Hump Express - April 26, 1945 - China-Burma-India Theater of World War II

Vol. 1, No. 15 Published by India China Division, Air Transport Command April 26, 1945

BAILOUTS COME BACK UNDER ESCORT

Skymaster Over Burmese Pagoda

Gear down and flaps extended, a cargo-laden C-54 hovers over an ancient Burmese Pagoda just before easing its load onto the runway at a Burma base.

Odd Procession Brings Amazing Saga of Rescue

Chinese and Yanks Mutually
Marvel as Luck Casts
Them Together

    1343 BU, Luliang, China - A strange procession of 21 Chinese guards, three American fliers and five horses paraded into this base last week to tip off a series of Chinese-American relations worthy of the State Department.
  Riding the horses were American airmen who had been forced to bail out over a Chinese village. The 21 Chinese were residents of the village who formed an armed escort for the fliers.
  GIs marveled at the guards' outmoded rifles, many of which were homemade and all of which bore signs of age and use.

Thrilling Ride
  The Chinese in turn were amazed to see the Army's trucks, telephones and especially airplanes. An interpreter explained that they had seen planes only in the sky, never had ridden in an automobile and hadn't seen a telephone.
  Once the excitement subsided, the Chinese were paid the usual reward and bedded down for the night. In the morning, Maj. Frank S. Sylvester, CO, decided to show the Americans' appreciation and take the escort back to their village by truck. Holding their huge straw hats and crude, long rifles and yelling at the top of their voices, they didn't mind the rough ride.

'Springtime in the Rockies'
  Following the ride over winding roads and cart trails, the truck hove into sight of a cheering, waving mob of villagers. The men were reluctant to leave the truck and stood laughing and talking to their families. Seemingly they enjoyed having the Americans bring them home in style and stood around until everyone saw them in all their glory.
  Learning that the magistrate was away for the night, local authorities took the Americans to one of the nicest buildings in the village, a hospital, and offered them lodging.
  In the morning the GIs were awakened to the strains of "Springtime in the Rockies," the one American record the town possessed.
  Later a Chinese captain summoned them to the home of the magistrate where armed guards led them through courts to the official reception room. The magistrate extended invitations for breakfast and expressed his satisfaction at the safe deliverance of the airmen, adding that it was their duty to help all Americans.

Bottle of Private Stock
  After the Americans were introduced to the magistrate's family, a breakfast was served that resembled a Thanksgiving feast. With the meal, wine was served from the chief's private stock, and each guest was presented with a bottle of the old vintage.
  The magistrate proudly displayed a picture of General Chiang Kai-shek which had been presented to him by the generalissimo on a recent visit.
  With everyone doubling at the waist, the Americans took their leave, assured that any downed airmen in that area would be cordially received.

First Hump Hop of ETO Veteran Was Close One

Landed with Twigs, Grass and Soil They Hadn't Taken Off With

    1346 BU, Tezgaon, India - It took just one trip over the Hump - his first - to give S/Sgt. William P. Voght more gray hair than 14 months as a gunner with the Fifth AAF could produce.
  Sgt. Voght, veteran of 59 combat missions on B-24's, was one of five crew members of a C-109 gasoline tanker which ran through a Hump thunderstorm so severe that the aircraft, after being forced up and down several thousand feet in a matter of seconds, grazed the side of a mountain peak, bounded off again and eventually landed safely.

Plenty Evidence
  Piloted by 1st Lt. Robert L. Hamilton and F/O Walter E. Webster, co-pilot, the 109 was returning from a mission to China. When it landed at this base, crew members and ground crew were surprised to find the extent of the damage only a smashed cowling on the outboard engine.
  On the underside of the ship were pieces of twigs, grass and dirt scrapings, evidence that the plane and crew had one of the narrowest escapes yet recorded over the Hump.

Arrived 3 Days Earlier
  Aboard were Cpl. Max Kipperman, flight engineer, and radio operator Sgt. Glenn O. Borge. Voght was making his first flight as a student radio operator.
  Although Voght had been assigned here only three days previous to this hair-raising experience, he holds the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and Southwest Pacific campaign ribbon with two stars, earned with the Fifth AAF.

