Hump Express - February 22, 1945 - China-Burma-India Theater of World War II

Vol. 1, No. 6 Published by India China Division, Air Transport Command Feb. 22, 1945

C-54 SETS NEW TRANS-OCEANIC MARK

DOUGLAS C-54 SKYMASTER

Under 58 Hours Elapsed Time
Over Miami to Calcutta Route
Is Chalked Up by ICD Plane

Actual Flying Time Was 46 Hours and 45 Minutes
As Colonel Averages 230 mph Ground Speed;
Slowed by 3-hour Delay at Azores
    Hq., Calcutta - Fifty-seven hours and 50 minutes elapsed time from Miami to Calcutta!
  That's the trans-oceanic world record set by Lt. Col. Robert D. Forman, ICD training officer, when he delivered a new C-54 Douglas Skymaster for use here.
  On the ground 11 hours and 5 minutes altogether, his actual flying time was only 46 hours and 45 minutes, an average net ground speed of 230 miles per hour for the 10,876-mile course.

3 Hours Longest Stop
  "No attempt was made to establish any kind of a record," Col. Forman said, "and we did not 'push' the

Record Run

Here's Lt. Col. Robert D. Forman, ICD training officer, who made the record C-54 run from Miami to Calcutta in 57 hours, 50 minutes elapsed time. The mark was made without "pushing" the ship.

airplane at any time. The outstanding ground co-operation we got all along the route was a tremendous factor in making the good time."
  The giant plane brought with it 7,000 pounds of payload from Miami. In the crew with Col. Forman were Capt. George J. Westbrook, co-pilot; Capt. William H. Bold, Dallas, Tex., navigator; S/Sgt. Teddy K. Walls, Dallas, engineer, and M/Sgt. Louis M. Stewart, radio operator. Col. Andrew B. Cannon, CO of ICD's Bengal Wing, caught the ship in Miami at the last moment and took his turn flying.
  Longest stop on the ground was three hours at the Azores, when another plane cracked up on the runway while landing just before the record-smashing Skymaster was due off. Average time on the ground at each stop was about two hours, Col. Forman said.

'Round the World
  Crewmen ate all meals aboard the ship, picking up box lunches at every halt, while ground crews serviced the plane.
  From Miami to Karachi, first port of call in India, was an even 50 hours elapsed time, Col. Forman said. Boosted along by a favoring tail wind all the way, the crew reported only two hours of instrument flying logged enroute. Stops included those at Bermuda, the Azores, Casablanca, Cairo, Karachi, and finally, Calcutta.
  For Col. Forman, the trip marked the completion of an around-the-world flight in 17 days, seven of which were spent attending official conferences in Washington.

Crash Landed Hospital Ship As Bomb Burst

Patient Drops Phos Bomb Causing Fire, Smoke Inside Ship

    1333 BU, Assam - Take a plane load of patients, add one phosphorous smoke bomb and something exciting is bound to happen.
  Surgical technicians of the Medical Air Evacuation squadron and an ICD crew of four, including Maj. Robert J. Seebolt, director of operations here, long will remember the hair-raising experience which resulted in the death of four sacred cows.
  The plane, a C-47 hospital ship, left the base carrying 19 war-weary Chinese veterans all under the effect of drugs administered to keep them asleep until the trip was over. After 3 hours and 50 minutes of flight, one of the patients awakened from his coma. T/3 Rudolph F. Machotka, surgical technician, noticed the patient playing with an object he had taken from his mess kit. It was a confiscated Japanese phosphorous smoke bomb !

Prepared to Crash
  "Give it here!" Machotka yelled. The soldier had captured this souvenir from the Japs and wasn't going to part with it so easily. In the attempt to conceal it,

Several Hundred Radiomen On The Way

Hq., Calcutta - As HUMP EXPRESS went to press, Lt. Col. James I. Teague, ICD director of personnel, announced that more than 500 radio operators are on their way from Uncle Sugar as replacements for "rotation eligibles." The operators are expected to arrive at the rate of approximately 40 per day, beginning in the near future, Col. Teague said. (See Editor's Mailbag.)

the bomb fell to the floor of the plane, exploding in a burst of fire and yellow phosphorous smoke.
  The explosion blew open the door to the pilot's cabin and the dense smoke blinded and choked its occupants. Maj. Seebolt, the pilot, gasped for breath while he struggled with the window in an attempt to open it. He prepared the plane for a crash-landing as it lost altitude. Upon opening the window, he put his head out and brought the plane gliding into a rice paddy, hitting four cows before the ship stopped.

