Special Episode: Flying the Hump in the CBI

[@vernmeyerotto255]

Flying unpressurized, twin-engine cargo aircraft through mountainous terrain in some of the worst weather that the planet can create with no navigational aids can be called nothing but heroic. Bomber pilots on the way to the ETO used to shudder at the thought of just one trans-Atlantic crossing that ATC flew continually. As a young high school student, I took an AFJROTC course taught by Col Phillip B Cage, USAF. Col. Cage taught us a lot about life, aviation and the history of flight. He was a C-47 pilot who flew the Hump, brought supplies into a blockcaded Berlin, and flew one of the most harrowing missions to rescue wounded and frost-bitten Marines from the retreat from the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. After other pilots aborted the landing into the Koto-Ri emergency airstrip due to intense enemy fire and others refused to make the attempt, then Lt Col Cage dove his aircraft through withering fire to make the first of many landings to rescue the trapped Marines. Allergic To Combat? I think the citation that accompanied his Silver Star says it all: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel Phil B. Cage, United States Air Force, for gallantry in action against the enemy on 8 December 1950. Landing his C-47 transport airplane on a 1900 foot landing strip that had been hastily scraped from frozen sod at Koto-Ri, Korea, he effected the evacuation of 19 casualties who were doomed to perish from exposure or enemy capture. The peculiar location of the landing strip, which was the only level spot in the vicinity of the battlefront, made it necessary for Colonel Cage to fly his C-47 down a narrow valley which was flanked on both sides by thousands of enemy troops. As he let down on his approach to the landing strip, ridges, 2000 feet high, formed a physical hazard on each side. This hazard was further increased by intense napalm smoke, burning of abandoned supplies, and a light falling snow. As a follow-up to his daring flight, 312 additional wounded troops were swiftly evacuated by other C-47 pilots who emulated his example. Colonel Cage accomplished his mission literally within range of overwhelming enemy forces who surged to within 200 yards of Koto-Ri airstrip. His heroism, courageous devotion to duty, and superior leadership reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

[@gbcb8853]

Gentlemen, your respectful silence spoke volumes. Kudos to you and your guest for an outstanding presentation.

[@ganndeber1621]

Indeed

[@josephgilorma6979]

Agree 100%

[@flparkermdpc]

Nothing amateur about our professors anymore. They are really good!

[@WoodlandsArchive]

They dont need to speak. This lady has us all sitting on the edge of our seats. Very good epicode, truely.

[@ganndeber1621]

@@WoodlandsArchive Its so refreshing when experts are allowed to speak and all their guests are listened to and allowed to speak. Nice one

[@jimrecord6505]

My dad flew the hump many times. He was an intelligence officer with the first B-29 group in the CBI. They then went to Tinian for the rest of the war. He told a story of flying back to India at night. The pilot couldn’t see the usual cooking fires all over India. The navigator was sure they were on course. The pilot did a 180 and barely made back to base. They were flying out over the ocean!

[@flparkermdpc]

The Hand of God was on that pilot.

[@lurking0death]

My father was a CBI "Flying Tiger". He flew the P-40 shark painted "Warhawk" fighter and later he was absorbed into the U.S. Air Force where he flew B-24 bombers and C-47 transports. Including flying "The Hump". He didn't talk much about combat. He did talk about flying the hump and looking out the cockpit window at mountain peaks soaring 5000 feet above the max altitude his airplane could reach. He was sent home with dysentary, malaria and asthma. He finished the war as an aircraft ferry pilot and an instructor.

[@USSBB62]

As a Kid I remember watching on TV a program called. "Terry and the Pirates". A series about two pilots flying the Hump. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Thank you so much Caroline Alexander.

[@jovianmole1]

I can confirm the author's remark about not wanting to bail out over the jungle. My music educator/ organist citizen soldier Dad, a C-46 “Radio”, did speak of this. He also spoke of being off course and flying over unknown valleys with acres of military materiel stored. Chiang or Mao’s stash? I can also attest to the poor workmanship of the aircraft. One of his preflight tasks was to start the generator located under the floor in the tail for engine start. Being a taildragger, all the leaking hydraulic fluid would collect at that very position. He had heard stories of sparks from the generator setting the fluid on fire, with a slim chance of the airman escaping that position. He made it, after 109 missions, and was in the air during that terrible storm of January 6, 1945, when so many crews were lost. Radio landed at Uncle Sugar almost a year to the day of service in Chabua, India, flying the Hump. I am very proud to be his son. That generation that lived through the depression, and went on to fight tyranny and evil in the world deserves our sincerest gratitude, as do all that carry the “big stick”.

