-day Palau, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Marshall Islands), became more vulnerable; as tension grew between the United States and Japan.
Pacific & Adjacent areas 1942 showing key air ferry route.
To provide a safer air ferry route, the Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District created a new southern route to the Philippines in the fall of 1941 starting at Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory.
1,342 miles (2,160 km) from Hickam Field. Established as "Station 8" AAC Ferrying Command, later 1525th AAFBU, ATC. Ferrying/transport facility closed, December 1944. Airfield was used by USAF until the late 1950s as an Air Weather Service station under MATS.[2]
1,046 miles (1,683 km) from Christmas Island. Established as "Station 7" AAC Ferrying Command, Later 1531st AAFBU, ATC. Closed May 1945. Later became part of USAF Western Test Range.[3]
850 miles (1,370 km) from Canton Island. Detachment, 1551st AAFBU, ATC. Occasional use by ATC, main base on New Caledonia being Tontouta. Also used by Thirteenth Air Force, closed 1945. Today abandoned and overgrown with vegetation, many small traces of the USAAF use remain.
787 miles (1,267 km) from Nadi Airfield. Established as "Station 34" AAC Ferrying Command, later Detachment, 1551st AAFBU, ATC. Air Technical Service Command maintenance and supply depot for South Pacific Area. Also operated transport route only also to Auckland Airport, New Zealand.[4]
1,158 miles (1,864 km) from Townsville. 7th Bombardment Group was planned to stage B-17s though Darwin then proceed to Del Monte Field in early December 1941. Deteriorating situation in the Philippines led the group to divert to Brisbane from Tontouta and did not engage in combat in the Philippines. Detachment of ATC 1562d AAFBU operated transport facility for combat support in Papua New Guinea.
1,495 miles (2,406 km) from Darwin, 553 miles (890 km) from Clark Field. Was planned as a staging/dispersal field for B-17s. Planned, but never was used as a ferrying airfield by ATC. B-17 survivors of 19th Bombardment Group at Clark Field withdrew to Del Monte and carried out limited combat operations through the end of December 1941 then withdrew from the Philippines though Darwin to Batchelor Airfield, Queensland, Australia where group was reformed. Del Monte supported limited fighter operations by remnants of 24th Pursuit Group until collapse of United States organized resistance in the Philippines, March 1942.
The Japanese, however, did not wait for the monsoon season to pass. After their air attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese ground forces quickly occupied the Philippines and began advancing through the Southwest Pacific threatening the newly constructed southern air ferry route. To counter this threat, the engineers constructed an easterly alternate route farther removed from Japanese advances by flying south from Christmas Island Airfield .
1,043 miles (1,679 km) from Norfolk. ATC facilities moved to Archerfield Airport, Brisbane in mid 1942. Detachment of 1557th AAFBU, ATC remained to support transport operations.
6,029 miles (9,703 km) Hickam Field <-> Sydney 5,900 miles (9,500 km) Hickam Field <-> Brisbane
Thompson, Erwin, (1981), Pacific Ocean Engineers: History of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Pacific, 1905–1980. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Ocean Division. ASIN: B0006EJBO6
