World War Two: When 600 US planes crashed in Himalayas

[Jilly_in_VA]

Since 2009, Indian and American teams have scoured the mountains in India's north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, looking for the wreckage and remains of lost crews of hundreds of planes that crashed here over 80 years ago.
Some 600 American transport planes are estimated to have crashed in the remote region, killing at least 1,500 airmen and passengers during a remarkable and often-forgotten 42-month-long World War Two military operation in India. Among the casualties were American and Chinese pilots, radio operators and soldiers.

The operation sustained a vital air transport route from the Indian states of Assam and Bengal to support Chinese forces in Kunming and Chunking (now called Chongqing).
The war between Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allies (France, Great Britain, the US, the Soviet Union, China) had reached the north-eastern part of British-ruled India. The air corridor became a lifeline following the Japanese advance to India's borders, which effectively closed the land route to China through northern Myanmar (then known as Burma).
The US military operation, initiated in April 1942, successfully transported 650,000 tonnes of war supplies across the route - an achievement that significantly bolstered the Allied victory.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67633928

One of my favorite home health patients flew The Hump. Boy, did he have some stories to tell!

[Chainfire]

1. The big problem with Himalayan clouds is that they are sometimes full of rocks.

[Ritabert]

2. My uncle flew the Hump in a DC-3 or C-47

Luckily he survived the war and went on to join the fire department in his hometown.

[Irish_Dem]

5. He had already demonstrated tremendous bravery flying the Hump.

Fires would seem tame.

[Ritabert]

6. Good point.

[Dave Bowman]

3. I know a thing or two about WWII but it's the

first time I hear about this. Wow, that's truly fascinating.

[Irish_Dem]

4. My father flew the Burma Hump during WWII.

Back then he was a 20 year old tail gunner. It was brutal, dangerous and a miracle he survived.

He never said one word about it to me or his other children. As an adult I read about it.
He did say some things to my male cousins, later in his life.
But he was old school and he didn't talk to females about such things.
And the fact he only talked to his nephews about it 50 years later means it was bad.

[Ritabert]

7. My uncle didn't talk about it either

....although he would never eat chicken after some things he saw in Kunming....go figure.