The British Purchasing Commission was a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

organisation of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Also known at some time as the "Anglo-French Purchasing Board", it was based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where it arranged the production and purchase of armaments from North American manufacturers. After the 1940 French Surrender it became the 'British Purchasing Commission'. The Commission was also responsible for taking over orders that had originally been placed by France, Belgium, and later by Norway, after the capitulation of those countries. The Board was able to arrange purchases in spite of the Neutrality Acts via " Cash and Carry", paying for the

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the spec ...

with Britain's

gold reserve A gold reserve is the gold held by a national central bank, intended mainly as a guarantee to redeem promises to pay depositors, note holders (e.g. paper money), or trading peers, during the eras of the gold standard, and also as a store ...

s. The Board had been established before the war buying aircraft such as the Lockheed Super Electra. Facing an

aeroplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spec ...

shortage during the early stages of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, in January 1940, the British government established the British Direct Purchase Commission to purchase US planes that would help supplement domestic plane production. By December 1940 British cash orders for aircraft had exceeded $1,200,000,000 with deliveries of 300-350 per month and were expected to reach 500 per month by "early in 1941". The aircraft were supplied unarmed. The requests by the Board to US manufacturers stimulated production and design including the development and production of what would become the

North American Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

, which was designed for the Commission. Upon entry into

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) or other Commonwealth service an

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of Stat ...

service name was applied, thus the Consolidated 28-5 became the '

Consolidated Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...

'. Aircraft purchased by the Commission first had to be moved across the border into

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, due to the US' neutrality laws, it being illegal to transport 'war materials' direct from US ports. Sailing from

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...

, smaller aircraft with insufficient range to make the journey across the Atlantic were delivered to the UK by ship as cargo, with the aircraft 'knocked down' into component sections and crated. Upon arrival in the UK crated aircraft were transported to RAF Speke where they were assembled and test flown. Larger aircraft were ferried directly across the Atlantic from RCAF Gander to

RAF Prestwick ) , type = Military air traffic control centre , coordinates = , gridref = , image_map = , image_mapsize = , image_map_alt = , image_map_caption = , pushpin_map = Scotland South Ayrshire#UK , pushpin_map_caption = Location within S ...

, first by the Atlantic Ferry Organization ("Atfero"), and subsequently by RAF Ferry Command. After the establishment of

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

, aircraft and other weapons could be supplied direct to the UK.

Aircraft bought by the Commission

* Bell Model 14/P-400 - originally allocated RAF service name "Bell Caribou", but entered RAF service as Bell Airacobra * Boeing Model 299T (B-17C) - entered RAF service as Boeing Fortress * Brewster B-339 - Belgian order for ''Aviation Militaire'' - entered RAF service as Brewster Buffalo * Brewster B-340 - Netherlands order for 162 aircraft for ''Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger'' (ML-KNIL) but all repossessed by USN before delivery, and 750 ordered for UK - entered limited UK service as Brewster Bermuda * Consolidated LB-30 - French order for 120 for ''

Armée de l'air The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Ar ...

''. None delivered. Later taken over by UK - entered RAF service as Consolidated Liberator * Consolidated 28-5 - entered RAF service as Consolidated Catalina * Curtiss SBC-4 - French order of 50 aircraft for ''Aeronavale'', last five delivered to UK and given service name Curtiss Cleveland * Curtiss Model 75 - French order, 316 delivered to France. Entered RAF service as Curtiss Mohawk * Curtiss Model 81A & 87 - entered RAF service as Curtiss Tomahawk (early aircraft) or Curtiss Kittyhawk (later aircraft). Packard-Merlin engined aircraft originally allocated RAF name Warhawk but on service entry 'Kittyhawk' name was applied as-per later Allison-engined variants * Curtiss P-46 - ordered by UK and allocated name Curtiss Kittyhawk but aircraft and order later cancelled and name applied to later P-40/Tomahawks incorporating more powerful

Allison V-1710 The Allison V-1710 aircraft engine designed and produced by the Allison Engine Company was the only US-developed V-12 liquid-cooled engine to see service during World War II. Versions with a turbocharger gave excellent performance at high ...

engine intended for P-46. * Douglas DB-7/DB-19 - French order, 64 delivered to France. Entered RAF service as Douglas Boston (bomber) or Douglas Havoc (

Intruder Intruder may refer to: Film and television * ''The Intruder'' (1914 film), directed by Wallace Reid * ''The Intruder'' (1933 film), an American film by Albert Ray * ''The Intruder'' (1939 film), ''La intrusa'', an Argentine film by Julio Sa ...

/ Night fighter) * Douglas DB-1 - entered

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

(RCAF) service as Douglas Digby. *

Douglas DC-2 The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which ...

- several aircraft purchased by UK, including DC-2 prototype ex-TWA ''NC13301'', and used in India. *

Grumman F4F The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atla ...

- French order - entered

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...

(FAA) service as Grumman Martlet, later renamed Grumman Wildcat to match US service name * Lockheed Hudson - patrol bomber designed for RAF based on Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra *

Lockheed Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in 1 ...

- designed for RAF - improved Hudson * Lockheed Model 322A/Model 322B - Franco-British order - tested by RAF and given service name Lockheed Lightning but order later cancelled due to poor performance * Glenn Martin Model 167 - French order for bombers- Approximately 215 of order delivered to France, remainder to UK. Entered RAF service as Martin Maryland * Glenn Martin Model 187 - Franco-British order for improved Model 167. Entered RAF service as Martin Baltimore * North American NA-64-P2 - French order for 230 trainer aircraft, 111 delivered before

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

. Remainder taken over by Britain and entered service with RCAF as North American Yale * North American NA-57/NA-66 - Franco-British order for improved NA-64/Harvard - RAF service name North American Harvard * North American NA-73 - designed for RAF - entered service as North American Mustang * Northrop A-17 - French order of 93, no recorded deliveries. Transferred to UK - declared obsolete, transferred to South African Air Force (SAAF) for training - allocated RAF service name Northrop Nomad * Northrop N-3PB - Norwegian order, transferred to UK and used by Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) in exile in Little Norway, Canada, and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

* Vought-Sikorsky 156 - French order. 40 delivered. Another French order for 50 was later taken over by UK and the type entered limited

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

(RN) service as Vought-Sikorsky Chesapeake * Vultee P-66 - Swedish order, cancelled by US State Department after

Invasion of Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

- order taken over by Britain and given service name Vultee Vanguard, but immediately after Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour all 144 aircraft built requisitioned by USAAC * Vultee Model 72 - designed for France - order taken over and entered RAF service as Vultee Vengeance

Directors General

* Arthur Blaikie Purvis - 1941 *Sir Clive Baillieu - 1942

Other staff of note

* Mary NortonMary Norton
/ref> *

Wilfred Hill-Wood Sir Wilfred William Hill Hill-Wood (8 September 1901 – 10 October 1980) was an English financier and cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1919 and 1936, as well as for Cambridge University and Marylebone Cricket Clu ...

References

External links

''Flight'' article on BPC orders and American supplies
United Kingdom defence procurement United Kingdom–United States relations United States in World War II

Aircraft bought by the Commission

Directors General

Other staff of note

See also

References

Further reading

External links