After leaving Scott Air Force Base, Clarence Hayhurst was sent to work as a radio technician in the Pacific Theater. There, he would operate and repair radios aboard a C-47 flying over what was called “The Hump.”
The Hump, a nickname for the Himalayan Mountains, was the dangerous stretch of rocky terrain that the Air Corps used to transfer materials from bases in India to Kunming, China. This was extremely vital to Allied strategy in the Pacific. Operations over the Hump started in May 1942. At first, the planes were mostly Douglas DC-3, but those were retired in favor of the C-47s, which had larger doors and much more stable floors. According to official Army Air Forces history, “…every vehicle, every gallon of fuel, every weapon, every round of ammunition, every typewriter, and every ream of paper which found its way to Free Chine for either the Chinese or the American forces during nearly three years of the war was flown in by air from India.” The Hump was extremely dangerous, as the C-47s had great difficulty getting over the towering mountains. Instead, the planes had to fly through gaps of the range of maneuver through the treacherous terrain. This made Clarence’s job as a radio operator and repairman especially useful, as communication was vital to making sure all the soldiers survived the dangerous journey. |