One incredible achievement during World War II was that the United States brought supplies to China over the Himalayan Mountains. It was an airlift over some of the world’s most difficult terrain, and by war’s end it moved over 750,000 tons of cargo to China. The aircrew flying this route called it “the Hump.”
A Dangerous Route
Ms. Alexander opens by sketching in the background, describing the wars between China and Japan and the need to supply Chinese armies from abroad. Eventually, the sole path to China was the overland Burma Road, between Rangoon, Burma (now called Myanmar), and Kunming, China. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and Britain. Japan invaded Burma, a British colony. A disastrous British defense allowed Japan to capture most of Burma, which Ms. Alexander describes in painful detail. It severed the Burma Road.President Roosevelt wanted China to remain in the war, tying down Japanese forces that could otherwise be sent to fight against American troops. He directed the United States Army Air Forces to airlift supplies to China. Ms. Alexander describes what follows.
She shows how the airlift grew from unsteady origins to a well-polished organization delivering over 20,000 tons of supplies monthly in 1945. She describes the route’s challenges: geographic, logistical, technological, and military. It crossed high mountains and dense jungle, and flew through some of the world’s worst weather.
The starting point for the Hump was 18,000 miles from the United States. The aircraft used were untested, and the aircrew consisted of those who were available after all other priorities were filled.
The participants were varied and many became or were well-known. Actor Gene Autry and author Ernest Gann were pilots who crossed the Hump. Correspondent Eric Sevareid crashed during a Hump flight and walked out through the jungle. Authors John Masters and George Macdonald Frasier were infantry officers in Japan-occupied Burma, just south of the Hump route. Journalist Joseph Alsop served with the 14th Air Force stationed in Burma. Ms. Alexander evaluates Allied military leaders including Joseph Stillwell, Claire Chennault, William Slim, and Orde Windgate—some favorably, others not.
“Skies of Thunder” is an incisive study of the aerial supply to China. Ms. Alexander provides a comprehensive campaign report and a clear-eyed assessment of its successes and failures. The text is lively, balancing technical and human factors to yield a fascinating account of a difficult campaign.
