BBC NEWS | UK | Bitter-sweet memories of Berlin Airlift On 12 May 1949, the Soviet blockade, which prompted the Berlin Airlift, came to an end.Sixty years later, veterans who took part in the frantic efforts to keep the city supplied with food have been recalling events.
Wow 60 years today, quite a date. Quite an amazing feat and one with mjor impact on modern cold war politics. Always found it quite interesting, one of the boys from the local airbase preservation is a Berlin airlift vet. Loads of stories about ghosts and buzzing Russian fighters. Regrds Kev
Hi Peter, Was in Berlin last year to get the Arnhem graves there walking around the cemetery I notice a Glider Pilots Head stone and thought I wonder... Turns out he was the only GP to died in the Air lift thought your like a photo... TomTAS
Berlin Airlift Memorial, rather poorly snapped in the freezing cold at the National memorial arboretum last year. Fruit trees behind planted for each of the British personnel that lost their lives on the operation. Thirty-Nine trees in total . ~A
Yes the celebrations were today at Templehof. Unfortunately I could not make it but several of the veterans at the RBL will have attended. I believe in view of the closure of the Airport and forthcoming redevelopment this may be the last one. There is an exhibition in the control tower building at Gatow Luftwaffen Museum. I took some photos of the photos hangin on the walls and posted them on the Sunderland Thread as quite a few were Short Sunderland photographs. Regards Tom
RAF - News by Date Standing in front of what was once the control tower of the former RAF Gatow near Berlin, Sir John Curtiss, President of the British Berlin Airlift Association surveys the redundant airfield – “It’s changed a lot he quips”. He’s getting his land legs back again having just disembarked from an RAF Puma from 230 Flight which has just delivered him and some of his fellow veterans from Tegel Airport. They are here to remember the 60th Anniversary of the end of the airlift and the 12th May marks the end of the Soviet blockade of the German capital. For ten long months the combined efforts of the Royal Air Force, the United States Air Force, the crews of numerous civilian aircraft and the British Army who co-ordinated the movement and loading of supplies helped deliver vital life saving supplies to the starving 2 million population of West Berlin. For Berlin it was a battle for survival, but for Europe, it was about a bigger battle against the perceived threat of communism. “It’s very easy to forget what it was like in the uneasy peace which emerged after the Second World War” said Chief of the Air Staff Sir Glenn Torpy, “I think if Berlin had fallen to the Soviet Union it would have changed the complete face of Europe and the history we have enjoyed since the end of the War. This was a difficult, unglamorous and dangerous undertaking – the biggest humanitarian operation ever conducted.” The statistics are staggering 210,000, hours in the air, 30million miles flown – the equivalent of flying to the moon and back 63 times, 131,000 casualties flown out for medical treatment in West Germany and a total of 540,000 tons of freight moved. At the height of air operations, a landing occurred every 90 seconds at Gatow. “I still recall flying in and out, flying in and out, fifteen minutes on the ground, a quick coffee and then off again. On some days we would do four or five trips but thankfully that soon reduced to 2 or 3” said veteran of 263 trips Sir John Curtiss. “For me it was something worthwhile having been in Bomber Command it was very much better delivering food than bombs and we felt we were doing something important as indeed it turned out we were.” His sense of purpose and achievement were shared by former 99 Squadron Sergeant John Whitlock; “At the time I thought I was just doing my job – there was a problem and we, the British Forces, helped solve it. It is only looking back that I realised just what a remarkable feat it was.” And remarkable it was, but the demand of providing the constant stream of aid flowing relied on the aircraft being serviceable at all times and placed a significant strain on the engineers – men like John Holden from Tyne & Wear who saw themselves as just doing their jobs. The former 47 Squadron Flight Mechanic said; “The job had to be done and you just did it” he said. “Basically we were keeping them ready for flying making sure the tyres were inflated and the de-icing was working because it was a heavy winter. 47 were flying coal into RAF Gatow which was a vital commodity – if you had coal you could keep warm and keep factories going. We just did the job and I never heard anyone complain or moan.” As the months went by the Airlift became a highly efficient operation, supplying the city, and providing a vital trade link with Berlin and Western Europe. Ultimately however, it was the Berliners themselves, in collaboration with the Allied Forces, who defeated the Russians. As General Robertson had written in 1948, "So long as the majority of the Berlin population remain firm in opposition to the Communists the Russians will not get their way." By their willingness to survive on a limited diet, and to endure twenty hours a day without light and with precious little heat, the citizens of Berlin, inspired by the Airlift, ensured that the Russians lost the first major battle of the Cold War. For those veterans lucky enough to attend the day’s events the spontaneous applause and thanks of everyday Berliners was enough to make all the effort worthwhile, and for a proud Sir Glenn Torpy, a shining example of air power at its best; “We are all proud of what was achieved for the people of Berlin and it was a remarkable achievement for everybody, not just the aircrew, but the engineers who were supporting aircraft and the army in loading and unloading - it was a real combined effort across a coalition.”
Here are some good photographs of the memorial day at Templehof, Berlin. In pictures: 'Germany Berlin Air Lift Anniversary' - Monsters and Critics Regards Tom
The Sunderland really came into its own there.... Does anyone know if the Americans used any flying boats at all in the emergency?
The Sunderland really came into its own there.... Does anyone know if the Americans used any flying boats at all in the emergency? Urgh, I have not read anything about the airlift that mentions the Americans using Flying boats. It seems to be a British affair with the Sunderland. Having said that, it was the British who thought up the Plan in the first place. Regards Tom
This vintage newsreel documents one of the first Cold War clashes between the West and Soviets after taking control of Germany. Videos and Photos of Army Special Ops, Navy SEALs, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard in Action - Shock and Awe - Military.com
