IntroductionIn this article we will discuss the first documented use of helicopters for primary air ambulance purposes during World War II. In 1943, the United States, the British Commonwealth, and the Chinese faced the armies of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. The Burmese Independent Army started on the Japanese side, but later switched sides to fight with the Allied forces. Under the control of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the United States made the decision to support the Chinese during the war with aircraft.1 With Japan controlling much of China's territory, the Chinese's main supply route was through the road to Burma. This supply route was critical to operations in the region and led to a restructuring of how supplies would be delivered to soldiers fighting and to patients who could get the urgent care they so desperately needed. The only logical and quick way to accomplish this would be to use aircraft using a supply route known as "Hump."2HistoryCommanders of every unit around the world have considered how to take care of their troops by wartime. . Perhaps one of the most weighty thoughts is the risk I am willing to take if I cannot provide my men with immediate medical attention when they need it most. Dating back as far as 1866, the idea of ​​an "Air Ambulance" has been on the minds of some people around the world. Paris, France, first used hot air balloons to evacuate more than 160 soldiers from the besieged city to medical care facilities.3 At first, using a hot air balloon to rescue shipwrecked sailors seemed logical since balloons already carried mail and supplies throughout the area of ​​operations. This direct action...... middle of paper ......pter Evacuation, http://olive-drab.com/od_medical_evac_helio_ww2.phpEd Holmes, MEDEVAC Flight in WWII, http://www.helis.com /stories/burma45.phpHistory of Air Ambulance and MEDEVAC, Mercy Flight, http://www.mercyflight.org/content/pages/medevacMap Of Burma, BBC, Animated map: The Burma Campaign, http://www.bbc. co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwtwo_map_burma/index_embed.shtmlMark W. Bielauskas, Imphal, The Hump and Beyond, http://www.comcar.org/Air%20Commando%20Group/1st_air_commando_group_beginings.htmPeter Dorland and James Nanney, DUST OFF: Army Aeromedical Evacuation in Vietnam, CMH Publisher, 90-28-1, page 9 US Army Medical Department, call sign – DUSTOFF “Chapter 1” http://www.bordeninstitute.army .mil/other_pub/dustoff/Dustoffch1.pdfSecond World War in Burma, History Channel, http://www.history.co.uk/ explore-history/ww2/burma.html