Air Bridge to the Allies: Establishing US Army Air Forces Tr

On July 15, 1942, a formation of six Lockheed P-38s and two B-17s from the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) were making their way across the northern Atlantic Ocean heading for Great Britain.[1] Using the call sign Tomcat Flight, the small P-38 fighters were escorted by the larger B-17 bombers that had a dedicated navigator and a radio operator on board shepherding their “little friends” on the long journey. While this area of the globe is known for its fickle weather, the summer months were generally considered the best time of year to transverse the expanse. However, on the third leg of the journey, running from Greenland to Iceland, the North Atlantic weather lived up to its unpredictable reputation. The formation ran into bad weather, experienced icing, and was unable to continue its eastward journey. Hoping to return to their point of departure at airfield “BLUIE WEST 8” in western Greenland, the P-38’s fuel status showed otherwise.[2] Because ditching in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic was a death sentence, the formation decided to land on a nearby ice cap on Greenland’s east coast.

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