Brass and GIs Unite for Education of Indian Boy

1328 BU, Misamari, Assam, India - Donations from officers and enlisted men on this base

TEEK AND HI by Pvt. John Babnis, 1327 BU

"I quit."

will send an orphaned Indian boy to school, if plans do not go awry.
  Moniruddin, a bright young lad who served for many months as office boy in the civilian personnel office at this base, has been enrolled in an Indian school in a nearby town.
  The initial cost for clothing and enrollment fees amounted to rupees 50, advanced by the civilian personnel officer.
  Rupees 600 will give Moni about two years of schooling. Part of the plan is to raise that sum through donations from the men here. A record will be kept of names and addresses of all contributors. When Moni is able to write, a letter will be sent to the officer's home address, and copies will be sent to all who had a hand in the education of the boy.
  Moni, whose parents starved to death in the Bengal famine, will live at the home of a merchant while attending school. The merchant will report every month to the British deputy commissioner who will hold the fund. Moni's progress thus will be checked at the same time the merchant is reimbursed for the boy's keep and education.
  Moni is strictly not a "baksheesh" Indian. He was trained to refuse all baksheesh and consistently turns down everything else that is offered him.
  The lad has worked closely with the civilian personnel officer and takes great pride in lining up laborers and marching them off to inspections.

Mailroomers Sick; Slick Chick-Pic Pilfered by Cad

    1345 BU, Kurmitola, India - "He who steals our purse steals trash, but just don't walk away with our prize pin-up," was the anguished cry of the mail wallahs at this base when they discovered that some knave has walked off with the post office pin-up.
  The boys in the postal department had been in the habit of culling periodicals for superior examples of feminine pulchritude in the various stages of "dishabille." These samples of art were posted alongside the mail windows for unhappy mortals who failed to receive any mail, in the hope they would derive some scant solace by gazing at the bared charms of a lovely Conover or Powers model.
  Everything has been tried to retrieve the one wandering paper lassie - all in vain. Now the men are keeping one eye on the 'customer' and the other on the bulletin board with a hope that the long-lost cheesecake will return to its former shrine.

Tear Down 109 and Ready It Again in Record (?) Time

1347 BU, Shamshernagar, India - Seven and a half hours after they went to work, 12 mechanics had pulled four engines from a C-109, replaced them with brand-new power plants and had the tanker ready for test hop. Under the direction of M/Sgt. Sherman Young, the C-109 engine-change crew went to work at 6:30 a.m. At 2 p.m. the ship was ready to go.

Service With A Lovely Smile

1309 BU, Bangalore - Fruit juice and "k" ration sales jumped to a new high here last week as Miss Mary Louise Craddock took over the service and information desk at the passenger terminal building. Being informed in the above view is M/Sgt. Vincent Rossitto, on a flight from ICD headquarters.

Holds Dim View of Nips
After Japan Sojourn

"Seemed an Inferior People" Says Master Sergeant of Hon. Enemy

   1307 BU, New Delhi, India - M/Sgt. C. H. Day, now working out his last hitch in the Army, has dealt with the Japs before this war and has nothing but contempt for the self-affixed appellation "superior race."
  As far back as 1917 they impressed him as anything but superior. When in Nagasaki, about the time of the last war, he saw them at work, at play and as soldiers. In every category, he said, they seemed an inferior people.
  "At the docks, barges containing coal were towed alongside our transport," Day recalled. "About 100 Japs, including women and children, scrambled up the loading stairs with baskets of coal. Each basket held only about one quarter of a bushel which they deposited in the coal bunkers as they filed past a checker."
  On shore the conditions were no better. The people seemed ignorant and conditions far from sanitary.
  "While at a cafe we witnessed a performance of the most repulsive dance I've ever seen," Day continued. "The performers, a boy and a girl about 13, wore ragged, dirty clothing and their bodies gave the appearance of being total strangers to soap and water."
  A visit to one of Japan's military installations showed everyone extremely courteous, including the officers. U.S. soldiers, regardless of rank, were met with a salute and a slight bow by all the military.
  "At that time the Japs' every movement and act seemed to be an apologetic gesture of their great inferiority," Day explained. "Since then they evidently have been affected with just plain, common swelled-head."

