WW2 Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Transport

[David Dunlop]

I was sitting here with a cup of tea thinking over various things World War Two related, and it struck me I know very little about the lines of communication and transport that existed across the Pacific from Canada to Australia and New Zealand during the war. I think I have always assumed the Japanese control of the southern Pacific area was so tight, there wasn't any meaningful traffic and any shipping or air movement took the long way round from Europe.

Take the CMP/Blitz, for example. How did they get established in Australia? Directly from Canada via the Canadian West Coast, or via Europe to North Africa to South Africa to Australia and New Zealand?

There were frequent flights from Canada and the USA to Europe via Northern and Southern Atlantic routes. Were any similar flights done across the Pacific via Hawaii, Fiji…?


David