The Burmese Hump

To keep the Chinese war-effort supplied during the second world war, more than 157,000 flights were made over the eastern Himalayas, between India and China.

Ranging from 10,000 feet to 16,000 feet, crossing the mountains on the China-Burmese border exposed crews to hypoxia in the unpressurised aircraft.

The Monsoon weather added to the difficulties.

Everything we know about air cargo was learned in the operations of the Air Transport Command.

509 planes were crashed and a further 81 lost. 1,659 people were killed.

A total of 650,000 tonnes of freight and 33,400 people made the trek across “The Hump” using a fleet of up to 640 aircraft at a time.

Looking down on the stratocumulus stacked-up on the Burmese (Myanmar) side, we spare a thought for those who never made it across.

Listen to a podcast interviewing a radio operator who flew "The Hump"
https://tinyurl.com/FlyingTheHump