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Hump Drivers: An American Pilot's Account of Flying over the Himalayas during WWII
A gritty, unglamorous, unfiltered look at the daily life of an American transport pilot in the WWII Burma theater.
Arthur La Vove was born in Manhattan in 1909, the son of a French military attaché. Arthur flew commercial airliners for Century Airways and United in 1930s. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, he volunteered for the Army Air Force. Any enthusiasm that Arthur had for the conflict quickly eroded once he arrived in the CBI, the China-Burma-India theater of operations, for service with Air Transport Command. La Vove was a “Hump Pilot,” conducting the hazardous duty of ferrying men and material over the Himalayan Mountains, propping up American, Commonwealth, and Chinese Nationalist forces in their struggle against the Japanese in South Asia. The aircraft of the day were not well suited to handle the extreme environment, and the Himalayas remain littered with the remnants of aircraft and their crew who did not make it over the Hump. Arthur survived the war and studied journalism at Columbia University. He lived a long and prosperous life, excelling in various pursuits including writing, flying, and car racing. This is an unusually eloquent and poignant account of service in WWII by a man who lived it.
Arthur La Vove was born in Manhattan in 1909, the son of a French military attaché. Arthur flew commercial airliners for Century Airways and United in 1930s. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, he volunteered for the Army Air Force. Any enthusiasm that Arthur had for the conflict quickly eroded once he arrived in the CBI, the China-Burma-India theater of operations, for service with Air Transport Command. La Vove was a “Hump Pilot,” conducting the hazardous duty of ferrying men and material over the Himalayan Mountains, propping up American, Commonwealth, and Chinese Nationalist forces in their struggle against the Japanese in South Asia. The aircraft of the day were not well suited to handle the extreme environment, and the Himalayas remain littered with the remnants of aircraft and their crew who did not make it over the Hump. Arthur survived the war and studied journalism at Columbia University. He lived a long and prosperous life, excelling in various pursuits including writing, flying, and car racing. This is an unusually eloquent and poignant account of service in WWII by a man who lived it.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published May 28, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2025
2.5 rounded to 3.
This is a collection of brief (1-3 page max) interludes by the author and his time spent flying the hump (from Assam India to various Chinese bases on the other side of the Himalayan mountains).
They seem to be more centered around the pictures he drew and lack any theme other than "I spent time in India and China, and we were all rather racist and the officers in charge had no idea what it was like"
Obviously a product of the time, it was a really fast read since half the pages are pictures. And while it could have used some continuity editing ( they reopened the Burma road in three different parts of the book) the overall theme was captured that war is hell, India is hot and muggy, and China is cold.
I also learned a little about this part of WW2 that is not taught or talked about at all, America's bases and aid to India and China against Japan.
This is a collection of brief (1-3 page max) interludes by the author and his time spent flying the hump (from Assam India to various Chinese bases on the other side of the Himalayan mountains).
They seem to be more centered around the pictures he drew and lack any theme other than "I spent time in India and China, and we were all rather racist and the officers in charge had no idea what it was like"
Obviously a product of the time, it was a really fast read since half the pages are pictures. And while it could have used some continuity editing ( they reopened the Burma road in three different parts of the book) the overall theme was captured that war is hell, India is hot and muggy, and China is cold.
I also learned a little about this part of WW2 that is not taught or talked about at all, America's bases and aid to India and China against Japan.
March 4, 2024
Thank you for your service Mr La Vove. And I really mean that.
The book however is a short collection of even shorter anecdotes, accompanied by sketches. A typical anecdote is 1,5 pages which could have easily be put on one page if the font was normal and if normal spacing was used throughout. Everything is done to fill the book. The 1,5 page of an anecdote, which has barely something to do with actually flying over the Hump, is accompanied by three pages of nothing.
That quite easily fills the book.
As an airline pilot I found none of the anecdotes noteworthy. Sorry.
If you are looking for an interesting story of Hump drivers and what is was like, you have to shy away from this book. IMHO it is not worth the paper it’s printed on.
The book however is a short collection of even shorter anecdotes, accompanied by sketches. A typical anecdote is 1,5 pages which could have easily be put on one page if the font was normal and if normal spacing was used throughout. Everything is done to fill the book. The 1,5 page of an anecdote, which has barely something to do with actually flying over the Hump, is accompanied by three pages of nothing.
That quite easily fills the book.
As an airline pilot I found none of the anecdotes noteworthy. Sorry.
If you are looking for an interesting story of Hump drivers and what is was like, you have to shy away from this book. IMHO it is not worth the paper it’s printed on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2022
A book that sneaks up on you. Autobiographical without being obvious, the chapters are written to the accompanying artwork. A more accurate, gritty, real, slogging account of the hard-working transport pilots and crews I have yet to read. Very much of its time, but perhaps that's what makes it even more eye-opening.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews