General description of the collection: This collection contains two copies of a report entitled, "Advantages of Air Transport." It was written for the Commanding General, United States Army Air Forces, India Burma Sector, China India Burma Theater by S.C. Godfrey. This report is a comparison of air versus land supply operations performed in Myitkyina, Burma. The 10th Air Force carried 40,000 tons of cargo and supplies in five months. They used 75 C-47 cargo planes to do the job. A large group of men and trucks in the Quartermaster Corps would have been required to keep the Ledo Road open and passable. The logistics of maintaining the Ledo Road would have been a much higher drain of available manpower. Godfrey estimates that sixteen 2-1/2 ton trucks would have had to be used to accomplish the same amount of work as one C-47 airplane. The lifespan of that truck would have been much shorter on such a hazardous route, while a plane would last years with proper maintenance. Godfrey also mentioned that the 9th Army Air Force serving in France had experience rebuiding airfields, and that this expertise may be useful in China.