Put Fire Out
  Leaving the plane through the escape hatch, the crew immediately rescued the other passengers. The medics administered first aid to the patients, while the crew extinguished the fire. All was under control within a short time.
  Other crew members were Lt. Paul Hill, co-pilot; S/Sgt. Salvatore R. Ferrucci, radio operator; S/Sgt. George L. Hamilton, crew chief, and T/3 Claude A. Wood, surgical technician. One man later was hospitalized with third degree burns, and all others escaped unscathed. The four sacred cows which were hit were the only fatalities.

He's Still a 'Thirteen' Fan Even After Flight Thirteen

1348 BU, North Burma - For most people numbers don't mean much, but the number 13 holds some sort of charm for Lt. H. T. Cunningham, Texan assigned to 1347 BU, India. exciting is bound to happen.
The pilot already had tempted the gods by getting married on the 13th and spending his honeymoon in hotel room 1313, and this was his 13th Hump mission since he came overseas a little more than a month ago.

Old and New at China Airfield

The contrast between the old and the new is depicted in this outstanding pictorial shot by Capt. Don White, division photographic officer. The Chinese at the right, the human cargo-carrier of the old world, gazes at the ICD cargo-hauler, the Curtiss C-46 which plies the Hump run. In the background are the white, picturesque clouds which grace the China sky.

Crew Bails Out
  Caught recently in a severe storm on a flight from a China base to another in India, Lt. Cunningham climbed to 27,000 feet, trying desperately to escape the ice which was gathering on his wings. Unable to outclimb the weather, he dropped to 17,000 feet and suddenly the big C-109 went out of control.
  The pilot ordered his crew to bail out. A few seconds later F/O Courtland E. Nielsen, Los Angeles, co-pilot; M/Sgt. Clarence M. Scott, Danville, Ky., engineer; Sgt. Lee Roy E. Aldrich, Venice, Calif., student engineer, and S/Sgt. Richard H. Stewart, Bloomsburg, Pa., radio operator, were floating earthward under silk umbrellas.

Landed Safely
  After making certain the others had jumped safely, the 24-year-old flier started for the open bomb bay doors. A cord from his electrically-heated flying jacket tripped him, throwing him to the floor of the tossing aircraft. Stumbling back to his feet, the lieutenant climbed back to the cockpit to release the wire.
  He saw his ship rushing crazily towards the snowcapped Himalayas. With no choice left, Lt. Cunningham worked the controls until they responded and shortly had the plane on an even keel. Alone in the craft, he brought it in to this base and settled it on the runway, gently as a bird.

Valley Stations Top All Former Cargo Figures

Total Number of Hump Trips, Daily Total at 1333 Are Upped

    Hq., Assam Wing - Two records went by the boards last Sunday when ICD stations of Assam Wing hung up a new high total number of trips over the Hump to China, and 1333 topped all previous day's totals for a single station.
  Gratified was the new Assam Wing commander, Col. George D. Campbell, Jr., as he looked over the totals of all the stations. The increase in number of trips over the previous day's high, recorded in January, was more than 18 percent, while tonnage increased proportionately.
  Around 1333, everyone from the CO, Lt. Col. Charlie Skannal, down to the KPs wore a broad grin, for that station exceeded by ten the number of trips any Assam Valley station ever had put into China in a 24-hour period.
  In the closing hours of the day, Colonel Skannal sat in the operations building, watching the co-ordination of the widespread web of hustling workers it takes to put a loaded C-46 into the air every few minutes. As the last dumbo howled its way into the air, he leaned back, smiled, and said, "Routine operation."
  Men at his station had put exactly three times the number of planes in the blue that they sent into the air on the same day a year ago. "And we did it easier, too," one old-timer in the P & T section said.
  During the entire last hour, when ten planes took off, the whole field was working on "baksheesh" time, for the previous day's record was tied at the end of the first 23 hours. No attempt was made for a special record, according to Col. Skannal. "It was just one of those days when everything clicked."

Yours, By Any Chance ?

Sgt. Walter Steinitz opens a bag at random at the lost and found depot, 1306 BU. The bag contained, among other things, four knives, a notebook, a carton of Camels, a K-ration box, a canteen cup, soap, playing cards, a bath towel and a picture of a girl - by no means an unusual sample, according to the sergeant.

