Crimson Route
Encyclopedia
The Crimson Route was a set of joint United States
and Canadian transport routes planned for ferrying planes and material from North America
to Europe
during World War II
. The project was ended in 1943 and never fully developed.
With the passage of the Lend-Lease
act in March 1941, large numbers of United States manufactured aircraft were going to be ferried to the United Kingdom
to assist the British in the war effort against Nazi Germany
. The British had already established a network of "steppingstone" airfields in Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland, and Iceland to make possible the ferrying of short-range fighters from North America to Great Britain. Many of the aircraft being sent to the United Kingdom, however, were manufactured in Southern California
. This meant that the aircraft had to be flown across the United States to airfields in New England
, where they would then be flown across the North Atlantic.
With the United States entry into the war being secretly planned by the Roosevelt Administration during 1941, deployments of Army Air Force combat units to Great Britain were anticipated, it was believed that the airfields in New England and Labrador would be unable to handle an ever-increasing volume of overseas movement and ferry traffic. Thus, alternate transport routes from the United States, including a route from the western states to the British Isles was needed.
A much shorter route from Southern California could be used by flying a Great Circle Route north though central and northern Canada
from from Southern California, the distance to Iceland might be cut by almost 600 miles. It was expected that much more favourable flying weather would be found than what is prevalent in Northeastern North America, that valuable experience with Arctic conditions of flight would be acquired, and that the experiment might lead to the development of a shorter airway into Russia (see: Northwest Staging Route
).
This route was referred to by the American military as the "North Atlantic Ferrying" or "Staging Route."
Most of the Canadian airfields were newly and expressly constructed for the purpose of the Crimson Route.
This was the route that the American military directly referred to using the term Crimson Route.
and Churchill
in Manitoba, at Coral Harbour Southhampton Island
on Hudson Bay
, along with weather stations and runways at Fort Chimo
Quebec (CRYSTAL I), on Frobisher Bay (CRYSTAL II), and on Padloping Island
(CRYSTAL III) to begin during the summer of 1942.
The project received a severe setback in late summer (27 August 1942) when an enemy U-boat
operating off the Labrador coast sank a ship carrying some 6,000 tons of cargo, including vital construction equipment intended for use at CRYSTAL I, CRYSTAL II, and Coral Harbour on Southampton Island Hudson Bay.
The winter of 1942-43 presented major problems all along the North Atlantic Transport Route. A high accident rate due to weather was experienced beginning in September 1942 and it continued to climb. On 22 November Air Transport Command
suspended the transportation of passengers across the North Atlantic for the duration of the winter. The operation of two-engine transports beyond Iceland already had been forbidden. Some ferrying, chiefly of long-range aircraft, continued into December, as did the transport operations of C-54 Skymaster
's and C-87 Liberator's under contract with TWA
and American Airlines
, but by mid-December the North Atlantic Transport Route had been virtually closed down for the winter
ATC traffic to Great Britain was diverted to the South Atlantic Transport Route. The distance to Britain by this route was double that of the projected CRIMSON route, but distance dis-advantage was eclipsed by the fact that operations that could be maintained on a year-round basis.
Efforts on another front were also productive. Prior to 1943 the Portuguese
government only allowed German U-boats and navy ships to refuel in the Azores
. However diplomatic efforts in 1943 persuaded Portuguese dictator Salazar to lease bases on Azores Islands to the British. This represented a change in policy and was a key turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic
allowing the Allies to provide aerial coverage in the middle of the Atlantic. This helped allies to hunt U-boats, protect vital convoys and support mid-Atlantic Air Transport Command ferry efforts.
This new prospect in 1943 that a transatlantic route through the Azores would soon be possible brought the expensive and unlucky CRIMSON ROUTE project to an early end. On the recommendation of ATC, the Army Air Force in the spring of 1944 abandoned the airfields at The Pas, Churchill and Southampton Island while those at the CRYSTALS and Mingan were reduced to emergency status. Save for five RAF planes which followed the CRIMSON routes to the United Kingdom in the summer of 1943, virtually no other use was of the route by either ferried or transport United States aircraft.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian transport routes planned for ferrying planes and material from North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The project was ended in 1943 and never fully developed.
