North Atlantic Crossroads: The Royal Air Force Ferry Command Gander Unit, 1940-1946 (ePub)

The true story of Gander's Royal Air Force Ferry Command unit and the men and women who kept the flights moving.

Gander, Newfoundland, was a bustling hub of aviation during the Second World War as thousands of bombers passed through on their way to Britain. In North Atlantic Crossroads, the challenges and hazards of transatlantic ferrying come alive. Tales of search and rescue, aircraft salvage, medevac missions, and VIP visits highlight the activities of the Ferry Command Gander unit, notably the work of its aircraft maintenance department, headed by the incomparable John Joseph "Joe" Gilmore.

Postwar, the burgeoning market for transatlantic commercial air travel gave new life to the Ferry Command sector of the field. The buildings once occupied by civilian and military personnel, and the hangars where they serviced the "Bombers for Britain," became the site of an air passenger terminal and hotel complex, setting Gander on its way to becoming the "Crossroads of the World."

Includes a detailed bibliography, index, endnotes, and fifty photographs.

Reviews

"This book is full of revealing anecdotes and is a very well researched and absorbing read." -Air-Britain Aviation World

"An impressively well researched and written narrative history." -Guy Warner, Irish aviation historian/author

"Author and historian Darrell Hillier delivers a trenchant and illuminating account of the Ferry Command." -Joan Sullivan, The Telegram

"A masterly piece of work which, no doubt, will find its place on the bookshelves of aviation enthusiasts." -Frank Tibbo, author of Charlie Baker George: The Story of Sabena OOCBG