Civil Airlines in WWII

Neutral but friendly Portugal's capital ,Lisbon was an important refuelling stop for the allies civilian air services.Flying boats landed at Cabo Ruivo on the River Tagus. BOAC's landplanes used the grass field at Sintra (initially DH Albatross and Lockheed 14 were used, then KLM DC-3s on contract with British registrations and camouflage). From October 1942 the Portela airfield with hard runways was available. The 1943 photograph by Mario Novais from the Gulbenkian Flickr archive shows one KLM DC-3, 3 BOAC Dakotas and 3 BOAC Liberators (clicks to larger)

The Italians maintained an air service from Rome to Lisbon via Spain until the capitulation of Mussolini's government. The Savoia-Marchetti was probably photographed at Lisbon Portela around the time of the Fascists collapse when their ambassador was flown back
Alitália, Portugal by Biblioteca de Arte / Art Library Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, on Flickr

Photographs of flying boat operations from the River Tagus, Lisbon are not very common. The Pan American Clipper service European Terminal moved to neutral Lisbon when WWII commenced. Here's Eve Curie, journalist and New York socialite, leading passengers up the pier at the Cabo Ruivo flying boat facility, 1940...(America was still at peace)

The Pan American Boeing 314s suffered only one loss during WWII, that of Yankee Clipper NC18603 which dug a wingtip landing at Lisbon in 1943 and sank with some loss of life. It's wreck was recovered from the River Tagus.

Wreckage of Yankee Clipper being brought ashore at Lisbon

Going back to the military conversions of the Short G-class flying boats there is some coverage in Tim Mason's book 'The Seaplane Years'..in the b&w photo of a G-class at Helensburgh the registration ...'FCK can be read under the port wing so it's Golden Horn
Since the colour profile is based on a b&w photo with its background censored out ,it should be treated with caution as a source

Yes....My assumption that large Union Jacks were painted on the BOAC flying boats after Captain James trip to Las Palmas after about October 1940, now has to be abandoned. The latest b&w photo has its background heavily censored raising the possibility other alterations were made to the photo

Thanks for adding me to this forum!

I'm from the Netherlands and I've always been fascinated by the pioneering years of aviation. In this thread I saw some pictures where KLM planes in camouflage were visible. The Dutch author Jan Hagens wrote 2 books on the KLM during WW II: "Londen of Berlijn?" (London or Berlin?). It is quite an amazing history! After the Netherlands were occupied by the Germans in May 1940 the KLM got split up in 4 parts:

• KLM in occupied Holland: forced to work for the German Army, repairing planes, overhauling engines and such.
• KLM in Bristol and later Whitchurch: eventually operating the Lisbon line under charter from BOAC with planes that escaped from the Netherlands, were stationed in Lisbon, or were en route between Napals and Batavia when the Germans attacked on May 10th 1940
  
• KLM in the Dutch East Indies: amongst others flying British Royal Mail and passengers from Java to Palestine visa versa, until Japan steamrolled over the pacific and the fleet evacuated to Australia
• KLM in the Dutch West Indies: operating lines in the Caribbean