Over the Hump Airlift Campaign 1942-1945

"Over the Hump Airlift Campaign 1942-1945" is a simulation of the airlift to China in World War II. The simulation includes 58 pages of rules and procedures, scenarios, counter sheets, and map sections.

There are 16 scenarios beginning with an introductory basic scenario involving one China National Aviation Corporation DC-3 type aircraft flying a pioneering path-finding flight from Assam, India across the Himalayas to Kunming, China. The second scenario brings in the US Army Air Force using C-47 type aircraft in flying fuel to China for Doolittle's Raiders that they would have used to fly from China to India after the Raid on Tokyo in early 1942. Scenarios continue chronologically capturing highlights of the airlift campaign and introducing in succession: C-87, C-46, C-109, and finally C-54 type aircraft. The final scenario provides for as many as 500 aircraft in a one day maximum effort that occurred on August 1st, 1945 when the Air Transport Command India-China Division made over 1,000 sorties and delivered more than 5,000 tons of cargo to China in a single 24-hour period. Scenarios provide historical average daily tonnage for comparison of player performance in running airlift operations.

There are four counter sheets on 8-1/2 inch by 11-inch pages with each 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch counter representing a single aircraft with its flight characteristics printed on the counter. There are eight map pages on 8-1/2 inch by 11-inch pages that can be trimmed to form a map approximately 16 inches by 40 inches with representations of geographic locations, terrain, and altitude bands for flying aircraft counters from India to China and returning for another load. Various simulation tracks, such as the tonnage delivered, time clock, morale and efficiency, loss rate, and search and rescue level are included on the map sections. The map also includes loading and turn around boxes at the air fields for tracking aircraft as they land, load or turn around, complete loading or turn-around, are cleared for takeoff, and take off on their next flight.

The simulation is available as a free download and is fully contained in an Adobe Acrobat file that prints out on 58 pages of 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper. The simulation includes some probability driven aspects of airlift operations, and three or more 10-sided dice can be used for these purposes. No dice are provided, and players will need to provide dice or other means of generating random numbers.

The simulation is designed for solitaire play. More than one player can participate by dividing aircraft types among players or dividing operating bases among players.