[@curtisweaver3682]

Re jungle bailouts ...they were afraid the locals were cannibals.

[@douglasrowe2161]

All your guests are so good, but I think this was the best yet. My Dad was a radio op, hauling fuel over the hump. Being a young mountain enthusiast, I asked him about the mountains. He said he didn't know, he was 19 years old and scared the whole time. He finally told me his stories during his last weeks. This episode brought me to tears a couple of times thinking of what my Dad, who "only flew in cargo planes" went through.

[@jovianmole1]

Hear hear

[@rfreitas1949]

@@douglasrowe2161 and flying planes that were not very good

[@flparkermdpc]

Our Dad's who😢 were Greatest Generation Men never thought of themselves as unique, "look at me" worthy. My dad's war contribution was as a "war essential" which was to be General Electric's man at Kaiser Shipbuilding, checkinĝ the electrical systems that GE supplied for those oñe a day Liberty Ships. He was a busy man! One checkride, outside the Columbia River in the Pacific, a Japanese submarine surfaced and checked them out! Fortunately the gun çrews were not yet supplied with ammo so nobody took on the IJN that day.😅And the Japanese weren't interested in añ empty cargo vessel. They figured it wasn't worth a Long Lance.😢😢

[@douglasrowe2161]

@@rfreitas1949 The fuel-hauling C109s were B24s that had already been worn out as bombers.

[@davidk7324]

What an absorbing show today. Thank you Dr. Alexander, I learned a great deal. I appreciate your clarity and ability to seamlessly lay out a story ('Skies of Thunder' is on order). And thank you Seth and Bill for posing thoughtful and probing questions -- and then just stepping back. I sincerely hope that Dr. Alexander will return.

[@markforan4812]

My wife’s uncle was a pilot who flew The Hump many times during WWII. He told me that nearly every flight was a nail-biter. Conditions were pretty bad on one particular flight. They were nearly out of fuel at they neared their destination. He prayed to his god, promising to be faithful if he were allowed to survive. As they approached the runway, they ran out of gas and glided the final yards to a safe landing. He kept his promise to his god. He died a peaceful death some 50 years later and was given a military funeral in Cold Spring NY in a cemetery overlooking the Hudson River. As Taps were played, a C-5 from nearby Stewart AFB made a slow, low pass over us. After the ceremony, I remarked that it was good of the NY Air National Guard to provide that tribute. I was told that nobody had arranged it. It was just one hell of a coincidence.

[@joshuablunck9984]

Caroline is wonderful. Thanks!

[@dankelly2147]

Indeed, Caroline’s discussion was brilliant.

[@michaelcoe9824]

What a wonderfully articulate guest , unpacking a misunderstood aspect of the CBI. Thankyou

[@dave3156]

What a dangerous theater to be assigned to! Excellent discussion with Caroline and someone very knowledgeable about this campaign. Great show Seth, Bill, and Caroline! Thx!!

[@dwaynelthompson]

Excellent. All of your guests have a real high level of communication that really shares the heart of the historical significance, and she is another fine example.

[@bobkitchin8346]

A wonderful episode. Caroline Alexander knows her stuff! She made an excellent observation about the connection between flying the Hump and the Berlin Airlift.

[@73Trident]

Bill,Seth and your guest Caroline thank for this episode of a lightly reported theater of WWII.

[@waynes.3380]

Well done, and a fantastic guest. Thanks for the special episode 😁

[@williampage622]

When living in El Paso, TX, late 50s early 60s, we had a next door neighbor who was a Hump pilot. Until this episode I really did not know what he had to go through during WW2. His name was Jim Irion, a local attorney. Thanks for the truly informative discussion:

[@peterabair1882]

What an enjoyable episode. Caroline was a remarkable guest! Somehow I missed this one first time around. So glad I checked back on past episodes.

[@jammininthepast]

OUTSTANDING GUEST! Thank you so very much...

