ATA DUTIES: FREIGHT

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 The ATA is remembered as an organization that ferried aircraft around Great Britain, but in accordance with its broad mandate to 'do whatever it could' to help the war effort, it also became engaged in transporting freight. This particular activity started rather late in the war, but became increasingly important after the Normandy invasion.

 

 The ATA's first freight flights were internal and designed to carry urgently needed spare parts from the central stores in White Waltham to the various Ferry Pools around the country as necessary. This cargo carrying service operated on a strict, daily schedule and it was a 'point of honour' to the pilots to take off almost regardless of the weather.

With the D-Day invasion, however, the ATA found itself reverting to its initial role of doing 'whatever is necessary' and as the Allied Armed Forces penetrated ever deeper into the European Continent, the logistical system was under ever greater strain. By September 1944, with the opening of the Arnhem Offensive, the RAF was so overstretched that it turned to the ATA for assistance in getting urgently needed supplies to the Second Army then advancing into Holland. 

All ATA Ferry Pools were immediately contacted and asked to release what they could spare in the way of taxi Ansons and to deliver these to White Waltham. At White Waltham during the night of [September] 16th, ground engineers worked unceasingly to strengthen the floors of the Ansons to carry loads of 1,500 to 1,700 lbs, to paint them with the black and white 'invasion' stripes and generally to ensure they were fully serviceable. [Lettice Curtis, The Forgotten Pilots, W&J Mackay and Co, 1971, 252.

 Roughly, twenty pilots were engaged in this mission, which lasted several weeks, during which as many as 30 sorties were flown each day. Although the bulk of the material was delivered to Brussels, some flights were taken "right up to the front-line airstrips at Tilburg, Eindhoven and Nijmegen on the fringe of the Arnhem battlefield." [E.C. Cheesman, Brief Glory, Anthony Rowe Ltd, 1946, 187.

To cope with above demands, the ATA created an 'Overseas Freight Flight,' and once it was in existence, it made itself useful to the Red Cross and other relief organisations as well by bringing back  wounded personnel, released POWs and refugees. Gradually, and without any clear mandate, the ATA began to assume charter work for destinations all across Europe and even to the Middle East.

In the last phase of the war, ATA pilots delivering supplies to any point on the Continent would simply inquire on arrival if there was any further work for them. The spirit of this service is best summed up by the following exchange reported by an ATA pilot: 

"On arrival in Algiers we delivered our cargo and manifests, and asked if they had any loads for anywhere. 'What? Anywhere?' said the astonished, Officer in Charge. 'What a wonderful service!' [Cheeseman, 197]

 

A former ATA woman pilot is one of the leading female protagonists in the Bridge to Tomorrow Trilogy about the Berlin Airlift.  Find out more about the series at: https://helenapschrader.net/bridge-to-tomorrow/

Watch a video teaser here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7rS_Mwy3TU 

                                      

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