Explorers Discover Crashed B-24J In India’s Mountains – What Was It Doing There?

Hump.

It was recently reported that parts of a WWII-era plane were discovered in the mountains of India. It is not entirely clear what the plane is as pieces are recovered but it is thought to be a Consolidated B-24J Liberator. India seems like an odd location to find the remains of such a plane but there is a good reason for it.

With the forces of Imperial Japan occupying much of Eastern Asia as well as shipping routes accessing China became necessary to resupply the struggling nation. American forces came to the aid of China by airlifting cargo over the Himalayas, but the world’s tallest mountain range came with a few dangers.

“We believe it to be the wreckage of [an] American plane used in WW II over the Himalayan range of Arunachal Pradesh, which was [popularly known] as the ‘hump’ among the US Air Force. The location and the engine model also support our assumption.”

– Taba Nobin (Expedition Leader)

The remaining parts of the crashed plane are still inaccessible to rough terrain and additional equipment will need to be brought in for the recovery. For a look at the dangers of “The Hump” check out this archival footage.