Flying the ships back to the States after the war

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Posted By Chris Mills on February 17, 2007 at 18:16:54:

My late father, Lt. Edward Mills, served in the 388th Bomb Group. After the war, he and his crew flew their B-17 the Jamaica Ginger back to the States. The route took them over some large expanses of open ocean, but most of the crews did not have over-water navigation experience. My father once described how the navy "parked" ships every hundred miles or so along these routes, with flashing beacons on them. The bomber crews literally flew from one beacon to the next.

Can anyone provide me with more information about how this was done, or suggest where I may find such information? In all of my reading and research into the Mighty Eighth's history, I have never come across anything about this remarkable but unheralded feat.

Thank You - Chris Mills

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Comments:: My late father, Lt. Edward Mills, served in the 388th Bomb Group. After the war, he and his crew flew their B-17 the Jamaica Ginger back to the States. The route took them over some large expanses of open ocean, but most of the crews did not have over-water navigation experience. My father once described how the navy "parked" ships every hundred miles or so along these routes, with flashing beacons on them. The bomber crews literally flew from one beacon to the next. : Can anyone provide me with more information about how this was done, or suggest where I may find such information? In all of my reading and research into the Mighty Eighth's history, I have never come across anything about this remarkable but unheralded feat. : Thank You - Chris Mills

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