[@JohnDalton-n6l]

Excellent episode!! Caroline is a treasure. I do have some information to add. I spent many years flying ex-C-47's in Alaska, and am very familiar with their performance. When I was flying there, I obtained a USAF Flight Manual which has procedures and performance information. The following comments are based on data from this manual. The 21,000-foot service ceiling is misleading, because it is based on a gross weight of only 21,000 pounds. At this weight, very little cargo could be carried, since the empty weight of the airplane and fuel remaining after climb would amount to nearly that weight. Actual weights were much heavier than that. The official gross weight was 26,000 pounds, based on a structural limitation of 3.0g's accelerated load. The maximum "Recommended" loading was 30,600 pounds, and the 'Not Recommended" weight started at 33,000 pounds. In civilian use after the war, the maximum gross weight for cargo operations was only 26,900 pounds. Talking to WWII C-47 pilots, gross weight was often "whatever it could get off the ground with." Service ceiling as Caroline pointed out, is the point at which the airplane will only climb a 100 feet per minute, or take ten minutes to climb 1,000 feet. This is only 10% of normal initial climb performance for aircraft of that era. The airplane is really only staggering along at that altitude, with no ability to counteract a downdraft. From the C-47 manual 100 ft. per minute climb is reached at 15,000 feet when at 27,000 pounds gross weight, and only 10,000 feet when at 31,000 pounds gross weight. To get over the 15,000 foot pass, weight was limited to 27.000 pounds, and performance was at it's extreme limit. Without help from external forces (like lift from winds acting against the rising terrain ("mountain wave") crossing the pass was impossible at a higher weights. These performance figures are taken from USAF Technical Manual 1-C-47-1, dated 15 March, 1963. It is safe to say that the performance data was retained from the WWII-era publication. This manual has performance for only aircraft with single speed superchargers, since the two speed superchargers had all been converted to eliminate the high speed setting by then. Since the C-47-B was not ordered until sometime in 1943, and none were delivered until some time later, it is safe to say that at least the bulk of C-47's operating over the Hump did not have performance greater than this. By then, the C-46's, C-54's, and C-87's were the workhorses. It is also pretty safe to say that any C-47-B's would have simply been loaded heavier and sent out with the same limited altitude performance. We should also note that during the New Guinea Campaign, C-47-A's were flying over 15,000 foot mountains regularly with the same limited performance, no navigational aids, and some very bad weather. Perhaps this could be the subject of a future episode? One of the local merchants in the small town I grew up in had been a C-47 pilot supplying Patton in the European Campaign. They flew very overloaded planes into very tight places. One policy was landing on sports fields, because land mines would be visible when planted in the grass!

[@corbfisher]

Thank you very much for doing this. My father was a 19 year old truck driver over there at the time who did his part on sections of the Burma Road. A lot of sad stories that he came across. If not forgotten, certainly a much less discussed part of the overall Pacific war and the land war in Asia.

[@mkaustralia7136]

There is a purity of presentation from a knowledgeable academic, structure, logic and erudition

[@corbfisher]

Erudition. That's another word that didn't get used before on the podcast.🔥

[@ralphregan1473]

What a great storyteller! So much detail to the various operations, which you can only get from interviewing the people on the ground, or their memoirs. Thankful we still have the resources to employ the many talented people you feature who explain the narrative with an emphasis on history, not ideology. What a nice Saturday surprise!

[@flparkermdpc]

I could not have said it as well.

[@robertgarbe6348]

This is frickin awesome and along with the SeaBee interview is in many way's the most precious and enlightening of the KZbin videos because it brings into focus the rest of the success story of WW2, that of logistics. Without bullets the combat troops would have been in a world of hurt. My dad was a Quartermaster Lt. in Philadelphia for the war and picked to do this because he was an accountant at Gen Motors and was valued for this skill. ALL service men contributed to that effort. the brief discussion of the transport pilots over the hump and that they were somehow "less than" the fighter and bomber pilots starkly illustrates the importance of covering the wider war effort.

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

Good morning guys.What an unauthorized treat.Thank you.

[@bughunter1766]

I'd like to know, what on Earth got her so interested in the CBI theater that she decided to write a book on it. That's quite a task, that's a lot of work and research. There's got to be a story behind how she became interested in this. Great presentation by the way

[@michaelsquires1218]

Very interesting. Both my wife and I were Foreign Service brats and both families have been affected by the politics of US - China relations since we were born (I in 1945). Professor Alexander's comments definitely illuminate our experiences. I remember that Stillwell's nickname for Chiang Kai-Sheck was "Peanut".