1306 Lost and Found Branch is a
Division-wide System for Handling Lost Baggage

Sorting and Checking of Lost Articles for Identification,
Locator Cards Giving Pertinent Data
Are Features of Department

    1306 BU, Karachi - Sgt. Robert Hodiak, like many another ICD man, flew from the States on his way to an assignment in the Valley.
  The small bag he carried contained several personal items, including treasured photographs of his wife, pictures that would keep him linked with the past to which he will one day return.
  The photos, however, never reached the Valley station with the sergeant, for somewhere along the line he left the bag on a bench while he made a hasty dash to board a plane.

196 Items Returned
  There was a time, not so long ago, when the sergeant would have had to whistle for his bag, for there was no organized system whereby he could have retrieved it. Things are different today, however, for at ATC's "gateway to India" terminal in Karachi there is a central lost and found baggage branch. To this branch comes all the baggage lost anywhere in the ICD. During one recent month, 196 items were returned by this office to their owners.
  Whenever a baggage item turns up without an owner at any ICD base, it immediately is forwarded to the Karachi depot, where it is checked for information which may be helpful in locating its owner. A locator card is made for each piece, containing the date of receipt, the place where it was found, a brief description, and the owner's name if determinable. The baggage then is tagged and put away.
  Processing the bag means not a thing, however, unless the owner also knows what to do. Upon discovery, such a loss should be reported at once to the nearest priorities and traffic officer. Description, place lost )if known) and owner's address are items the P & T officer will jot down.

Interesting Contents
  Officer in charge of the lost and found baggage branch is 1st Lt. Robert M. Keyser, of East Orange, N.J. Chief NCO is Sgt. Walter Steinitz, of New York, and his assistant is Pvt. Arthur Rudinger, also of New York.
  Sgt. Steinitz and Pvt. Rudinger find their work interesting. It happens that often it is necessary to examine baggage for traces of identification, and fascinating things pop out. Pistols, knives, ammunition, even arrows, have been found. Letters, souvenirs, money and toilet articles, of course, are discovered in profusion. Near the top of the list (Sgt. Steinitz blushes at this) are pin-up photos and "saucy" literature.

Flies 220 Miles in Only 66 Minutes To Get Patient

    1305 BU, Calcutta - Lt. George F. Young took off in a C-47 from this base, flew to another airfield, made a hurried landing to pick up a patient, and returned to a Calcutta airstrip in 66 minutes elapsed time for the 220-mile round trip.
  When an emergency call came in from the base 110 miles from Calcutta, Lt. Young volunteered to fly the mission. The job was to make a rush flight to evacuate an unconscious man and fly him to a hospital in the Calcutta area, as quickly as possible.
  Twenty minutes after the call was received, Lt. Young was on his way to the outlying station. Although he bucked headwinds for the entire distance, he landed at the strip 32 minutes after takeoff. Taxiing up the runway, he swung around to the waiting ambulance, picked up the patient and was on his way again in four minutes.
  The C-47 landed exactly a half hour later and the patient was headed for the hospital where an emergency operation was ordered. The whole mission took 66 minutes. Under normal operating conditions, such a flight would have taken approximately two hours.

Sgt. Nabs 'Fake' Colonel, Claims Rupees About 35

    Hq., Calcutta - M/Sgt. Yost Amrein, chief clerk in the division surgeon's office, is richer by about rupees 35, after spotting the man in the posters plastered around in the recent man hunt staged by the AAF intelligence and security section.
  The poster were put up by I & S to stimulate the awareness of conspicuous persons on the part of Army personnel. The person "sought" according to the poster might be an officer, a GI or a civilian. He was called "Lewis Taylor." The idea was to catch the right man in front of one of the posters and point him out as the man pictured.
  M/Sgt. Amrein was the first to spot him on this base. As he was returning to his office from the Red Cross club he met a lot of officers. He threw one highball after another, closely scrutinizing everyone to avoid saluting a corporal. Then he met a "colonel" who looked mighty young to be wearing a chicken.
  Once back in his office, Sgt. Amrein again saw the young "colonel" this time standing in front of one of the posters. he immediately noticed the resemblance to the picture and hesitantly approached the "colonel" and pointed him out as "Lewis Taylor." He was Lewis Taylor but he was not a chicken colonel. At any rate Sgt. Amrein added a ten dollar war bond to his savings.

