Commenter Of The Day: The Hump Edition

The Hump refers to an area of the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountain range used by Allied pilots to ferry supplies into China. Initially, US and British forces used the Burma Road to get supplies to the Chinese but the Japanese, holding on in then-Burma, seized it and stopped all shipments. Under the command of Colonol William H. Turner, the Air Force's Ferrying Division was able to successfully transport enough food, equipment and other supplies to keep the Chinese and Allied forces operational. This may seem easy today, but The Hump is among the tallest flyable regions in the world. The combination of high altitudes, low visibility and mountain peaks make flying over the Hump in a fully-loaded C-46 is insane. Through clever packaging, timing and routing Tunner and his crew were able to do what seemed impossible. He'd go on later to support the Berlin Airlift. Both airlifts were an example of human ingenuity, not unlike the horse-carrying convertible. Of course, Van Sarockin sees trouble ahead.

Finally, an animal that really earns its oats, uh, cheeseburgers. But fetching a beer is what keeps him from going to the glue factory. If only he could drive me back from the bar.

For further study: is raising a race of carnivorous horses really the best thing for humans?

Jaws, on land? Scary.

[Photo: MIA Recoveries]