Overview
The 1940 fall of France and the Battle of Britain alarmed Americans who feared that England might also fall, bringing the Nazis one step closer west to the United States. Americans continued to eschew direct involvement in the war. Not so the Roosevelt Administration which devised several creative and covert means for aiding our Allies and preparing the United States for war while maintaining a façade of neutrality.With the passage of the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
act in March 1941, large numbers of United States manufactured aircraft were going to be ferried to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to assist the British in the war effort against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. The British had already established a network of "steppingstone" airfields in Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland, and Iceland to make possible the ferrying of short-range fighters from North America to Great Britain. Many of the aircraft being sent to the United Kingdom, however, were manufactured in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. This meant that the aircraft had to be flown across the United States to airfields in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, where they would then be flown across the North Atlantic.
With the United States entry into the war being secretly planned by the Roosevelt Administration during 1941, deployments of Army Air Force combat units to Great Britain were anticipated, it was believed that the airfields in New England and Labrador would be unable to handle an ever-increasing volume of overseas movement and ferry traffic. Thus, alternate transport routes from the United States, including a route from the western states to the British Isles was needed.
A much shorter route from Southern California could be used by flying a Great Circle Route north though central and northern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from from Southern California, the distance to Iceland might be cut by almost 600 miles. It was expected that much more favourable flying weather would be found than what is prevalent in Northeastern North America, that valuable experience with Arctic conditions of flight would be acquired, and that the experiment might lead to the development of a shorter airway into Russia (see: Northwest Staging Route
Northwest Staging Route
The Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
).
Planned routes
First referred to as the "North East Staging Route" it eventually became known as the "Crimson Project" or "Crimson Route", with Crimson being the code-name for Canada. The project came under the jurisdiction of the Air Transport Command North Atlantic Division. Originally there were to be three routes making up the Crimson Route: Eastern, Western and Central.Eastern route
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presque Isle Army Airfield | ME | 46°41′20"N 68°02′41"W | Chief port of embarkation for U.S. aircraft flying the North Atlantic. Headquarters, 23d AAF Ferrying Wing, Ferrying Command 12 June 1942; re-designated North Atlantic Wing, Air Transport Command, 11 February 1944; Redesignated North Atlantic Division, ATC, 27 June 1944. After Crimson Route project cancelled, was used as part of the Northern Transport Route though Goose Bay until 1945. Closed as an ATC base on 20 September 1945. |
| Goose Bay Airdrome CFB Goose Bay Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay , is a Canadian Forces Base located in the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.... |
LB | 53°19′09"N 60°25′33"W | 1383d AAFBU, North Atlantic Division, ATC, part of Newfoundland Base Command. After Crimson Route project cancelled, was used as part of the Northern Transport Route though Greenland until 1945. ATC operations ended 1945. Was major USAF base in the Cold War, turned over to Canadian Government, 1966. |
| Crystal I Kuujjuaq Airport Kuujjuaq Airport, , is located southwest of Kuujjuaq, Quebec, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:-History:During World War II, the United States established a weather/radio station at this site, code-named "Crystal I"... |
QC | 58°05′45"N 68°25′36"W | Planned Hub with Central Route originating at Detroit, Michigan; reduced to a weather station in 1943, closed 1945. Now Kuujjuaq Airport |
| Crystal II | NWT | 63°45′20"N 68°32′22"W | Planned Hub with Western Route originating at Great Falls, Montana; 1384th AAFBU, North Atlantic Division, ATC; reduced to a weather station in 1943. During the Cold War was used as a radar station and as a base for construction of the DEW Line. Closed by USAF in 1963, now Iqaluit Airport. |
| Crystal III Padloping Island Padloping Island is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Davis Strait's Merchants Bay off the eastern coast of Baffin Island... |
NWT | 67°06′13"N 062°37′08"W | Abandoned 1943. |
| Bluie West 8 Sondrestrom Air Base Sondrestrom Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in Greenland, located north of the Arctic Circle, from the northeast end of Kangerlussuaq Fjord , after which it was named, approximately west northwest of Ravneklippen, and west of Sisimiut.The base was turned over to the Greenland... |
GL | 67°00′41"N 50°42′50"W | Part of Greenland Base Command. After Crimson Route project cancelled, was used as part of the Northern Transport Route though Greenland until 1945. Became SAC base during the Cold War. Closed 1992 now civilian community (Kangerlussuaq) and airport (Kangerlussuaq Airport), |
| Bluie East 2 | GL | 65°34′59"N 37°37′00"W | Part of Greenland Base Command. After Crimson Route project cancelled, was used as part of the Northern Transport Route though Greenland until 1945 then closed. |
| Meeks Field Naval Air Station Keflavik United States Naval Air Station Keflavik is a former NATO facility at Keflavík International Airport, Iceland. It is located on the Reykjanes peninsula on the south-west portion of the island... |
IS | 63°59′03"N 22°36′24"W | Part of Iceland Base Command. 1386th AAFBU, North Atlantic Division, ATC; After Crimson Route project cancelled, was used as part of the Northern Transport Route. Became NATO interceptor base during the Cold War as Keflavik Airport. Turned over to Iceland Government 2006. |
| Prestwick Airport | UK | 55°30′28"N 04°35′25"W | Main arrival point for USAAF aircraft ferried to UK over various North Atlantic Transport Routes. 1403d AAFBU, European Division, ATC. Used by the USAF until mid-1950s, now commercial airport. |
This route was referred to by the American military as the "North Atlantic Ferrying" or "Staging Route."