Bamboo Music Hall Getting New Roof as Monsoon Approaches

1333 BU, Assam - The monsoon season is approaching but the show must go on - so the Bamboo Music Hall is getting a new roof in preparation for the coming rainy season.
The hall, located in the transient area here, has had its stage graced by such notables as Joe E. Brown, Noel Coward, Paulette Goddard, Dixie Walker and his troupe, and stars of the many USO shows. As the music hall is one of the largest theaters in Assam, the new roof became a project rather than a job, involving some hundred coolies contracted from a nearby town. Movie-goers now can anticipate seeing a show without getting soaked.

School's Out-Circus, with No Posters, Parade or Tent, Comes to Town

1311 BU, India - Indian entertainers stage a circus to amuse fun-hungry GI's, under Red Cross guidance. At left, Mary Pearce, RC gal, scrambles aboard with mahout and GI's for an elephant ride. Center, "The Great Snafuga" performs, pretty well, too, to judge from the number of GI's populating his "ring." ('Tis said that a crew chief, no doubt rotation-ripe, attempted to emulate this pot-on-the-head rope walk, later in the afternoon and logged some flying time between rope and ground.) Right, Snafuga goes up on the bamboo pole for the afternoon's most popular act (No imitators of this one were reported.)

Negro Troops Are Praised By CO and Fellow Soldiers For Work They Accomplished

Widely Varied Lot Given Individual Training On The Job

    1337 BU, Assam - Outstanding work at this base by Negro troops since their arrival several months ago has prompted the praise of all personnel of the post, from the CO on down to the men with whom they work.
  Upon arrival of the men some months ago, the assignment problem was not easy, for among the new troops were some who had been given no training other than army basic. Some had been farmers, with lack of machinery knowledge, and one had been a night club singer. Some had been bootblacks and one had been a maker of coffin blueprints.

Given Orientation
  There was "Gullahs" from the South Carolina rice fields, "Geechies" from the island off the Georgia coast. Bostonians with that peculiar accent, share croppers from cotton fields, a "Cajun" from Louisiana, an Ohio Negro-Indian, one of Japanese-Bahaman extraction - altogether a widely varied lot.
  The men were given ten days of orientation and questioned by the classification and assignment section. Department heads were consulted and a work-in-training program started.
  The move was followed by placing in the assignment and classification section one of the men who had done graduate work at Harvard and had been employed as teacher, newspaper reporter and insurance personnel analyst.

Many Specialists
  A radio maintenance school wash-out was placed in training at the base refrigeration plant, where the soldier in charge was a skilled airplane mechanic. A short while later the mechanic was returned to the line and the colored man in charge of the plant was busy training two other enlisted men so the plant could be put on a 24-hour basis.
  A sizeable group was sent to aircraft engineering as general helpers and shortly many of them had been recognized as aircraft mechanics in training.
  Others have become technical supply specialists, electrical specialists, prop specialists, welders, a link trainer instructor, operations and flight records clerks, radio maintenance specialists, mail room and post exchange clerks, and medical technicians.
  The coffin blueprint wallah, he heads the list of airplane mechanic trainees, and the engineering officer thinks highly of his work.

'Exclusive,' the P. A. Says

The beauty is Shirley O'Hara, as filmed in RKO Radio Pictures' "Tarzan and the Amazons" (if anyone cares). The press agent points out that this shot is "exclusive in your city."

No Accidents Mar Month's Record of 1340

Personnel Gains, Bulletins, Reports Are Features of Program

    1340 BU, China - Not a single accident of based aircraft occurred here during the month of January, it was announced by Capt. Richard E. Paget, flying safety officer, of Youngstown, Ohio.
  This unusual record was almost equaled in December during which only one accident was chalked up.

Stress Drive
  Ultimate aim of the flying safety program now in progress is to bring every China wing base up to the perfect standard and much progress is being made in that direction, Capt. Paget said.
  The drive consists of adding personnel for the work, distribution of posters and signs, bulletins, accident reports, and other means to impress on the pilot his tremendous responsibility to "play safe" and use good judgment while flying.

Flying Checks
  "We are able to prescribe rules, regulations and standard practices but these only point the way to safe operation. Everything depends on the individual pilot and how well he puts into actual use what he has been taught," Lt. Robert G. Benton, Cleveland, Ohio, assistant FSO, added.
  Also in effect is a training program which will give pilots more frequent flying checks. An instrument refresher course has be instigated, too, which will instruct in complicated instrument procedures especially important in China where the worst terrain and flying weather in the world are encountered.