[@stevensparks3126]

One of the most informative episodes to date, I had no idea what all was entailed in this operation. Thank you all.

[@gizmophoto3577]

I have been interested in WW2 for over 60 years. Thanks to folks like you, I continue to learn how much I don’t know about that tragic period. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[@alowry2002]

Thank you. An excellent episode and your guest told the story in your style. It is nice too that we have heard from a Woman historian.

[@MrFrikkenfrakken]

Thank you Caroline for a fascinating look at one of the many areas of the war that had ramifications well after the war was concluded. In summation well done Seth and Bill once again.

[@christopherj.osheav5807]

Gentlemen, Wonderful episode! Terrific guest contributor and subject matter expert. Delightful introduction to the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of Operations. Thank you. V/r - IB

[@glennedgar5057]

My wife of 42 years comes from Taiwan by way of Yankee River valley in China. Her father fought the Japanese for 7 years and ended up in Taiwan. What most Westerners do not realize is that China at that time was basically survival. Initially my wife's father and mother had to escape a nasty Japanese army. During the escape her family had to walk through bombed out villages with burned bodies. Many times they had to hide in conduits while Japanese planes bombed the village they were in. This stuff lasted 7 years. To survive my wife's father took to servicing the transportation equipment which was somewhat was enabled by the hump flights. After the war my wife's father worked on diesel engines on shipping on the Yankez River. Eventually this job dried up. He took a job with Nationalist army to fix equipment to feed his family. That is why he was forced to flee to Taiwan, if he did not he would be killed. Basically China was at that time was sort of a mad max world, where choices were made in order to survive. Also note, that after 1949, the Chinese government went out of there way to scrub the accomplishments of the Nationalist Army

[@CodeElement190]

Love these special episodes!!!

[@jrranch9712]

My wife's grandfather was a transport pilot CBI. He was assigned as General McArthur's pilot a few times. Also, a story.... Thanksgiving '43 or '44. They didn't have any traditional Thanksgiving food at their airbase/air strip. There was a British base 'over the hump'. A friend of his deduced that surely there would be a better chance there for a Thanksgiving meal. He flew a C-47 over the hump to the British base. More than likely, he was not alone in this adventure. Upon landing at the British base, he explained he was there for a Thanksgiving meal. Our British cousins let him know they do not celebrate Thanksgiving, and it is an American holiday.

[@josephgilorma6979]

This was outstanding! I was aware of the Hump flights, but no specific knowledge of the details. The guest, as always, was knowledgeable and a great storyteller. Thank you!

[@thomasknobbe4472]

Thank you, Dr. Alexander, for this riveting and informative tale of the experiences of the men who flew The Hump. My father was a Basic Training instrument flying instructor for the Army Air Force during World War II (except, ironically, for one month in 1944 during which the Air Force decided it would be a good idea to train him as a truck driver for when the Burma Road re-opened). His students sat in a flight simulator (The Link Trainer) that could turn and bank and shake in order to mimic the physical effects of flying. I cannot imagine how pilots could make use of those same instruments to try to figure out where they were in space and how they were supposed to be flying when natural forces such as you describe were tossing their already dangerous machines about in the air. No matter how we feel about the wisdom and success of this effort, we need to continue to remember the remarkable men who were involved in it.

[@paulthewall4764]

I thought I was the only person who thought this woman was BRILLIANT. My personal connection with the CBI Theater and the Hump in particular probably made me biased, but I thought Caroline Alexander was one of the very best guests, EVER. My father volunteered in 1940 and went to China. He remained until 1946. What little he told me of his WWII experiences were validated by Caroline’s comments. My Father told me of one trip where he was flying with two other C-46’s, the three planes flew into the clouds and only his flew out. When he landed in China, he wanted to know what he was carrying that was so valuable that it cost two crews. He had a plane load of prophylactics! He often told me that the Hump operation was a waste. When he returned to the USA in 1946 he landed, got off the plane and swore he’d never fly again. He had had enough of flying. He never did.

[@elwoodlodge7764]

So , imagine if you will, my utter surprise and delight as I shuffle through KZbin looking for something to watch as I drink my morning coffee and I unexpectedly come across this special edition of my favorite show.😁

[@arneldobumatay3702]

Interesting factoid: American cowboy actor and singer Gene Autrey had a pilot license and flying experience prior to WWII. He volunteered for the Army Air Force and flew cargo planes over the Hump. Don't know how many missions he flew. I wonder if there were any required number of missions before opting out of flight duty.

