Museum on Allied airmen who went down over ‘The Hump’ opens

Inaugurated in Arunachal Pradesh, The Hump WWII Museum pays tribute to fallen airmen of Allied forces who flew treacherous air route between Assam and Yunnan in World War II. U.S. Ambassador to India and Arunachal Pradesh CM inaugurated museum, praising airmen's bravery and efforts of Oken Tayeng and team

GUWAHATI

A museum dedicated to fallen airmen flying for the Allied forces during World War II was inaugurated in Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday.

The Hump WWII Museum at Pasighat, headquarters of the East Siang district, has been named after a treacherous air route between north-eastern Assam and Yunnan in China. Some 650 aircraft crashed from 1942-45 on this route.

“We come here today not just to mark history but to make history. To see the ways with which each one of us is called not just to witness the past but to do something to change the future,” Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India said after inaugurating the museum with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

“This is not a gift only to Arunachal Pradesh or to the families whose lives will be affected when they come here but a gift to India and to the world,” he said.

Mr Khandu said The Hump was a tribute from the people of his State to the fallen heroes of WWII.

“The museum will remind the younger generation of the bravery of the Allied pilots who flew over The Hump to fight against the threat to democracy and freedom,” he said, urging Mr Garcetti to facilitate the exploration of some 30 locations in Arunachal Pradesh where remnants of WWII aircraft are still believed to exist.