Engender Ground Safety Consciousness
With Series of Graphic Presentations

Admonitions Pepper Field As 1347 Swings Into Poster Parade - Bamboo Juice One Item Coming Under Fire of Reformers

1347 BU, , India - Since December the office of ground safety slowly but steadily has been making 1347 "ground safety conscious."
Hand-hewn, hand-painted signs in strategic locations about the base - admonitions against everything

Shapely pin-ups and GI Joes vie for attention, as the office of ground safety at this base goes all out in its latest drive. In the center are Lt. Joseph Kipping, OGS officer, and Pfc. John Simko, general idea-man of the office. Pictured alongside their work are the artists, Sgt. Thomas Berkemeyer (top), Cpl. Walter Kieseling (bottom left), and Cpl. Ollie Moody. The artists were "borrowed" from engineering.

from heavy weight lifting to drinking "bamboo juice" - are doing their share daily. Bulletin boards and manuals are other means employed.
  Humorous as well as mirthless cartoons, placed within easy range of personnel, have implanted in their minds the importance of each job here, and visions of quicker return to Uncle Sugar have become undeniably tied in with a new regard for individual safety.
  The punchy, clever campaign is conducted by two regulars and three artists on loan from base engineers. Lt Joseph Kipping laid the foundation for the ground safety campaign, Pfc. John Simko, the general ideaman, is largely responsible for the tactful, yet direct approach of the drive. Simko worked with the safety council of the National Cash Register company in Dayton, Ohio, and his experience has given the drive definite shape.
  Artists Sgt. Thomas Berkemeyer, and Cpls. Ollie Moody, Jr., and Walter Kieseling put the safety idea into actual, visual form. In a few days no matter where or how personnel traveled about this base, a signpost or placard relentlessly stared back at them to put its point across.
  Shapely pin-ups, model wives and sweethearts, nostalgic scenes of Uncle Sugar - all props are used as subject matter to attract men to the posters and signs. Messages are delivered with punch, calling a spade a spade.
  It is not uncommon for personnel here to regard with unfeigned interest the unveiling of each new series of campaign ammunition. Men are revitalizing efforts to put their base on top in safety.

Aluminum Reflector Proves Valued Aid To Runway Lineup

   1337 BU, Sookerating, Assam, India - Dural aluminum reflectors used in conjunction with flares are proving of material aid to pilots in lining up with the runway at this base.
  Designed by Lt. Col. George S. Cassady, CO, the reflectors, together with ten-minute railroad spike fuses, provide a brilliant light. By use of 12 flares mounted in the reflector, the visibility factor of the flares is about doubled.
  Placed at either end of the runway, the flares can be lighted instantly by runway guards always stationed there. The reflectors already have been used to good advantage to aid lost aircraft from this field in spotting the airdrome and they are expected to be of incalculable safety value during the monsoon season.

Luscious L'il Landis

This week's pin-up, Carole Landis in a sweet seude something-or-other, was selected by the GIs of the 1350 BU - Kunming. "Is she luscious?" they ask, but we are sure it's a purely rhetorical question.

Topkick Fights for Welfare of U. S. Soldiers

Was a Lieutenant in War I; Studies Vet Problems, Helps Men

   1306 BU, Karachi, India - When 1st Sgt. Art Serumgard joined the Army, he wanted, as much as anyone else, to help whip the enemy, but in his mind he also had the welfare of GIs.
  For two wars and the intervening years, Serumgard has had soldier and veteran problems uppermost in his mind. After a discharge as a lieutenant in 1918, he found re-adjustment a troublesome process - for himself and many friends.
  As a result of his experiences, he made veteran problems his major avocation. He conducted a thorough study of soldier benefits and opportunities for returning vets. Armed with the knowledge he acquired over the years, he felt he could help younger men in today's Army, and re-enlisted in 1942 as a GI.
  Now, at 50, he is a first sergeant of a guard squadron at this base and in an excellent position to follow his avocation and the cause for which he enlisted. He feels that he has helped many to adjust themselves for the bewilderingly different life in the Army.

Chinese Villagers Oust the Military and Mob GI Movie

   1350 BU, Kunming, China - The "uninvited guest" was much in evidence here at a recent official showing of a production line maintenance movie at a conference.
  The rub came after a two-hour delay in the showing. Word spread through the vicinity of the Hot Springs Sanitary hotel - scene of the conference - that the movie was to be shown. Villagefolk, many of whom had never seen a flicker in their lives, rushed to the hotel.
  By the time the technical movie started, the room was jam-packed with a motley audience - soldiers, farmers, beggars, mothers with suckling babies, and even bellboys. It was so crowded that only five officers were able to squeeze in. They departed for air shortly after the showing started, leaving the movie to those who didn't have any idea what they were looking at, but nonetheless were enjoying their first cinema.
  Officers attending the Assam, Bengal and China wing maintenance session had to come back the next day to view the picture.