[@philcolborn9597]

Crap, listened during hour car ride and already fergot your lady expert's name. I'd rank her near parschall's (sic) ceiling. Talk about eloquent, says just enough and never long winded. Another awesome video. Thanks

[@mfrodyma1480]

That was an hour that was so riveting, Seth and Bill, you two did a masterful job as hosts and Alexander was so on point wither responses. from the 35 minute point, I was thinking of Berlin, then bang. If there was a podcast award, I would put this episode up for an award. Seth and Bill, as a long time listener on youtube of your series, who also introduced your show to two more folks this week, I have two topic to suggest. You gentlemen touch on the logistics during shows, but a full show on how that system develop over time. I grew up in Hawaii and new how Oahu served as a shipping center. Also, can you guys also entertain how the training at Annapolis in response to the lessons of WWII. The lessons learned from the Mark 14 are currently being followed at this time as we watch the war in Ukraine.Beyond the technology, I am wondering about the skills of leadership. As in the challenge of finding the right person for the job. This has been a thread running through your shows--and very engaging.

[@CaptainGyro]

Awesome episode. She is extremely articulate.

[@THISTLETimothyHTT]

It is a great pleasure to listen to such an erudite and learned guest

[@raykaufman7156]

That was freaking awesome. Your shows are always great. This was one of the best (yet 😁).

[@jimwatts914]

Outstanding intro to the CBI. Ms Alexander tells a great story. Entertaining and educational.

[@billyhouse1943]

This was absolutely fantastic and eye opening. She was a very very articulate speaker. I’m sure there is a part 2 or 3 discussion somewhere. Thank you.

[@gregbillman42]

My mother graduated nursing school in 1941. One of her first jobs was taking care of the burn victims from Pearl Harbor and I can remember her telling me the story of one of her classmates that crashed into a mountain while going over the hump and lost her life.

[@jetdriver]

Just wanted to say what a great episode this was and how wonderful your newest guest was. Really enjoyed this. I feel like there is a lot more on the subject of what happened to all the supplies being flown over the hump at such great expense and I hope you cover it in the future.

[@ziggle314]

What a fantastic guest and a great topic! When I was a paperboy, I had a customer who flew "The Hump" and he had many great stories about flying during the war. One thing that made me laugh was hearing that CBI could be interpreted as "Confusion Beyond Imagination." It's amazing to think about the huge numbers involved in supplying a continental-level military by air in the 1940s. The connection with the Berlin Airlift was something I had not heard before. Thanks for all you do!

[@pablolugo2615]

Very good episode! New information and new found respect to forgotten men that did an impossible job.

[@mollybell5779]

This is so cool! I thought I was the only woman in the world who was interested in world war II strategy, tactics, and personalities really looking forward to this episode

[@JeanineKing]

What a minute…..there’s at least three of us now! Great!

[@davelane4055]

Perhaps all of my praying the most Holy rosary of the blessed virgin Mary every damn day over and over again again, this fortuitous surprise broadcast. Thank y'all and God bless

[@garyscharf9232]

Though I'm sure Mary was a very righteous person, she's not God and was never meant to be prayed to. The Bible has many fine passages on how we should pray though, Matt 6:5-15 is a great example. I was raised Catholic myself and have had to overcome many false teachings after taking the time to read the Bible.

[@davelane4055]

@garyscharf9232 no not God rather the Holy mother of God

[@robertgarbe6348]

@@garyscharf9232 Which Bible? Hope yer smart enough to read the true Aramaic translation by Lamsa instead of the many Greek false ones. Probably not.

[@freda7436]

Great guest! Great subject! Caroline is a revelation!

[@annrn6148]

What a wonderful Saturday morning surprise. And a very interesting & insightful guest. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to Caroline Alexander's discussion & now have another book to add to my queue. Presently reading Battleship Commander (Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr) & next is 53 Days on Starvation Island.

[@jeffreybaker4399]

Interesting subject. Excellent guest. Great research.

[@brovold72]

Capt. Toti, "Verticality" is a good one too. This was a fantastic episode about a topic I did not think I would find interesting.

