The Hump

Kunming, China
Christmas 1943 

The eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains was called “The Hump” by pilots who flew transport aircraft between India and China during the Second World War. The military airlift over the treacherous Himalayas supplied the Allies in China, including advance units of the U.S. Army. The missions were dangerous.1 In addition to the notable absence of airfields, there were no reliable navigation charts or radio aids and the weather was often  bad. The logistical challenge of operating this aerial pipeline is reflected by a non-traditional dinner at Army headquarters in Kunming, China on Christmas in 1943, where the highlight of the night was a beverage omitted from the official menu.

The Chinese phrase “Ding Hao!” (literally “thumbs up” or “very good”) appears on the cover shown below. Before taking off on flights over the Hump, American pilots would shout “Ding Hao!” for good luck. This menu was issued for the Y-Force, commanded by Brigadier General Frank “Pinkie” Dorn. In April of the following year, the Y-Force launched an offensive on the Yunnan front against Japanese forces in northern Burma.

In the meantime, General Dorn wanted to stage an elaborate Christmas celebration for his officers and men. The extensive program below includes juggling acts, fire eaters, sword fights, and a tree lighting ceremony. 

The difficulty of supplying this forward echelon was reflected in the menu, which featured fried chicken with cranberry sauce. It was highly irregular for the military not to serve a traditional turkey dinner on the holiday. Equally unusual was the beer served alongside the meal—though omitted from the printed menu, Dorn had broken protocol to fly in 13 tons of American beer for the occasion.

When word got out about the “illegal shipment” of beer, Dorn was called on the carpet by his caustic superior, Lieutenant General Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell. Since the beer had already arrived in Kunming, Stilwell decided that it could be used as planned, but declined an invitation to attend the event saying that he did not want to be “an accessory in the violation of (his) own theater orders.” Dorn later reported that the Christmas party was a “WOW.”

Note

1. Reportedly, over 500 World War II aircraft wrecks remain unrecovered across the eastern Himalayas along the infamous route, leaving roughly 1,200 crew members still missing in the rugged terrain.