'Hump' transport plane on display in Chengdu

The wreckage of an air freighter crashed while covering the route more than 70 years ago has been brought to Chengdu. [Photo/CNTV]

"The Hump" was a term coined by World War II Allied pilots to describe a treacherous air route over the eastern Himalayas. It claimed many of their lives. Now, the wreckage of an air freighter crashed while covering the route more than 70 years ago has been brought to Chengdu.

The plane was a C-87 Liberator Express that crashed in winter 1943 some 4,000 meters above sea-level. The plane and the remains of five US pilots were discovered by a local hunter in 1993. Though the remains were transferred back to the US, most of the plane was left on the glacier.

But to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the war's conclusion, a search for the wreckage was launched this summer. Jianchuan Museum curator Fan Jianchuan took part.

"It was especially difficult to climb onto the glacier, as there are no roads or bridges. The members of the search team had to build makeshift roads and bridges while climbing, carried the parts on their backs, and descended the mountain with the help of 41 Tibetan porters," Fan said.

The team could only move about 50 pieces of the wreckage, including a wing measuring 4.5 meters in length and emblazoned with a white five-pointed star. English words such as "Chicago" and "USA" can be seen on some parts.

"During the war, thousands of aircraft flying the Hump crashed, but few of them have ever been found. It is the first time that such a considerable collection of remains is being brought together in a museum," Fan said.

The "Hump", by which Allied pilots flew strategic supplies into battle-scarred China in World War II, is the most costly airborne route in the history of wartime aviation. About 1,500 US aircraft crashed along the way.

"Broken wings - searching for C-87" is now on display at the Jianchuan Museum in Chengdu.