ASSAM BASE SQUADRON ‘E’ TROOPS ARE ON THE BALL

Taking Ease in Dayroom

"E" is justly proud of its dayroom, built by the men. Pfc. William Warren, Bayonne, N.J., former railroad worker who is a 1332 landscape expert, reads before the fireplace while Pfc. Alfonso Lawson, civilian elevator operator and army librarian, tunes in a Valley station. Silver trophy on the mantel was awarded to the squadron for its championship softball team.

1332nd BU Has Topnotch Group of Negro Soldiers

   1332 BU, Mohanbari, Assam, India - Squadron "E" at this base is one of the sharpest and most efficient Negro outfits in the theater.
  Under the command of Capt. William Tebay, Butler, Pa., "E" has established an enviable record in accomplishing the duties to which it has been assigned.
  In the final analysis its job consists of getting vital war materials over the Hump, but more specifically the men are employed in engineering, bakeries, utilities, engine modification, plane loading, truck driving, airplane servicing, and other important tasks.

'Best Mess'
  The unit is a self-sufficient, composite one that possesses many facilities that only larger organizations usually have. Among these facilities are a dispensary, barber shop, bakery, dayroom, athletic grounds, and various conveniences that make life more comfortable and contribute to efficient work.
  The squadron mess is considered the best on the field, and contributes in no small amount to the high morale of the men. How to satisfy appetites and influence GIs is the problem of mess sergeant Victor Knox, Cleveland.
  When asked the secret of his success, he explained, "Every mess on the base has the same food, I guess, but we have the best cooks. Everything depends on the way the food is prepared."
  In the athletic line the outfit has some big-time talent to represent it, and the record of its teams is something of which each man is proud.

Band Organized
  The boxing team never has been defeated, and was tied only once. Mainstay of the leather pushers is Sgt. Velma J. White, one time National AAU champion and former Golden Gloves winner in the featherweight class.
  The softball team has done well also, playing in the "National League." In team competition recently it worked its way to the finals, meeting the champs of the "American League" in the playoff. In a three-out-of-five series final, the "American league" team won in the fifth game by a narrow margin.
  A six-piece band has been organized, built around the Vaughn brothers - Pfc. Arthur, who plays the trumpet and piano, and Sgt. Otis, who blows the sax. Plans are underway for band music at special formations, dayroom entertainment features and other events.
  First Sgt. Charles E. Huff, formerly employed in a clothing store in Columbus, Ga., looks something like fighter Joe Louis, and the punch of his orders leaves no doubt in the minds of the recipients as to whether or not they should be carried out.

Best Outfit Here
  Popular with his men, Huff has the welfare of the unit foremost in his thoughts and is convinced of the idea that the perfection of his squadron draws its strength from the teamwork of every man.
  Recently the base commander awarded a commendation to the unit for its contribution in making possible increased tonnage over the Hump.
  An unusually good court martial record is maintained, and the squadron has had only two cases of malaria since its arrival.

Something Like Home

Thatched canopy, birdhouse, and concrete block inscribed with the names of the residents make this as attractive as any tent in Assam. Something like being back at home - but not quite.

Topkick - a Georgian

First Sgt. Charles E. Huff commands his squadron with kid gloves or with an iron hand, whichever the occasion may demand. He comes from Columbus, Ga., and has been overseas seven months.

The Musical Vaughns

The bricklaying Vaughn brothers never have been separated, though both have been in the Army 25 months. Pfc. Arthur, left, plays piano and trumpet in his spare time, and Sgt. Otis plays the saxophone.

On the Court During Leisure

A group of basketballers practices a few shots during lunch period. The shredded net bears testimony to the amount of wear the basket receives and to the weather.

Area NCO Surveys His Domain

S/Sgt. Claude Price, Yazoo City, Miss., NCO, surveys part of "E" area from the window of the orderly room. Before entering the Army, Sgt. Price drove a bus.

"Sir, I guess a fellow doesn't really appreciate the value
of savings till he has two mouths to feed."

Capt. Hawks Keeps Civilians
On Ball, Runs Smooth Outfit
In Spite of Odd Situations

With Sharp Eye on Man-Hours, Overseer Copes with
Problems Among Indian Employees and Stays Cheerful

   1328 BU, Misamari, Assam, India - Whenever a GI here gets morose because of the sticky jungle heat, or waxes forlorn at the futility of it all, he can find solace in being exempt from such menial tasks as KP or ditch digging - done by civilians.
  On this base Capt. Bernard H. Hawks, of Bennigton, Vt., an insurance broker before the war, is charged with the administration of the civilian personnel office.
  How the captain copes with such problems among Indian employees as a propensity for absenteeism, pilfering, complexities stemming from widely diversified religions, and still accomplishes his mission, is the story of the tall Vermonter's enterprise and acumen.

