Watch the Restored WWII C47 That Once Carried Aid Across the Himalayas

Origin and Purpose

In the early 1940s, the United States and China made a deal under the Lend-Lease program to send aircraft to support China’s war efforts. Among the planes was the Douglas C-47, nicknamed Buzz Buggy. This plane helped carry food, fuel, ammunition, and other supplies over the Himalayan mountain range. The flights crossed rugged peaks, unpredictable weather, and dangerous air routes. These missions came to be known simply as “The Hump,” because of how high and risky they were.

The route started in Assam, India, heading over the eastern edge of the Himalayas and dropping down into Kunming, in southwestern China. Pilots had to climb above high ridges, fight storms, dodging mountain turbulence and sometimes enemy fighters. Because of the danger, many aircraft were lost. Estimates say more than 600 planes and over 1,600 crew members died during the flights.

Restoration and Return

After the war, most of those C-47s were scrapped or lost. Buzz Buggy survived a long series of moves: civilian service in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and elsewhere. It aged, but remained mostly whole. In 2015 the Flying Tiger Historical Organization bought it from Australia and began restoring it. The restoration involved finding original parts, repairing or reproducing pieces, and reviving the aircraft so that it looked and flew like it once did.

In August of 2016, Buzz Buggy lifted off from Australia, ready to fly its old route over the Himalayas toward China. It made several stops, faced mechanical issues and delays, but arrived in Guilin on November 19 to be displayed in a new heritage park. This plane is now a symbol of cooperation between China and the United States, and a memorial to the many pilots, crew members, and engineers who risked everything flying over the high mountains.

Legacy of the C-47 “Buzz Buggy”

The C-47 was never built to be a fighter. It was a transport plane. Yet over the Himalayas it became something more. It carried hope. It carried supplies that kept armies supplied, cities defended, and people alive. Without those flights, the war in China would have looked different. Even today, when people see Buzz Buggy in the heritage park, they remember the courage it required, the risks taken, and the bonds formed between people from distant lands.

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