Steven King

Flying the Hump to China Steven King

A youngster's flying dreams become a reality when he enlists in the Army Air Corps. Flying ever more challenging airplanes, he earns his wings and learns the skills needed to fly the B-24 Liberator. He boards a plane for overseas, his destination being unknown. It turns out to be India, flying 4-engine cargo aircraft hauling gasoline over the Hump to China, where B-29s wait for gas to make bombing runs on Japan. Fear is not the enemy; fear is towering thunderstorms with lightning, extreme turbulence, driving rain, icing and headwinds. Over 150 photos clarify the dual CBI mission; the two year effort to reopen the Burma Road and the first airlift that delivered 650,000 tons of support to China.