By hannover-web.com Five high school students from the San Francisco Bay Area have come together to create an impactful work titled “Flying Over the Hump: A Visual History of the Sino-American Aerial Transport During the War.” Guided by Dr. Hsiao-Ting Lin, a prominent researcher at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and director of its East Asia Archive, the students delved into archives and photographs from the U.S. National Archives and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan to produce this book. Packed with rare photographs and intricate narratives, it shines a light on a crucial chapter in the history of Sino-American aviation cooperation.
Among the authors are Lucas Yuan from Balboa High School, Catherine Liu from Khan Lab School, Everett Wang from Los Gatos High School, Ellie Wang from Monta Vista High School, and Patrick Hao from Homestead High School.
The book chronicles the grim realities during the eight-year Sino-Japanese War, a time when Japanese forces completely obstructed maritime transport routes along China’s coast. The Burma Road, the only remaining land supply route, became unserviceable after the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942. In a desperate effort to assist China’s resistance against Japan, the U.S. and China were forced to create an aerial route connecting northeastern India to Kunming in Yunnan. This route, referred to as “The Hump,” involved perilous flights over the eastern Himalayas with altitudes ranging from 4,500 to 5,500 meters, and peaks rising to 7,000 meters. The area was noted for its unpredictable air currents, often making it one of the most challenging environments for aviation.
At the same time, the propeller-driven aircraft of that era were limited in altitude capabilities and faced numerous threats from Japanese fighters. The Hump transport operation is recognized as one of the most extensive wartime airlifts, executed under exceptionally difficult aviation conditions over several years, leading to notable sacrifices.
From 1942 to 1945, the Hump airlift accumulated 1.5 million flight hours, transporting 650,000 tons of vital supplies, while sadly resulting in the loss of 590 planes and the lives of 1,314 aircrew members from both the U.S. and the Chinese National Aviation Corporation (CNAC). This airlift proved to be an essential lifeline for China, significantly bolstering the Chinese war effort and playing a pivotal role in the eventual victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