Central route
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romulus Army Airfield Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport.... |
MI | 42°13′01"N 83°21′13"W | 553d AAFBU, Ferrying Division, Domestic Wing, ATC (Detroit) Embarkation Point, also HQ, 2d Ferrying Group. Opened April 1940. Initial mission of base was delivery of military aircraft to British in Canada prior to United States Entry into the war; later coordinated WASP ferrying activities in Upper Midwest, and movement of B-24 Liberators from Ford Willow Run plant for shipment to ETO and MTO. Turned over to civil control, 1945 now Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport |
| RCAF Station North Bay CFB North Bay Canadian Forces Base North Bay, also CFB North Bay, is an air force base located at the City of North Bay, Ontario about north of Toronto. The base is subordinate to 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is the centre for North American Aerospace Defense Command operations in Canada,... |
ON | 46°21′46"N 79°25′16"W | Prewar RCAF station, after 1945 became major air defense installation during the Cold War. Today CFB North Bay is NORAD ROCC for both Canada East and West NORAD regions. |
| Kapuskasing Kapuskasing Airport -Charter:... |
ON | 49°24′51"N 82°28′15"W | Became Kapuskasing Airport providing regional airline service in Northern Ontario. |
| Moosonee Moosonee Airport Moosonee Airport, , is located north-east of Moosonee, Ontario, Canada.The Moosonee Airport was officially opened in May 1970 and a new terminal building was constructed in July 1991, that houses the airport management office and washrooms. There are several small buildings and hangars at the... |
ON | 51°17′26"N 80°36′33"W | Became Moosonee Airport providing regional airline service in Northern Ontario. |
| Richmond Gulf | ON | 56°15′00"N 76°16′59"W | Planned, no airfield constructed |
| Crystal I Kuujjuaq Airport Kuujjuaq Airport, , is located southwest of Kuujjuaq, Quebec, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:-History:During World War II, the United States established a weather/radio station at this site, code-named "Crystal I"... |
QC | Hub with Eastern Route; followed to Prestick Airport, Great Britain (see eastern route) | |
Most of the Canadian airfields were newly and expressly constructed for the purpose of the Crimson Route.
Western route
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls Army Air Base | MT | 47°30′15"N 111°11′13"W | Principal mission of base was preparing Lend-Lease aircraft for shipment to USSR 1944-1945; base served as aerial port for personnel and cargo moving between CONUS and Alaskan bases. Postwar became major SAC bomber and missile base. Malmstrom AFB today Minuteman ICBM missile base part of Air Force Strike Command. |
| Regina Regina International Airport Regina International Airport is an international airport located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, located south-west and west south-west of the city centre. It is run by the Regina Airport Authority. It is, as of 2010, the second busiest airport in Saskatchewan Regina International Airport is... |
SK | 50°25′55"N 104°39′57"W | Prewar airport, opened about 1930. Today major airport in Midwestern Canada, providing airline service throughout country and to the United States. |
| The Pas The Pas, Manitoba The Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals as the first trading post was called Fort Paskoyac... |
MB | 53°58′17"N 101°05′31"W | Constructed 1943 by United States engineers for Crimson Route. Completed facility turned over to Canadian government 1944. Now regional airport in northern Manitoba. |
| Churchill Churchill Airport Churchill Airport is located east southeast of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.Churchill Airport serves the town of Churchill and the surrounding region. Although it is a small domestic airport, it handles a relatively high number of passengers throughout the year as it is a major destination for... |
MB | 58°44′49"N 094°04′26"W | Constructed 1943 by United States engineers for Crimson Route. Completed facility turned over to Canadian government 1944. Now regional airport in northern Manitoba. |
| Southampton Coral Harbour Airport Coral Harbour Airport is located northwest of Coral Harbour, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory... |
NWT | 64°30′00"N 084°30′00"W | Constructed 1943 by United States engineers for Crimson Route. Completed facility turned over to Canadian government 1944. Now Coral Harbour Airport in Nunavut. |
| Crystal II | NWT | Hub with Eastern Route; followed to Prestick Airport, Great Britain (See Eastern Route) | |
This was the route that the American military directly referred to using the term Crimson Route.