Ex-47 Makes Fireproof Metal Workshop

Complete utilization of parts of wrecked aircraft is noted in this brush drawing made by Capt. James P. Scott at an ICD forward base. The sketch shows a metal-working shack, which used to be the fuselage of a C-47 and now furnishes a fireproof shelter for welding operations. At the left a GI is working on a carriage, also of scrap materials, for carting oxygen tanks to aircraft. Welding equipment is seen in the foreground.

RADIO OPS
Dear Editor:
  We, the Pfc. radio ops, have gotten together a few items we'd like to see in print:
  1. Upon completion of 650 operational hours, flight personnel become eligible for rotation to the United States on permanent transfer. The pilots expect and receive their orders within two weeks after they complete their 650. There are radio ops who have had their 650 in for as long as six months in addition to 200 extra hours. There are as many ops here with 800 hours as there are those with 500. Why are pilots given this consideration while we guys stay in the background watching them come and go?
  2. Approximately 80 percent of the radio ops flying the regular schedule are Pvts. and Pfcs. We five to seven hundred hour men are driven to our planes by Cpl. truck drivers, watch the loading of the planes being supervised by buck sergeants, watch the staffs and the techs behind the operations counter, see the techs and masters behind desks in headquarters and we begin to wonder - which is the primary mission?
  3. Ratings are open in flight communications, but they are consumed by the numerous men who are long overdue for their stripes. If a rotation plan worked as it should, there wouldn't be such a backlog, and the men who are doing the flying would have a chance to earn them.
    - Pfc. J. E. Peck, 1333rd BU   (Also signed by 31 other Pfc. and Pvt. radio operators)

Ed.- A-1 (Personnel) Section, Headquarters, reports: (1) A dire scarcity of trained radio operators for assignment overseas has existed in the U.S. (2) As a direct result there has been a serious shortage of radio operators available for operations in ICD. (3) It has been necessary, therefore, for many ICD radio operators to fly more than their 650 hours. (4) Every effort has been made and is being made to alleviate this situation as witness letter from the Commanding General dated 12 February, 1945, which appears below. (5) Grades are allocated stations on a strength basis. Promotion is strictly a matter of command.

TO: Commanding Officers, All AAF Base Units, ICD-ATC
  1. It has come to my attention that there currently exists, at practically every ICD station, a backlog of flight radio operators who are eligible for rotation to the United States under current policy. Because of an acute shortage of replacements in the United States, the rotation program, insofar as it pertains to flight radio operators, has been considerably retarded, despite the continued efforts of this headquarters to alleviate this condition.
  2. It is my desire that you bring to the attention of all flight radio operators in your command who have attained eligibility for rotation, that every possible effort is being made to reduce the current backlog to a minimum, and to augment present radio operator strength to a level which will ensure prompt rotation upon completion of necessary requirements.
  3. Records at this headquarters indicate that there are numerous individuals who have completed rotation requirements but are still performing flight duties in most cases on the Hump route. The loyalty, patience, and devotion to duty of these individuals is outstanding, and I desire that the be individually commended for their flying record. Each station commander will bring to the attention of concerned personnel that anticipated shipments of replacement radio operators within the next 30 to 60 days will have a decided effect upon the rotation of the present radio operator backlog, and that eligible individuals will be rotated in order of their seniority, taking into consideration individual state of operational fatigue, and the recommendations of the base surgeon concerned.
  4. The efforts of these men have contributed in no small degree to the manner in which this division has accomplished its mission, and it is anticipated that this same spirit will characterize their efforts for the duration of their stay in this division.
   - WILLIAM H. TUNNER, Brigadier General, USA, Commanding

GIs Go 'Out of This World' to the Home of a Maharaja

Two wild boars photographed at the Maharajah's party are shown above. The one at left is a real cannon, all right, and once was really fired. The one at the right, of course, has shot his last bolt in a figurative sense only. "Teek?" asks the bearer, and teek it was, said the ATC wallahs - a strange tangy flavor.

Concrete Evidence

Handprints with history are explained to one Yank by a guide. the cement impressions were made by wives of one of the past rulers, who at his death threw themselves upon pyre.

The Royal Palace

Sergeant of the royal guard is the center of attention here, as the GI group congregates about the massive iron gates before the palace, from which the maharajah rules over 2,500,000.

