[Granville-Hough] 14 Feb 2009 - The Berlin Airlift

[Trustees for Granville W. Hough]

Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:29:00 -0800
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: Berlin Airlift I-14 Feb 2009

     One of the first tests of the Cold War was the Berlin Airlift.  
Recently, the US Army in its reminder to old soldiers of days gone by, 
/The Salute, /discussed the Berlin Airlift and the support role of the 
Army in that test of our will.  I remembered that we had a valid family 
hero in the midst of that action, my first cousin, then Air Force First 
Lieutenant Bland Richardson, who was in charge of aircraft maintenance 
at Tempelhof Air Drome in Berlin.  I asked Bland if he would give his 
recollections of those events, and he prepared his remarks in two parts, 
which will be tomorrow and next day.  Here is the Army's big picture of 
the action.

---------------------------------------------
    The Berlin Airlift

    2009 marks the 61st anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.  When the 
Soviet Union tried to cut off and starve West Berlin, the United States 
and Great Britain countered with an airborn lifeline.  A constant stream 
of cargo planes flew a virtual conveyor belt of supplies into the 
beleaguered city as determined air crews and tireless Americans in 
uniform delivered all the products and equipment vital to keep a city alive.
    At the end of World War II, the former Allies of Great Britain, 
France, the United States, and the Soviet Union divided Germany into 
four occupied zones.  Berlin lay in the Soviet zone, but the other three 
countries controlled West Berlin.  A long narrow corridor connected the 
city with the Western zones, but on June 12, 1948, Joseph Stalin (of the 
Soviet Union) decided to force out the democratic powers by shutting 
down the autobahn access and halting all river and rail traffic into the 
city.
    The Western powers acted quickly.  General Lucius D. Clay, the 
Commander of the Office of Military Government, United States and the 
Military Governor of Germany, defied Stalin's blockade by flying cargo 
into the city.  An Armada of C-47s and C-54s took off from the Allied 
zones of Germany and headed into Berlin.
    In the American zone, planes flew from airports in Rhein-Main and 
Wiesbaden bound for Tempelhof Air Drome in Berlin.  Planes landed every 
three minutes, 24 hours a day, delivering coal, gasoline, milk, 
potatoes, flour and dried foods.  To save time. crews stayed in their 
planes after landing.  German girls brought meals to the cockpits and 
weathermen came onboard to brief pilots on conditions while the planes 
were unloaded.  Turnaround time for planes averaged 30 minutes.
    The sky train to Berlin was no pleasure ride for the crews.  They 
flew through fog, freezing rain, snow, turbulence and heavy clouds.  At 
times Russian Yak fighters flew dangerouslly close.  Out of 276,926 
flights, there were 24 crashes and 48 deaths.  To keep casualties down, 
the Western Allies pressed more airfields into service and built a new 
on in Berlin --in only three months.  The Americans and British were not 
alone in their endeavor as Berliners helped build new landing strips and 
unload planes.
    American pilots became heroes to the German people.  One pilot, Lt 
Gail S. Halvorsen, began dropping handkerchief  parachutes of candy to 
the children of Berlin during his landings. His small act became a 
sensation.  Americans began sending Halvorsen thousands of hand-knitted 
handkerchiefs, and candy companies sent him crates of sweets.  Soon, all 
the pilots parachuted treats to the kids, earning them the title "Candy 
Bombers."
    The U. S. Army had a special role in the Airlift.  Soldiers either 
provided or hired and then supervised the truckers, transporters, 
loaders and unloaders.  Army trucks and trains hauled supplies across 
Europe to airports in West Germany.  At Tempelhof, Army trucks began 
unloading planes before they came to a stop.  Cargo was then transported 
from the airport to the city's storage facilities for distribution.
    On May 12, 1949, fifteen months after it started, Stalin caved in to 
this display of technology, fortitude and tenacity.  He ended the 
blockade.  The Western Allies proved they would not back down when 
threatened, and the U. S. military forged a legacy of friendship with 
the people of Germany. (to be continued with Bland's remarks).