Five high school students from the San Francisco Bay Area have embarked on an impressive project under the mentorship of Lin Xiaoting, a researcher at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and head of the East Asia Department at the Hoover Archives. Together, they have co-authored a book titled “Flying Over the Hump: A Visual History of the Sino-American Airlift During the War.” This book utilizes archives and photographs from the U.S. National Archives and Taiwan’s National History Museum to authentically capture a crucial and inspiring chapter in the history of Chinese-American aviation cooperation.

The students participating in this endeavor are Lucas Yuan from Balboa High School, Catherine Liu from Khan Lab School, Everett Wang from Los Gatos High School, Ellie Wang from Monta Vista High School, and Patrick Hao from Homestead High School.

The book explores the eight-year War of Resistance against Japan, a time when all maritime transport routes along China’s coast were blocked by Japanese forces. In 1942, the only land route for obtaining war supplies, the Burma Road, was severed due to the Japanese invasion of Burma. In response, the U.S. and China were forced to create air routes between Northeast India and Kunming in Yunnan. These daring flights traversed the eastern segment of the Himalayas, known as the “Hump,” to deliver essential supplies. Operating at altitudes between 4,500 and 5,500 meters, with peaks reaching up to 7,000 meters, the Hump airlift became one of the most perilous flight environments in the world, characterized by the convergence of powerful air currents on the Eurasian continent.

Moreover, the propeller-driven aircraft of that era had limited operational capacities, outdated flight infrastructure, and were constantly targeted by Japanese planes. Conducted under such daunting conditions, the Hump airlift stands out as one of the most challenging and prolonged military airlifts in aviation history, reflecting significant human and material sacrifices.

Between 1942 and 1945, the Hump airlift amassed an astonishing 1.5 million flight hours, transporting 650,000 tons of supplies, despite the loss of 590 aircraft. Tragically, 1,314 aviation personnel from the U.S. military and the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) lost their lives during this critical mission. The Hump airlift played a vital role in sustaining China’s resistance against Japan, significantly contributing to the country’s victory in the war.