FLIGHT FROM REALITY     The glamour of pre-war travel posters became a reality recently for 24 American soldiers stationed in India, including three of ICD.
  At the personal invitation of His Highness, the Maharajah of Jodhpur, these Yanks stepped out of the humdrum environment of their airbase into a world which might have been lifted from an oriental dream.
  For most of the soldiers it was their first experience at being entertained by Indian royalty. For

His Highness, Ray Rajeshwar Sarmad I Rajhai Hindusthan Maharajah Dhiraj Sri Sir Umaid Singh-bye Sahib Bahadur, GCSI, GCIE, KCVO, LLD, ADC to the King, it was the third consecutive year he had played host.
  On the night of the party, after a personal welcome by the maharajah, the Americans joined the 1,800 other guests - RAF men, Indian cadets, Chinese officers, and WAAFs - in the festivities throughout the palace. The three ICD men attending were T/Sgt. Hank Henderson, S/Sgt. George Himmelright and Pfc. Wally Vespestad.
  The Yanks joined the British and Indian fliers in the royal game room, where they talked aviation between billiard shots. Some of the GIs went to the maharajah's private cinema to see one of two showings of "The Song of Bernadette." Others went to the ballroom to dance or watch the floor show staged by the RAF.
  An air commodore in the British Army, the maharaja is the only ruler in India who became a cadet and won his wings with the RAF.

Three Maharajahs for a Day

"I Wouldn't Hurt You, Honest!"

Most dazzling experience for the soldiers was their visit to the gold room of gold-covered walls and ceilings. At right, the oldest son of the Maharajah, heir apparent to the throne, shows one of the ICD boys a honey of a cutter, up in the royal trophy room where there is a world-famed collection of weapons, old and new.

ICD Show Unit Scores Big Hit With SOS GIs

Consider 2nd Unit Best Show Ever To Appear In China

    ICD BU, China - GIs from an SOS general depot near this ICD base are still talking about the ATC special service unit which entertained them recently with a smooth, professional couple of hours of Stateside fun.
  To the boys of Entertainment Unit No. 2, it was one more show in the second leg of a three-week tour of China Wing stations.
  A capacity audience, including the CO, watched S/Sgt. Vince Haydock establish himself as a refreshingly different kind of MC with a clever rope-tap-dance routine. This Jacksonville lad had earned no small reputation on Broadway boards, back in civilian days when his stuff was featured in "Best Foot Forward," "Red, Hot and Blue," and "Dancing on a Dime."
  Sgt. Dave Steininger rocked them with gags and Sgt. Pete Badrich, ventriloquist, introduced his already famed "Sub-private Oscar O'Connor." Cpl. Earl Drebenstedt impersonated everything from a pig to an air raid. Sgt. Fred Cianci's trick fiddle contributed some musical sighs and laughs.
  Bob Davis sang and Mel Winters played the organ. Winters, incidentally, is the former Henry Busse - Jan Savitt pianist, and a jive specialist from way back who has lost none of his civilian touch.
  "Best show we've had here," was the judgment of Maj. Robert Bullock, of New York, base CO, and Lt. Richard Clark, San Diego, his adjutant.

TEEK AND HI By Pvt. John Babnis

"Positively, NO !"

"With so many of us over there, it was not surprising
that India gradually adopted American ways."

Even Bearer Can't Bear Some Kinds of Cigarets

    1345 BU, India - Bearers are funny people, but not so dumb as some of the boys would believe.
  A few days before payday, a bearer showed up with a beautiful knife, shiny and new. A GI spied it and immediately quoted a price. The Indian, a shrewd character, knowing that payday was still a few days off, was reluctant to come to terms, because he knew he could get more rupees a few days later.
  He did mention something about cigarets, however. Well, the guy wanted the knife badly, and he said OK to the cigaret deal. "Okey-doak, Sahib," agreed the Indian, "one carton butts for knife."
  Presently the GI returned with the cigarets and offered them in exchange for the knife. "No, no, Sahib," cried the Indian drawing the knife back, "not those kind."
  "Me want Lucky Strike, Camel, Chesterfield, Old Gold, Sahib. Even me, Indian, can't smoke that kind."
  P.S. - No deal was made that day.

All This and Typing Too ?

If this continues EXPRESS editors won't have to sweat out cheesecake mail from Hollywood much longer. The gals who posed for this shot are civilian employees at Hq of the 1345 BU, India. Shown (left to right) are Myrtle D'Cruze, Dorothy Perry and Dulcie Gomez. The prop, of course, is a jeep, with an Indian palm forming the backdrop.

