AUTHOR: KEVIN KERWAN BERLIN AIRLIFT LICENSE TYPE: FOOD The Berlin Blockade prevented the Western Allies from delivering the necessary food to the citizens of Berlin. There last chance to save the city from Soviet control was to go to the air, in the form of the Berlin Airlift. BERLINERS IN NEED OF AID DAILY FOOD DEMAND IN TONS 2.1 MILLION 1534 TOTAL AMOUNT DELIVERED IN TONS DAILY COAL DEMAND IN TONS 2.3 BILLION 2500 RECORD ONE DAY TONNAGE 13 DAILY FOOD RATION TOTAL AMOUNT OF CANDY 3 SALT 2.5% CHEESE 0.5% DEHYDRATED VEGETABLES 9% FRESH YEAST 0.5% WHOLE MILK 0.5% POWDERED MILK 1% COFFEE 1% SUGAR 12% FLOUR & WHEAT 42% DEHYDRATED POTATOES 12% CEREAL 8% MEAT & FISH 7% FAT 4% AUTHOR: KEVIN KERWAN BERLIN AIRLIFT LICENSE TYPE: FLIGHT DAYS OF AIRLIFT Regarded as the greatest humanitarian aviation event in history, the Western Allies were respon- sible for providing support to the city of Berlin during the entirety of the Berlin Blockade. The operation required cooperation between the Americans, British, and Germans. Three 20-mile wide air corridors provided the necessary routes in and out of the city. 461 # OF AIRCRAFTS USED TOTAL FLIGHTS 692 PLANE CAPACITIES 277,569 (TONS) AIRMILES TRAVELLED C-47 SKYTRAIN 3.5 C-54 SKYMASTER 92 MILLION 10 TOTAL COST C-74 GLOBEMASTER 25 C-54 STRATOFREIGHTER $4.9 BILLION 28 CRASHES KEY PLAYERS GENERAL LUCAS CLAY 25 LT. GENERAL WILLIAM H. TUNNEL FATALITIES 101 JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER AUTHOR: KEVIN KERWAN BERLIN AIRLIFT LICENSE TYPE: THE CORRIDORS BERLIN TEMPELHOF Fassberg GERMANY ERNST SAGEBIEL BERLIN, GERMANY Brunswick 1941 AIRPORT After the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four sectors, controlled by the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Frankfort After the end of the second World Wiesbaden War, Berlin was left as two halves, the eastern half occupied by the Soviets, while the western half was left to the Western allies, the French, British, and Americans. Situated in the American zone is the Tempelhof airport, which became the center of the United States’ Airlift operation. BERLIN Tempelhof Gatow AUTHOR: KEVIN KERWAN BERLIN AIRLIFT LICENSE TYPE: ARCH. CONTENT BERLIN TEMPELHOF ERNST SAGEBIEL BERLIN, GERMANY 1941 AIRPORT 3 min. 500 feet 5000 feet 15 min. Frankfurt Berlin After the arrival of Lt. General William H. Tunner, the airlift operation was optimized. Planes were ordeded to take off three minutes apart, and to fly at five different levels, about five hundred feet apart. During a clear day, pilots could see the planes above and below them. With this new flight structure, planes were arriving at Tempelhof at a rate of one plane a minute. If a plane failed to land safely, they were to return to their home base, rather than overcrowd the airspace around the airport, thus creating a greater chance of collison. In an effort to avoid future collisons, Lt. General William H. Tunner redesigned the airlift so that all three of the allied air routes were utilized. Two of the routes provided a way into the city, while the other provided a route out. Alert Line Once on the ground, the unload- Scales Maintenance ing of planes took no more than a Coal Ramp Truck Pool few minutes. Planes fly in every minute, were lined up outside of the hangars, and quickly unloaded Ready Line - trucks are into trucks. Once unloaded, the lined up, ready to replace trucks would transport the goods those to a number of different locations. While on the ground, flight crews Warehouse were given food and coffee. Planes would not be on the ground longer than thirty minutes. .