Figure 1.--We do not have the caption for this press photograph, but we believe it shows Hungarian refugee children being brought to America in early-1957. Many of the Hungarian refugees arriving in Austria were young men fredom fighters and anti-Coomunist families, but there were also unaccompanied minors like the children here.

The Seaboard and Western Airline is today a corporarion rather lost to history. It is a rather amazing corporate story, saving rfugees, playing a role in the Cold, and of all things transprting animals. Seaboard & Western Airlines was founded by the Norden brothers, Arthur and Raymond (September 11, 1946). They were World War II veterans of the U.S. Army Air Corps’s Air Transport Command. The boys had a boyhood interest in aviation. Raymond had dreamed of starting an airline while still a teenager. He became at age 28 the company’s first President. Arthur at age 32, became the Executive Vice President and Treasurer. With some fellow officer buddies seeking jobs and $20,000 in cash, they launched an airline. They began with a C-54, the military version of the DC-4 abd then purchased more DC-4s. Seabord was primarily a cargo airline, but carried some passengers. The company’s name changed to Seaboard World Airlines (1961). Seaboard World Airlines was absorbed by The Flying Tiger Line (1980). The Flying Tiger Line, Inc. was absorbed by the Federal Express Corporation (1988).

Refugees

We do not yet know the whole Seaboard refugee story. We have, however, some limited information.

Yemeni Jews: Operation Magic Carpet (1949-50)

Seabord played a keyrole in sving Yemnite Jews. Seabord flights in 1949 and 1950 brought belagered and starving Yemenite Jews to the new Jewish state of Israel. Before, America had been the only have for Jews. Now the Jews had a homeland accpting any Jew without question. Kuwaiti Jews for centuries had a despised and barely tolerated minoritybut tolerated Jewish minority. The Furst Arab-Israeli War raised historic tensions between arab and Jews thriughout the Middle Arabs took to venting theirvanger against Israel on loval Jews. The situation for Kuwaiti Jews was especially dire. We are not entirely sure why the Israelis chose Seabord, perhaps because it was useful to use an airline that was not so recognizably American. And Seabrd could convert its cargo planes to carru large numbers of rfugees, something the major carriers could not easily do. Seaboard modified its DC-4s with custom wooden benches that could accommodate an amazing 219 passengers. Modern wide-body jet have not yet matched the record 12-abreast seating used on these flights between Aden (South Yemen) and Tel Aviv. Some 50,000 Yemeni Jews were brought to Israel as part of Operation Magic Carpet.

Hungarians refugees (1956-57)

As Soviet tanks moved into Budapest to quash the Hungarian Revolution (November 1956), thousands Hungarians fled across the border to Austria. The Revolution had punched a hole in the Iron Curtain, Communists for a time lost control of the border. Many of the refugees wre hugarian freedom fighters knowing that they were on the KGB arrest list. Many fled with their families, not wanting to leave thm behind. This was more difficult as the crossing as the weather got colder was difficult for young children and the elderly. There were also unaccompanied minors who made the break for freedom. Some came with their parents and wre sparated making the crossing. Some came on their own. We at first thought the children here were German. There was no caption associated with the press photograph. After thinking about it, the clothing looks more appropiate to the 1950s than the 40s. And by the 50s the Germans had sorted out their huge refufee problem. In addition, German refugees did not arrive in Germany by air and their were mostly ressettled in Germany itself. The one telling clue we have here is that if you look carefully, one of the boys is wearing a Hungarian Boy Scout cap (which looks like a Hungarian Army cap). The children were given new warm clothing in Austria, but this boy held on to his Scout cap which he treasured. The Hungrian Revolution occurred in 1956. This of course would explain why the clothes look like the 1950s. The tags look like the ones we see on other photographs of the Hungarian refugee children.

Cold War

Seabord was deeply involved in the Cold War. Seabord was the first airline to fly support for the Berlin Airlift (1948). Food and supplies were flown into Berlin by militry aircraft. But Seaborn flew first pilots to Germany on an emergency basis and then flew food into Germany as part of Opperation Vittles. Four days after Oppration Vitles was formulated (June 30, 1948), a Seaboard DC-4 left Westover Field in Massachusetts on the first of what would end up being 106 transatlantic flights supporting the effort to save West Berlin. Seabord was the first airline to fly a U.S. Air Force Military Air Transport Service (MATS) charter. Seabord flew USAF pilots as part of the Pacific Airlift after the North Korens invaded South Korea. Only one week after the North Koreans crossed the 38th Parallel (July 3, 1950), a Seaboard DC-4 departed Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base on the first support flight of the Korean conflict by a commercial carrier. The Sabord flights were to Japan and the military then impleted the delivries ton the waerczone in Korea. When the conflict finally ended 44 months later, Seaboard had made more than 2,500 flights transported 34,000 U.S. servicemen and 23 million pounds of cargo between the United States and Japan. Seabord provided important DEW Line support for the the United States and Canada (1955-56). Seabord provided major support for the Unuted tates during the Vietnan War. Unlike the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War required that troops and materiel be delivered into the actual war zone. This incurred risks beyond those in normal commercial airline flying. At least two Seaboard flights were hit by ground fire, but fortunately no casualties resulted.

Animals

From thevery beginning, Seaboard began trnsporting amimals, including very large animals that previously wer only tranported by sea. Such long trnsportation experiences was very stressful for the animals. Seaported thousands of monkeys from India and the Philippines for research. This led to the Salk vaccine, and an end to the terrible polio disease that struck at children and so terrorized American parents. Animals of every size description became Seaboard passengers, from mice to elephants. Seaboard trnsported the first elephants to ever ride in an airplane. One early Seaboard flight moved 133 animals, including 6 baby elephants, from Singapore and Bangkok to New York. A Seaboard charter moved a valuable heard of dairy cows from Wisconsin to the Persian Gulf in only a few hours. Seaboard became the go to airline for moving valuable racehorses.

Created: 8:39 AM 3/26/2018
Last updated: 8:39 AM 3/26/2018