Lifeline Across Africa in 1941 October 2, 2007

Williamsburg author, resident and former Pan Am Airlines mechanic Andy Dawson will talk about the days in 1941 when the famed Pan Am Clippers supported the war effort by flying supplies across the Atlantic and sub-Saharan Africa. He will discuss his book, Pan Africa: Across the Sahara in 1941 with Pan Am, on Tuesday, October 2 at 7 p.m. in the Schell Room at the Williamsburg Library, 515 Scotland Street. The program is free of charge and reservations are not needed. Contact the library at (757) 259-4050 or visit www.wrl.org for more information.

By mid-August 1941, the British Army had lost control of the seas. At Winston Churchills request, Pan Am Airlines president Juan Trippe came up with a lifeline. In only 10 weeks, Pan Am set up an air route to cross the Atlantic and sub-Saharan Africa, building airports and supply depots along the way. Following Pearl Harbor, Pan Am extended the route to include the infamous Hump, the path across the Himalayas into China, bringing vital war material to both the British and Chinese armies. As a 21 -year old mechanic, the author, Andy Dawson, helped service the Clippers and other aircraft that carried material and personnel to Africa.

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