Trials, Tribulations of Enlisted Men, Officers
Is 'Old Stuff' to Col. Morehouse, CO of 1345th

Served for Many Years as GI Before Getting His Commission

1345 BU, India - Perhaps one of the prerequisites for the job of CO of a base is a knowledge of the trials and tribulations of the enlisted men and junior officers, plus a capability for the job gained

through army service and civilian experience.
  If such is the case, Lt. Col. Silas A. Morehouse, commander of this, the largest ICD base in India, is well qualified to handle the job.
  He served in the army shortly after World War I and until 1927 as an enlisted man. As for civilian experience in handling air transportation of personnel and supplies, his record of 15 years with Transcontinental and Western Airlines speaks for itself.
  When he entered the Army again in 1942, he left a job as division superintendent for TWA, and took over duties as A-3 officer at Stout Field, Indiana, in the Troop Carrier Command. He was then a captain.

CO of Transport Unit
  In September, 1943, Morehouse arrived in CBI as a major. In those days a man was a jack-of-all-trades and soon the newly arrived officer found himself a transport pilot and CO of the China Transport group.
  Shortly thereafter, Maj. Morehouse was upped to the rank of lieutenant colonel and assumed command of one of ICD's bases in Assam. His record at that base was indicated by the ever-increasing amount of supplies that crossed the Hump from his field.

Long Flying Record
  Col. Morehouse's flying career started back in 1925 when he received his wings as a two-engine pilot at Kelly Field, Texas. he began flying at 27 and in 20 years has established an enviable record, both with the Army and with TWA.
  He is married and makes his home at Los Angeles, Calif., although his wife is now living at Alexandria, Va.

Address, Vocation, Employer All Jibe, 'Neighbors' Learn

    1333 BU, Assam - Pfc. Anthony Crookston learned that it's really a small world after all and is now a firm believer in the "know thy neighbor" policy.
  An official photographer for the intelligence and public relations sections, Pfc. Crookston went to the maintenance hangar to photograph a new device built by a member of the engineering department. He took the photograph, then proceeded to make his report, questioning the builder, S/Sgt. Carl G. Boettin
  "Home address?" the photographer inquired.
  "130 Morgan Street, Barberton, Ohio." Boettin told him. Crookston was also from Barberton.
  "Civilian occupation?" Crookston asked, making his notations on a pad.
  "A welder employed by Babcock and Wilcox in Barberton."
  In civilian life the photographer also had been a welder- and for the same concern. Through further investigation, they learned that they lived within a few blocks of each other and had worked side-by-side in the same building.
  But they were strangers until the picture was taken!

Awards Presented to 93 Men at 1330

1330 BU, Assam - In one of the largest presentations of awards in ICD, Col. William S. Barksdale, Jr., CO, last week presented 107 medals to 93 members of his command.
All but one were for operational hours flown over the Hump. One was received for action with the Troop Carrier Command. Nearly 150 officers and enlisted men were scheduled to receive Distinguished Service Crosses and Air Medals, but some were unable to attend the ceremony. They were on duty flying supplies to China.

Gives Them the Air

Hq., India Wing - Capt. Joseph H. Hafkenschiel, Philadelphia, assistant base surgeon and also oxygen training officer at the ICD transition school, located "somewhere in India," gives the dope on high-altitude oxygen equipment to two student pilots learning Hump flying procedure, 2nd Lts. Lawrence E. Harris and Roscoe H. Cowan.

Bases Will Get Monthly Banner
On Point Basis

Utilization of Assigned Ships, Low Accident Rates Will Figure

    Hq., Calcutta - Time was when point-making was the prerogative of the GI bucking for rank, but now comes a plan which will put ICD bases in the point-making league.
  The personnel section has just announced a monthly banner award to be made to the best Hump operating base unit, to give the bases and their personnel material recognition for efforts which, in general, have been exceeding basic requirements for their mission.
  The initial award will cover the period from Mar. 1 to 31. Awards will be based on three factors: ton miles flown per assigned aircraft; utilization of assigned planes; low accident rate.
  The ratings will be figured on a point system which gives the best base in the first two categories eight points on each count and the others a decreasing number depending upon their comparative standing. For the best record in connection with accidents, the top base will get four points, the next three and a half, and so on down the line.
  Highest possible score will be 20. The base receiving the most points during a month will get a banner to display for the following month. The scores of all other competing bases will be published. At the month's end the banner will pass on to the next winner. The unit getting the banner three times in succession will be permitted to display it permanently.