[@arthurweers]

My Dad was a flight engineer flying C46s over The Hump. I was born while he was over there. I;m glad you made this episode.

[@denniscahill9683]

Thanks for this on two counts: First, you screwed up my Saturday (again)...love it. Second, my mother's brother drove a truck on the Burma Road for a year. He had been pulled out of college into full-immersion Italian and administration to prepare him for Occupation work in Italy. When they surrendered, obviously the need for Italian speakers disappeed. So he got sent to CBI where he drove a truck, etc. The only good part was he bought and sent to my grandparents so stunning bronze and porcelin which, somehow, I inherited from my mother who inherited it from their parents. NO ONE has ever heard of the CBI -- even Tuchwell's bio of Stillwell did nothing much...

[@mrbob459]

I was really intrigued by Bill and Caroline's short discussion of the interplay between spirituality (not religion) and theoretical physics. That is a much older discussion than most of us realize; it goes back to ancient Greece. The Apostle Paul, an excellent scholar of Greek Philosophy, taught about this in his books, quoting several of those philosophers, and pointing out that the spiritual was in a fourth dimension, not the three we are able to experience and observe, and that the transformation from our current bodies into the spiritual body happens at the level of the atoms, using Epicurus' definition of the smallest possible particles, not the 1700s definition when the chemists of the day thought they had discovered that smallest possible particle. I know this channel is not the place for this discussion, Bill, but if you ever decide to create a channel to explore this interplay, I will be one of your first subscribers. It's a fascinating field of speculation.

[@ianbishop8986]

I believe this is one of your best episodes for the following reasons. Caroline is not a WW2 historian but brought a unique style to this presentation through an interest she developed from her other professional activities, it was a theatre of WW2 that rarely if ever is discussed but mostly because Caroline has a profound ability to capture another dimension to the retelling of WW2 events that really captures the viewers imagination.

[@GenDischarges]

Thank you so much for a very interesting episode. I knew of the Hump, but learnt a lot more about it today. Thank you Caroline Alexander. You are a treasure. I even had to look up the difference between capacious and spacious.

[@Dave-jd9qn]

Alexander's book is excellent, great historical writing. My father flew C-46s over The Hump in '44 and '45 and she relates many of his experiences including That Night.

[@paulfuelling6829]

Thanks guys for keeping this history of WW2 alive and available for all who do not wish to repeat past mistakes, & to remember & honor those who served and sacrificed to maintain fteedom.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

I would love to see more videos on the CBI theatre. My grandfather was an army surgeon (Major) in Burma in '44 and '45, so whenever there is something of quality on the theatre, I always watch. Would love to hear you guys dive into the campaigns in Burma since you two are the best WW2 youtube channel/podcast out there right now.

[@MarkSofman]

Looking forward to future episodes covering CBI.

[@franciskey1505]

Great guest and interesting topic!

[@markforan4812]

Thanks for the interview with Caroline Alexander. I just finished reading her book after watching your podcast and highly recommend it. The title is somewhat misleading in that in addition to being a detailed chronicle of flying The Hump, Alexander puts it in context of the events of the entire CBI Theater, starting with the loss of Burma in 1942 and concluding with the American withdrawl after the Japanese surrender. Her profiles of some of the historical figures known to anyone with an interest in WWII are provocative. Having read Barbara Tuchman’s Stillwell and the American Experience in China, I found her take on Vinegar Joe to be a little less idolizing. Anyone who found this episode of interest would do well to read the book.

[@henryhall7530]

Superb presentation!

[@flparkermdpc]

What a fantastic guest. And your experience at interview conduct was shown to be as excellent as it is. Caroline Alexander 's knowledge was able to be showcased without interference, allowing her words to be heard with the thoughts clearly transferred. An absolutely brilliant hour. I remember William F. Buckley's Firing Line and he was pretty good. The combination of you men and Caroline Alexander was reminiscent.

[@adammagazine]

What an excellent presentation

[@ewathoughts8476]

Now that is the most elegant guest you guys have ever had, and perhaps ever will have. Without good dedicated support personnel behind them the fighting personnel would be all but useless. I am so glad that she mentioned the Berlin Airlift and the contribution the Hump experience played in that operation.

[@paulreilly3904]

I can't get enough of your great work. There's so much detail that makes me go back again and again to enjoy the richness. Best wishes from Oxford UK.

