Over the Hump depicts Allied transport aircraft crossing the eastern Himalayas during one of the most difficult airlift operations of World War II. With land routes into China cut or contested, aircraft carried fuel, ammunition, equipment and other supplies from India across a mountain route crews simply called “the Hump.”
The C-47 Relic: 41-7723
The relic associated with the artwork comes from an aluminum cowl flap from C-47 Skytrain serial number 41-7723. Built in February 1942, the aircraft served during World War II and later passed through postwar military service, including the Minnesota Air National Guard.
Aluminum cowl-flap material from C-47 Skytrain 41-7723.
The Himalayan Airlift
Crews flying from India to China faced extreme terrain, rapidly changing weather, icing, turbulence, navigation difficulties and aircraft operating near the limits imposed by altitude and heavy cargo loads. Losses from weather and mechanical failure were substantial.
C-47s were among the aircraft used on the route, alongside types such as the C-46 Commando and C-87. As the airlift expanded, Air Transport Command developed an enormous logistical system to keep supplies moving into China.
The wreckage scattered along the route gave rise to the grim nickname “Aluminum Trail.” Yet the operation ultimately moved hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo and demonstrated what sustained military air transport could accomplish under exceptionally difficult conditions.
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