History
A directive issued by the United States Chief of Staff on 24 May 1942 ordered construction of landing strips at The PasThe Pas, Manitoba
The Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals as the first trading post was called Fort Paskoyac...
and Churchill
Churchill Airport
Churchill Airport is located east southeast of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.Churchill Airport serves the town of Churchill and the surrounding region. Although it is a small domestic airport, it handles a relatively high number of passengers throughout the year as it is a major destination for...
in Manitoba, at Coral Harbour Southhampton Island
Southampton Island
Southampton Island is a large island at the entrance to Hudson Bay at Foxe Basin. One of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Southampton Island is part of the Kivalliq Region in Nunavut, Canada. The area of the island is stated as by Statistics Canada . It is the 34th largest...
on Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
, along with weather stations and runways at Fort Chimo
Kuujjuaq Airport
Kuujjuaq Airport, , is located southwest of Kuujjuaq, Quebec, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:-History:During World War II, the United States established a weather/radio station at this site, code-named "Crystal I"...
Quebec (CRYSTAL I), on Frobisher Bay (CRYSTAL II), and on Padloping Island
Padloping Island
Padloping Island is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Davis Strait's Merchants Bay off the eastern coast of Baffin Island...
(CRYSTAL III) to begin during the summer of 1942.
The project received a severe setback in late summer (27 August 1942) when an enemy U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
operating off the Labrador coast sank a ship carrying some 6,000 tons of cargo, including vital construction equipment intended for use at CRYSTAL I, CRYSTAL II, and Coral Harbour on Southampton Island Hudson Bay.
The winter of 1942-43 presented major problems all along the North Atlantic Transport Route. A high accident rate due to weather was experienced beginning in September 1942 and it continued to climb. On 22 November Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
suspended the transportation of passengers across the North Atlantic for the duration of the winter. The operation of two-engine transports beyond Iceland already had been forbidden. Some ferrying, chiefly of long-range aircraft, continued into December, as did the transport operations of C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
's and C-87 Liberator's under contract with TWA
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
and American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, but by mid-December the North Atlantic Transport Route had been virtually closed down for the winter
ATC traffic to Great Britain was diverted to the South Atlantic Transport Route. The distance to Britain by this route was double that of the projected CRIMSON route, but distance dis-advantage was eclipsed by the fact that operations that could be maintained on a year-round basis.
Efforts on another front were also productive. Prior to 1943 the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
government only allowed German U-boats and navy ships to refuel in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. However diplomatic efforts in 1943 persuaded Portuguese dictator Salazar to lease bases on Azores Islands to the British. This represented a change in policy and was a key turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic
Battle of the Atlantic
Battle of the Atlantic may refer to either of two naval campaigns:* The Atlantic U-boat Campaign during the First World War * The Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War...
allowing the Allies to provide aerial coverage in the middle of the Atlantic. This helped allies to hunt U-boats, protect vital convoys and support mid-Atlantic Air Transport Command ferry efforts.
This new prospect in 1943 that a transatlantic route through the Azores would soon be possible brought the expensive and unlucky CRIMSON ROUTE project to an early end. On the recommendation of ATC, the Army Air Force in the spring of 1944 abandoned the airfields at The Pas, Churchill and Southampton Island while those at the CRYSTALS and Mingan were reduced to emergency status. Save for five RAF planes which followed the CRIMSON routes to the United Kingdom in the summer of 1943, virtually no other use was of the route by either ferried or transport United States aircraft.
See also
- North Atlantic air ferry route in World War IINorth Atlantic air ferry route in World War IIThe North Atlantic air ferry route was a series of Air Routes over the North Atlantic Ocean on which aircraft were ferried between the United States and Great Britain during World War II to support combat operations in the European Theater of Operations ....
- South Atlantic air ferry route in World War IISouth Atlantic air ferry route in World War IIThe South Atlantic air ferry route was an air route established in July 1941. It was used initially by Army Air Corps Ferrying Command to deliver Lend-Lease aircraft to British forces in Egypt who were engaged in the Western Desert Campaign....
- South Pacific air ferry route in World War II
- West Coast WingWest Coast WingThe West Coast Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Pacific Division, Air Transport Command, headquartered at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, California...
(Air Transport Command route to Alaska) - Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....