Filled with larger-than-life characters, and revelations of the vision and technology it took to dominate the skies before and during, World War II, here is a gripping piece of aviation history.Pan Am at War chronicles the airline’s historic role in advancing aviation and serving America’s national interest before and during World War II. From its inception, Pan American Airways operated as the … Airways operated as the “wings of democracy,” spanning six continents and placing the country at the leading edge of international aviation.
At the same time, it was clandestinely helping to fight America’s wars.
Utilizing government documents, declassified Freedom of Information Act material, and company documents, the authors have uncovered stories of Pan Am’s stunning role as an instrument of American might:
- The airline’s role in building air bases in Latin America and countering Axis interests that threatened the Panama Canal
- Creating transatlantic and trans-Africa supply lines for sending Lend-Lease equipment to Britain
- Cooperation with Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese nationalist government to pioneer the dangerous “Hump” route over the Himalayas
- The dangerous seventeen-thousand-mile journey that took President Roosevelt to the high-stakes Casablanca Conference with Winston Churchill
- The daring flight that delivered uranium for the atomic bomb.
For anyone interested in aviation, business, or military history, here is astonishing story filled with big ideas and the leaders who made them a reality.more
A PanAm seaplane was trapped on a flight to Pacific when Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, USA. This story of how the crew and some PanAm A&P mechanics nursed the very large aircraft 3/4 around the world back to their base in the USA. From blowed ( mechanic description of a cracked cylinders heads) to no aviation fuel this crew using their skills managed to overcome all adversities an bring the bird home. As an Airline Aircraft & Power plant licensed mechanic by FAA I understood the problems was amazed at their recovery from near disaster time after time..
Highly recommend the read, you will gain an understanding of the complex dance required to keep those piston engine airplanes flying in early aviation days!!
A good review of the history of commercial aviation.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Pan American Airways cast air lines across the world’s great oceans, pioneering intercontinental air travel… one of the great technological accomplishments of the twentieth century. At the same time… Pan Am served as a spearpoint of U.S. strategic engagement, projecting American power to every corner of the globe. In their briskly-written and ever-amazing Pan Am at War, authors Mark Cotta Vaz and John H. Hill tell what must surely be the greatest corporate story in American history — how Pan Am’s daring and visionary executives, aviators, and innovators helped win the Second World War.
Pan Am at War is a fascinating and little known story of how the development of this seminal airline became a huge asset for America in WWII. Pan Am went to war right alongside B-17s, B-29s, Corsairs, Hellcats. Aerodynamics, instrumentation, routes — Pan Am was there. Another great story from the greatest generation.
A gem for WWII history fans. A gem for aviation history fans. Who would have thought that Hap Arnold founded Pam Am? That Pan Am was a major supply channel for the CBI theater? That Pan Am built 100+ airports for the war, mostly in Africa & South America? That Pan Am thwarted Condor (Lufthansa) efforts to build a South American base for the Germans? A gem.
Goodread! Was previously unaware of the contributions of Pan Am to the war effort. It was significant! Worthy of reading
Very informative about how Pan Am and Juan Trippe came to prominence and in the ensuing years became a legacy airline.
Covers a neglected aspect of World War II, but spends more time discussing internal PanAm politics than the airlines war contribution. Source material was heavily reliant on PanAm sources, making it read like a corporate history.
Interesting narrative about the seminal contributions of Juan Tripp and Pan Am to the development of commercial aviation.
Makes you want to find more books that take a closer look at some of the occurrences and adventures contained in this book.
Well done and a very interesting book to read. Lots of facts that I had never been made aware of. A little to much of organization structure but my be that as needed. I’m glad I read it.
great history lesson
Great read about history I never knew about.
Interesting behind-the-scenes look at both the history of one of America’s iconic airlines, and the cooperation that developed between this civilian company and our Military in the years that lead up to WW II (as well as during the war itself.) If there is a downside to the book, there is almost too much minute detail. This 500-plus page story could easily have been told in 350 pages.