Eye on Man Hours
  Speaking of absenteeism, the captain says:
  "The average Indian worker is like the American office boy and develops a sad case of "sick grandmother" whenever the Dodgers are in town. The suppliant Indian will present me with an abject letter written by a none-too-literate professional letter-writer in which he begs the sahib's indulgence for time off because 'poor house is broken with many calamities,' or 'my brother is afflicted with great illness,' or, artlessly, 'my wife is ill with loneliness.'"
  With a shrewd eye on man-hours, the captain grants leaves only to men with records of faithful service. Capt. Hawks has offered a bonus to every employee putting in a certain number of days a month, and absenteeism has decreased greatly.
  In combating health problems, a daily sick call is held for the Indian workers, a tent is established to provide decent homes for some of them, and close co-operation with the Indian Tea Planters' Association hospital is maintained. Weekly physical inspection of food handlers and monthly inspection of all help are required.

Assignment by Religion
  Red-capped chowkidars, or guards, many of whom are retired Gurkha soldiers, patrol the entire base. These men have made a material contribution to base security. Apprehended culprits first are turned over to the base MPs, then to the Indian police.
  Capt. Hawks skirts possible antipathy among the workers because of their widely divergent faiths by fastidious attention to job assignments. He assigns all Mohammedans to one mess hall, Hindus to another, Christians to another.
  Though there is a dearth of skilled labor in this area, auto mechanics, carpenters, painters, clerks, overseers and other skilled men are utilized to the fullest. In addition, Indian labor is used in such jobs as table waiting, KP, plane loading, sweeping and personal bearer service.

Morris, Gray Assist
  A prize employee is Suren Dutt, one of the captain's right-hand men, who is invaluable as an interpreter in dealing with the other Indians.
  An interesting sidelight is the fact that 20 to 30 Indians every month fail to collect their wages.
  Capt hawks is assisted by two enlisted men, Cpl. Bill Morris, of Shreveport, La., chief clerk, and Pfc. Jess Gray, of the Bronx.

John "Pop" Johnson, who believes he's the oldest ICD sergeant, instructs Chinese workers in the art of digging a well. He is a duty sergeant at this base, and if he ever meets up with "Pop" Brennan he's going to try and collect a case of beer

1340 Sergeant, 53, Threatens Brennan's Beer

Fails on Technicality, But is Fairly Venerable At That

   1340 BU, Kunming, China - Should it ever come to a showdown to determine the oldest man in service and age, Sgt. John Johnson, of this base, believes he pretty well can hold his own near the top.
  After reading the offer of acting 1st Sgt. Willie Brennan, 1330, to give a case of beer to anyone who could prove himself an older Pfc. first sergeant, Sgt. Johnson slowly remarked:
  "That guy has so many technicalities connected with the offer that he's pretty safe in claiming to be the oldest man in India. Since I'm in China, that lets me out, but if I ever get to India, he's going to pay up."

Tried to Re-Enlist
  Sgt. Johnson is 53 years old. He joined the Army in 1912, served through the first world war as a quartermaster sergeant and later a gunnery sergeant.
  When this war started he immediately tried to re-enlist but the Army, Navy and Marines said a man who was nearly 50 was overage.

Not Enough in China
  Shortly after enlisting he was offered a direct commission but refused it. His answer was again negative when he was offered a first sergeant's position. He preferred to begin as a buck private - and they let him.
  He never has regretted enlisting and plans to stay in after the war if he is acceptable at his age. He's certain that physically he has nothing to worry about.

Formulate Plans At Conference To Speed Work

Engine Change Procedures, Shuttle Service Started

   1350 BU, Kunming, China - Division aircraft maintenance officers met at the Sani hotel, Hot Springs, China, for a conference on speeding up turnaround and closer liaison between engineering and aircraft maintenance officers.
  As a consequence of the meetings, airdrome officers will be charged with many additional duties. They will be responsible for checking the oxygen, gas, put-puts, hydraulic fluid and maintenance on arriving planes and will clear the details with the maintenance officer.
  Twenty-four hour shuttle service will be started at all China bases to transport crews directly to and from the line mess, cutting down delays.
  The bases will be responsible for engine change in the event of an emergency. Engine crews will be shipped from the plane's home base to assist the mechanics at the field where the plane is grounded. Upon completion of the change the crew will return with the replaced engine on the ship overhauled.