C-46 Nurses Lost Fighters Through Overcast to Safety

    1333 BU, Assam - The C-46 Curtiss Commandos of the ICD often have been escorted by fighter planes, but the tables were turned recently when a transport "mothered" two P-51's, virtually "taking them by the hand" and leading them to safety from a heavy overcast over China.
  The C-46 was shuttling back and forth over the top of an ICD base in China, waiting for a clearance from the control tower to let down "into the soup" for a landing.
  Over the radio came a call for all planes in the vicinity to be on the lookout for two Mustangs of the Tenth Air Force flying around on top of the clouds, nearly out of gas, and without instruments to guide them through the solid overcast.
  Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the two Mustangs pulled up close to the transport piloted by 1st Lt. Robert H. Toombs, of Louisville, Ky., and 2nd Lt. Don Downie, of Pasadena, Calif., his transition pilot on that particular flight.
  The "dumbo" rolled its wings in recognition as the pursuits pulled up alongside. The tower was notified that the peashooters were sighted and Radio Operator Raymond Baumrind fired a flare so that there would be no mix-up as to which plane the pursuits should follow.
  The three planes shuttled back and forth on top of the solid overcast waiting for instructions from the tower to let down.
  When the tower gave the go-ahead signal, the C-46 dropped its wheels into the clouds at a speed much higher than normal in order to keep the pace of the pursuit planes as they descended through the sleet and ice in the clouds. The let-down was made in a 100 mile-an-hour crosswind and the trio finally broke through the clouds above the landing field. The P-51's immediately peeled off and headed for their home landing strip before their fuel tanks ran completely dry.
  When the C-46 landed, its crew was called to the phone in order to receive the personal thanks of the CO of the fighter group. "Our boys gained a new respect for the transport plane. They were glad to see old Dumbo on top of that stuff."

Red Cross Official Has High Regard For ICD's Soldiers

"I have just returned from an inspection trip in the India-Burma Theater, and my admiration for

BROAD VIEWS By Pvt. Kin Platt

"He says he loved last night's show and wants to see more of me . . ."

the ATC has increased with my acquaintanceship with your organization," wrote Richard F. Allen, vice-chairman in charge of foreign operations of the American Red Cross, in a letter to Maj. Gen. H. L. George, ATC commander.
  "On this trip, I have not only visited important centers but I have also have put in at relatively small fields, and in not one single instance have I failed to find well-qualified, hard-working and courteous ATC officials," he added.
  "I have been pleased to note the high caliber of men who represent you and the efficient, effective way in which they are carrying out their important part in this war."
  "Please accept my thanks for the thousands of courtesies tendered me during my recent trip and my congratulations on your wonderful organization."

CBI Rougher than Alaska, Maintains Volunteering Vet

    1328 BU, Assam - "By and large, the CBI area is rougher than Alaska," asserts T/Sgt. William J. Walker, of Bay City, Mich., who should know, for he served in the latter more than 22 months before coming to India.
  "It was cold up there," he adds, "but we got to town and civilization oftener."
  The sarge is a two-time volunteer, having first accepted foreign service voluntarily after his 22 months in the northern theater, and then elected to quit desk work and fly the Hump upon completing a radio course at a GI school in India. After this trick, he'd just as soon try the European Theater, he says.

HUMP EXPRESS is the official newspaper of the India-China Division, Air Transport Command, APO 192, c/o Postmaster, New York, N.Y., and is published by its Public Relations office. Camp Newspaper Service and Army Newspaper Service features are used, reproduction of which is prohibited without permission of CNS and ANS, 205 East 42nd St., New York, 17, N.Y. Other material is submitted by staff members, ICD-ATC base Public Relations sections and other soldier correspondents. Printed weekly by the Hindusthan Standard, 3 Burman St., Calcutta, India, and distributed each Thursday. Passed by U.S. Press Censor for mailing.

Military transport schedules over India for cargo, personnel and mail . . . maximum tonnage of essential war materials over the Hump . . . movement of troops and supplies in support of tactical operations in China . . . evacuation of the sick and wounded - these are the missions of ICD-ATC.

FEBRUARY 22, 1945

Original issue of HUMP EXPRESS shared by CBI veteran Steven C. King, author of Flying the Hump to China.

Note: Photograph of the C-54 has been added to this recreation and did not appear in the original newspaper. A similar, better quality image of Shirley O'Hara has been substituted for the one published in the original newspaper.