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Over the Roof of the World
One incredible achievement during World War II was the US supply of China over the Himalayan Mountains. An airlift over some of the world’s most difficult terrain. By war’s end, it moved over 750 thousand tons of cargo to China. The aircrew flying its route called the route “The Hump.”
Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World, by Caroline Alexander, tells the story of the Hump. The book describes the airlift, what it took to assemble the resources to conduct it, and the circumstances leading to starting and continuing it.
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 Hump and the aerial supply of China. 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.
“Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World,” by Caroline Alexander, Viking, 2024, 496 pages, $32.00 (Hardcover), $13.99 (e-book)
This review was written by Mark Lardas who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com. It appeared in a different form in Epoch Times.
Published in Book Reviews
Good ol’ Vinegar Joe.
She wasn’t kind to him or Chennault. Rightfully so in my opinion.
There was a reason he earned his nickname, and as Momma used to say, “You catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
Sigh!
Claire Chennault built an air force despite lacking a few things. He didn’t have any planes. That wasn’t as bad as it sounds, because he didn’t have any pilots either.
Well, he said he built an air force.
Wasn’t his fault the US poached his pilots.
He was given command of that air force by the USAAF. Then he used it to run a smuggling ring.
My great uncle serviced C-46s flying The Hump. I may have to read this book now.
That part is news to me. I haven’t made the study of it that others have. I should read the book to find out what I’ve missed.
It’s at the end of the book. Chennault’s son could have given Hunter Biden lessons. Chennault was brought into the AAF along with the rest of the AVG members and given command of the Air Force operating out of China.
Ms. Alexander wrote the first book I read about the Shackleton expedition (Endurance) and the book included Frank Hurley’s incredible photographs. It was an outstanding presentation and, perhaps because of the photos, a fairly brief telling of the events. At any rate, I’m always willing to give her books a look. Thanks for the review!
The author was a big reason I chose the book for review. I had read several books about the Shackleton expedition before hers, and hers was the best. Her book about the Bounty munity was also superlative. I highly recommend both.
If vinegar keeps the flies away, then I favor vinegar.
Will I miss out on a lot if I listen to it on Audible rather than get the Kindle version?
No. The photos and maps might help a little, but the story is the thing in this book.
Bill Murray, is that you?
This interview with the author was just released on the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast.
It is your goal to make me spend money?
A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.