Empire of Baggage

At the Karachi lost and found bureau, operated by P & T for the entire division, a little Indian boy sits atop an empire consisting of everything from love letters to quartermaster brogans. P & T wants it known that little urchin on the B-4 bag is strictly the prop of an overambitious shutterbug.

When Bath Day Comes in India

This photo, which might have been taken in most sections of India, was shot near Calcutta, where this group of Indians took a public bath under the bright mid-day sun. Men, women and children walk down specially-prepared brick steps to enter the pool, in varying degrees of clothing. The old fellow on the right is taking a sip of the water.

Home Builders Currently Suffer From Assamitis

Add Homey Touch to Basha and Surrounding Grounds

   1328 BU, Misamari, India - A number of Assamitis victims are picturing themselves sitting in "The Garden Spot of America" sipping Tom Collins' when in reality they are stuck in Assam having a "Bamboo Highball."
  Occupants of one of the bashas here have added a homey touch to their living quarters and have achieved something remotely akin to these dreams.
  It started when Sgt. Willard Jones and S/Sgt. Arvey Richardson planted flowers in front of their appointed home. Seeing this, Cpl. Don O'Neill, Cecil Groover, S/Sgt. Clair Hogan, Cecil Hendrickson and M/Sgt. Claude E. Warfield constructed an archway of bamboo lattice work. To this was added a brick-bordered pathway and handsomely painted fence. Inside the fence, the area was transformed into a formal garden. Flowers, vines, transplanted grass and shrubbery complete the picture.
  Inside, the basha is divided into four rooms. There is an "Esquire room" with a choice selection of pin-ups, a monastic room, and an old man's home where only family pictures are displayed.
  Currently the home builders are waging a war against cut-worms that are after their flowers.

India's Social Structure Pays Motherhood Tribute

By B. J. Vaswani

   India is, in many ways of her life, very different from modern western countries. Among some of the most outstanding differences in outlook and social structure is the place of women in Indian society. I have often heard American boys complaining, "Life is so dull out here. It is difficult to have a date with a girl, to take her out for a picnic or the pictures, even to have the pleasure of a brief chat with one."
  Some enterprising young boy whistles to a passing pretty face, of offers candy to a comely girl in a shop, and gets nothing but a cold stare in return. "This is so different from life back in the States."

'Many Peculiarities'
  yes, there are a good many more ways of life which are peculiar to India - the caste system, the joint-family, the purdah (veiling of women), untouchability, yoga and yogis,

BROAD VIEWS By Kin Platt

"They got my pin-up pictures, and now the chaplains are calling me Miss Mental Booby Trap of 1945."

the ubiquitous beggar, the ragged, starving poverty, the non-violent way of achieving political freedom, colorful pageantry of races and creeds, and many more.
  It is said that the place a woman occupies in the minds of a people is a fair reflection of its state of civilization. In India, in spite of some corruption of ancient tradition, woman holds a high place in the estimation of man. The Prime Existence which created the Cosmos is, in Hindu mythology, named Shakti, and Shakti is feminine. This conception of woman being the mother of the universe is a different conception from that of genesis where Eve is represented as being produced from the rib of Adam.

Motherhood Glorified
  The old history of India, in the heyday of Hinduism, is a glorious record of the freedom allowed to woman to rise to her fullest stature in domestic and civic life, in religion and in politics, in arts and sciences. And today the conception which colors the whole attitude of man to woman in India is that woman is "mother." It is motherhood in woman which the Indian glorifies more than her womanhood.
  Manu, the Hindu lawgiver, said, "A master exceedeth ten tutors in claim to honor; the father, a hundred masters; but the mother, a thousand fathers in right to reverence and in the function of teacher." Again, "the gods come down to play where women are worshipped." The saying of Prophet Mohammed is equally emphatic: "At the feet of the Mother is Paradise."

Artist Conception
  The most characteristic mode of addressing women in public and in the homes in India is to call them "Mata" (mother). An Indian artist would prefer to represent a young girl with a child at her breast, rather than a virgin with all the allure in the world. Woman as mother is supreme in her Indian household; her sons, even after they have grown up into house-holders must bow down to the mother, and their wives must do the same.

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.

APRIL 26, 1945

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

Note: The dateline in each story has had the specific location name added. A better quality image of Carole Landis was substituted for the identical photo appearing in the original newspaper.