Air Bridge Memorial, Berlin, Germany. C-47 and C-54

Berlin Airlift Memorial

On 26 June 1948, the Berlin Airlift officially began to provide food, Fuel and medicine to 2.5 million west berliners cut off from the world by a Soviet Union imposed Blockade of all surface transportation.
By the declared end of the "Big Lift" on 30 September 1949. 277,264 Flights had been conducted from West Germany to West Berlin delivering in excess of 2.3 million tons.

On the first day 32 C-47 aircraft carried 80 tons of supplies to Berlin.
Two days later the Commander USAF /Europe, organized a dedicated airlift force to carry out "operation Vittles" and A parallel British effort was called "Operation Planefare",
By late July the "Lift" had expanded to include 54 C-54 "Skymasters" and 105 C-47 "Gooney Birds" of the USAF and Navy, along with 40 Yorks and 50 Dakota aircraft of the Royal Air Force by task force. Eventually a fleet of 200 - 300 C-54?s formed the backbone of this force.

Aircraft flew constantly to west Berlin for 482 days. Despite great odds, at the peak of the "Lift" in April 1949 the "Easter Parade" surge set a record of 12,490 Tons carried by 1,398 flights within 24 Hours.

The Allies used loading fields at Celle, Fassberg, Fuhlsbuettel, Luebeck, Rhein-Main, Wiesbaden, Wunstorf, and a seaplane base at Schleswigland. Germany.

They off-loaded at Gatow (British), TeGel (French), Templehof (US) airports. And even the city Lakes of Berlin during the "Lift".

Throughout the "Big Lift" aircrews dropped packages of chocolate and gum by tiny parachutes to the children of the city.

On 12 May 1949, The Soviets admitted defeat by lifting the blockade, however the air bridge continued through September to insure sufficient supplies would be stockpiled to thwart future blockades.

The "Lift was the greatest peace time airlift operation in history, as one official put it "It was born of peace, and lived in peace and died in a peaceful world, It kept peace in Europe".

It produced many significant achievements in Aviation and air transportation history. It established airlift as a major factor in maintaining world peace. It demonstrated the need for dependable air traffic control and all weather landing systems, more importantly the air lift proved the ability of the collective human will to sustain freedom throughout the world for 42 years. There were two berlin's until they were reunited in freedom.

Seventy nine airlift personnel, died to keep West Berlin alive. The names on the base of the "Lufthruecke" memorial monument recognize their sacrifice, and remain as an eternal symbol of the human desire for freedom. Those of us who know the price of freedom must forever keep it alive.

- The Berlin Airlift Veterans Association - 1993 -

Air Bridge Memorial, good shot of tail number

Air Bridge Memorial

My daughter Page reading the Plaque

Autobahn 5 is at the C-47's 9 O'clock
Frankfurt Int'l/Rhein-Main AB is at the 5 O'clock