Gordons Goodreads along with countless books, movies and streaming documentaries have delved deeply into the European and Pacific Theaters of The Second World War. Caroline Alexander’s new work of non-fiction SKIES OF THUNDER takes the reader to a relatively lesser known WWII Theater, the BURMA HUMP.

During WWII one of the most deadly missions of the war flew hundreds of tons of supplies from India to China over the treacherous airoute above the Himalayas and the northern deep jungles of of Burma. (Now Myanmar). FDR was determined to supply the Nationalist Chinese Army to prevent a Japanese takeover of China. China’s Nationalist leader was none other than Chiang-Kai-shek. With the old Burma Road not accessible, the only supply access was by air. The flying conditions brought about by weather including the annual Monsoons, high altitude icing and the dangerous Himalayan peaks made for nearly impossible flying conditions. But fly they must and hundreds lost their lives.

Alexander’s writing and research has no mercy for the military commanders in charge. Vinegar Joe Stilwell’s and Claire Lee Chennault’s ( Flying Tigers fame) reputations are left in tatters. Chiang-Kai-shek’s strongest supporter was perhaps FDR himself. The project became rife with a black market of American supplies. Through it all hundreds of brave pilots gave their lives, many bodies never recovered from snow covered mountain slopes and deep unexplored jungle.

Exactly what did the Hump accomplish? It demonstrated conclusively that a vast quantity of cargo could be delivered by air even under the most unfavorable circumstances if leadership was willing to pay the price in men and money. A Japanese takeover of China was prevented and millions of Japanese troops were diverted from the Pacific Theater to China. However, following the war, Chiang Ki-shek’s Nationalist Government ultimately fell to the Communists leaving the United States with Formosa which is now Taiwan.