Rivals of a Kind: The Anglo-American Commercial Aviation Rivalry, 1939-45

Abstract

Before World War II, the British and Americans had been fierce rivals in the international airline business. Their wartime alliance muted this rivalry, yet it still simmered, manifesting itself in a variety of global incidents and issues. As the war progressed, the Americans gained tremendous advantages in the field, raising British fears about American dominance of the world’s airways. In turn, American policymakers worried about British control of key areas of the world. The mutual suspicion grew, and the rivalry resurfaced in the last months of the war. The conflict had merely subsumed the differences, and made the two powers rivals of a kind.