When Heroes Flew: The Roof of the World

A legendary WWII airlift mission cuts through the snaggletoothed Himalaya Mountains, where both the terrain and weather prove uncommonly savage. And American airmen leave a trail of blood and mangled aircraft across northern Burma.

“I would rather fly a fighter against the Japs three times a day than a transport over the Hump once.”

Aviator Major Rod Shepherd, a C-46 pilot and Army Air Forces weather officer, flings his aircraft into the tumultuous skies to fly critical missions over the Hump. He braves not only the extreme—even impossible—flying conditions, but commanders who believe weather support is useless and a flight nurse who, for reasons unknown to Rod, dislikes him intensely.