The Berlin airlift was a method used after World War II that saved many lives. It was the idea of several military officers to bring coal, supplies, and food to the people of Berlin, Germany. At the end of the Second World War, the country of Germany had been defeated. Its territory was split between several countries of the Allied forces, including the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. Berlin was the capital of Germany, and an original intent was to rebuild this city with all of the countries working together. Disagreements arose, and two sides were formed: the United States, Great Britain, and France on one side and the Soviet Union on the other. After several decisions, the Soviet Union ended up cutting off access to Berlin by the former Allied countries, issuing barriers and blockades to bring provisions into the city via train. The German people living in the city and the military personnel occupying it were left without supplies or food: totaling over two million people. The Berlin airlift was a solution in that the provisions were flown in to the people by aircraft to prevent their starvation.
- Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation
- Harry S Truman Library and Museum
- United States Centennial of Flight Commission
- The British Berlin Airlift Association
- Presidential Timeline: Berlin Airlift
The Berlin airlift began in the summer of 1948 and lasted a total of 15 months. The United States and Great Britain were the two significant countries that brought supplies for the people. The United States military, under the direction of Lieutenant General William Tunner, originally flew C-47 planes with supplies into Berlin. These planes were able to hold three tons of cargo each. The military soon added the use of C-54 planes, which had the capacity of 10 tons of cargo each. Both of these types of planes were loaded with coal, medicine, and food, such as flour, coffee, yeast, and powdered milk for the people. The planes landed in one of two airports near Berlin, the Tempelhof and Gatow airports. Due to the large numbers of people in need and the necessary amounts of supplies, the planes were loaded and the pilots flew 24 hours a day; continuously trying to keep up with demand.
- American Experience: The Berlin Airlift
- Traces: Bringing History to Life
- Farmers and the Berlin Airlift
- Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation
The detail and organization of running so many planes in and out of airports, the unloading of supplies, and air traffic control began to wreak havoc on the project. Communication errors occurred, flights were delayed, and some planes crashed. On Friday, August 13, 1948, Lieutenant Tunner was visiting one of the airports in Berlin. There he found planes stacked up, waiting to land during a thunderstorm. A plane had crashed on the runway and several others had been damaged while trying to avoid it. The amount of disorganization was bringing chaos to the project and not assisting anyone. Due to the events of that day, also known as Black Friday, Tunner went on to organize a system of policies that all pilots and airport personnel had to follow. For example, pilots were no longer allowed to leave their planes when they landed for unloading. Instead, they were given climate information and brought food and drinks to their plane for the return flight. This cut the time of unloading and idling at the airport by several minutes per plane. Tunner’s system organized a continuous loop of aircraft coming and going with supplies at all times of the day and night. By implementing this level of structure into the project, the carriers were able to increase the amounts of products that were brought into the country.
- United States Department of Defense
- Germany Remembers the Berlin Airlift
- The European-American Relationship Program: Black Friday
- University of Texas at Dallas: Berlin Airlift Lecture
- The Royal British Legion Berlin Airlift Anniversary
The response of the Soviet Union was to eventually lift the barrier for product delivery they had tried to instill. During the 15 months of the Berlin airlift operation, the Soviets made many attempts to thwart activities, including mixing up communications, and intimidating pilots while flying. The end of the airlift occurred when the Soviet Union ceased to interfere and began to allow supplies back into Berlin through other methods. When it was completed in September of 1949, over two million tons of goods and supplies had been delivered to the people of Berlin. The program is considered one of the biggest humanitarian aircraft projects ever completed. For the two million people of Berlin who survived starvation for those 15 months, the airlift was an invaluable exercise that saved their lives.