[@polaris88]

I had a great uncle that flew over the hump. His plane went down as well and he had to hide out in the trees from Japanese patrols and tigers! Thank you so much for covering such a unique and unknown part of the war!

[@davidbell6101]

all your episodes are special.

[@paulbrogger655]

Caroline Alexander: THANK you for "The Endurance"! (A life MUST-read!)

[@ELOestimates]

She is a great communicator, thank you

[@joedudek5976]

During the war, my uncle was a pilot flying cargo over the hump. He flew the the C-87, which was cargo version of the B-24, According to Wikipedia, that plane had a poor reputation. But at least when my uncle spoke with me, he looked on that aircraft with affection. Maybe he was filtering his recollections for his 10 year old nephew. Another good man who did his part. Duane Sherman. RIP. 🙂

[@philkryder1434]

Captain Toti mentioned the great, extensive vocabulary of Dr. Alexander. One clue is on her bookshelf what appears to be the compact edition of the OED - The Oxford English Dictionary, the definitive source for our language.

[@CutGlassMan-CTI]

Wonderful presentation! Again thank you!

[@henriyoung3895]

Thank you guys for your time n efforts. SGT DOUG, RECON, 101ST, RVN 68-69 LZ SALLY

[@gregbillman42]

Thank you for your service Sir

[@williampockets]

Sir first off thank you for your service. Sally is an evil bitch.

[@esq_to_b8798]

Fascinating history and perspective !

[@rfreitas1949]

Fantastic episode, I knew very little about this and now realize the heroic efforts required

[@garypowell9071]

My dad was a cargo plane mechanic and squadron maintenance chief in the USAF. As a boy, sometime in the late 60's or early 70's, I recall listening, fascinated, to his friend's stories about flying the Hump. He had been a crew chief on a C-47. I think I was fairly knowledgeable about WW II aviation, but this was an aspect about the war that I was totally ignorant at the time. I had grown up watching movies like 12 O'clock High and the Flying Tigers.

[@jkkung4765]

@@garypowell9071 One of my first books written in English I read (checked out from our public library) was “God is My Co-Pilot” by Robert Scott after I saw the 1945 Movie of the same title. He flew transports “Over the Hump” and he was a Fighter Pilot Ace.

[@garypowell9071]

@@jkkung4765 I may have read the book when I was young. The title is familiar.

[@mehere8-32]

G'day from Australia and thank you all for an interesting and informative show. G-D bless.

[@barrygeekler6458]

Every episode is special!

[@kimm.8022]

By far my favorite episode. I can't wait to hear more like this.

[@jaredwren9304]

Fascinating topic. Thanks for the extra content.

[@hoppish088]

Great story.

[@lagoodman3349]

Very good episode. I knew about two sentences of information on this topic before listening. Thank you for the education. This campaign's contribution to the Berlin air lift is insightful. A connection I have never heard before.

[@Thumpalumpacus]

"Vexed" also made its channel debut here. Outstanding guest and show.

[@tedc.4956]

Kudos Kudos Kudos!!! Thank you so much for this special episode. This is an amazing story told with clarity and insight.

[@oldpup2182]

Thank you for this podcast. Im looking forward to getting the book. My father flew the hump in China but NEVER told us stories about it. Something triggered him once and we found out he had survivors guilt. He started crying and told us a story about his best friend of the time being almost literally cut in half by machine gun rounds from a zero attacking out of the son. My father was the belly gunner and stated, I was so quick at the time that I was able to man my gun and kill that son of a bitch as he circled below to make another pass. I didn't realize it at the time but he had been splattered with his friends brain, blood and other bits. There is more to his story but I'll leave it at that. THANY YOU again for this series.

[@brushhogg1]

Getting amazing here...wow!

[@RolftheRed]

Wonderful - Thanks to your guest Ms. Alexander for her very informative CBI perspective. A huge amount of new information for me. You guys Rock, IMHO

[@bruceday6799]

The Tuesday shows are always impressive. The special (unscheduled?) ones such as this are even more so. Exceptionally well done, again.

[@caifrank7425]

I am a Innocent and Kindness Chinese person who live in Shanghai , Long live FDR !!! Long live FDR !!! Long live FDR !!!

[@timandellenmoran1213]

Awesome presentation!

[@robert506007]

I must say I have heard of this Operation in overview but this is the best overview I have yet heard about I got to read this book. Thankyou all for your time, great video.