Airlines at War

This history of WWII aviation shines a light on the pilots and crew of the British civilian airlines who made significant contributions to the war effort.

Shortly after the outbreak of war, the British Overseas Airways Corporation was formed through the amalgamation of Imperial Airways and British Airways. Directed by the Secretary of State for Air, BOAC began as the transport service for the Royal Air Force.

The BOAC’s air routes crisscrossed the world, from the Arctic to South Africa, and from the Atlantic coast of America to the eastern coast of India. Over these routes—carrying mail, cargo, and personnel—the men and machines of BOAC kept wartime Britain connected with its colonies and the free world, often under enemy fire.

This book explores BOAC’s wartime history between 1939 and 1944, detailing the lives and achievements of pilots and crew. It vividly chronicles their role in linking up with zones of combat that were otherwise cut off from the Home Front, and in transporting supplies through the new, dangerous, and often uncharted regions of the air.