BOAC Route into Switzerland - 1944
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BOAC Route into Switzerland - 1944
I’ve just finished reading “The Last Princess”, Matthew Dennison’s biography of Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter who died on 26th October 1944.
My interest was aroused by the following passage which refers to the journey of Princess Beatrice’s daughter Ena, then living in Switzerland, to the UK.
Queen Ena of Spain (Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg) was Beatrice’s daughter and married to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Ena was estranged from the King and lived separately in Geneva for the duration of the war.
“Converted Bomber” would seem to allude to the Mosquitoes used by BOAC during the war for journeys into neutral Sweden (the 'ball bearing' run), but this is the first time I’ve heard of them being used for flights into Switzerland.
Given that for most, if not all of 1944, Switzerland was surrounded by German occupied territory, what sort of route would BOAC’s Mosquitoes have to fly to get safely into and out of Switzerland?
My interest was aroused by the following passage which refers to the journey of Princess Beatrice’s daughter Ena, then living in Switzerland, to the UK.
“….and, on 25th October [1944], summoned by telegram, Ena left Geneva to return for the last time to her mother’s side. She travelled by converted bomber sent by the British government, but still arrived only just in time. At ten past five on the morning of 26th October, in a house deep in the English countryside belonging to a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, the last princess died peacefully in her sleep….”
“Converted Bomber” would seem to allude to the Mosquitoes used by BOAC during the war for journeys into neutral Sweden (the 'ball bearing' run), but this is the first time I’ve heard of them being used for flights into Switzerland.
Given that for most, if not all of 1944, Switzerland was surrounded by German occupied territory, what sort of route would BOAC’s Mosquitoes have to fly to get safely into and out of Switzerland?
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I imagine that with the palace pushing, the flight was organised as a one-off via our Swiss embassy. For routing, I would expect that via France would provide the best opportunity, and as you say the Mossies were the only high speed capability fitted out for the task, personal thermos service - serve yourself - and of course civilian (BOAC) - but cold!!
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Surely the Allied advance from the South of France would have opened the Swiss/French border by that time meaning a flight could avoid enemy airspace.
However I have never seen any mention of BOAC operating to Switzerland during the war.
As an aside BOAC did operate some direct UK/Cairo Liberator flights over occupied Europe in 1942
However I have never seen any mention of BOAC operating to Switzerland during the war.
As an aside BOAC did operate some direct UK/Cairo Liberator flights over occupied Europe in 1942
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Thanks for the replies.
I've now been informed separately that by October 1944 Allied forces had re-taken all of southern and western France including up to the Swiss border. As a result there was a clear straight-line flight-path through Allied-controlled airspace between southern England and Geneva so the flight wouldn't have been too difficult after all.
I've now been informed separately that by October 1944 Allied forces had re-taken all of southern and western France including up to the Swiss border. As a result there was a clear straight-line flight-path through Allied-controlled airspace between southern England and Geneva so the flight wouldn't have been too difficult after all.
