The Berlin airlift started 65 years ago

After watching the Soviet Union block all roads, waterways, and train tracks to West Berlin two days earlier, on June 26, 1948, the Western allied forces started regular flights West Berlin, dropping off coal, food and medicine for people in the US, British and French-administered zones of the city.

The US military governor Lucius D. Clay (left, here seen with Ernst Reuter, who was soon to be elected Berlin mayor) is known as the father of the airlift. He convinced the US government not to give up on Berlin to ensure it would remain a free city. Reuter supported him by appealing to the West: "Peoples of the world…look at this city and realize that you cannot abandon this city and its people."

Every 90 seconds, a plane landed in West Berlin and had to be unloaded immediately. Since the planes were flying very close to each other, each pilot only had one attempt at landing. If it didn't work, he had to turn around again. Up to 300 planes were being flown at any one time.

The American pilot Gail Halvorsen came up with the idea of giving out sweets to the children of Berlin. First, he attached chewing gum and chocolate from his own supplies to little parachutes made of tissues. Soon, many pilots copied him and US soldiers ended up donating tons of candy and chocolate.

The children of Berlin - seen here on a pile of debris from the war - couldn’t get enough of what became known in English as the candy bombers. In German, Berliners called them "Rosinenbomber" ("raisin bombers"). The free sweets helped strengthen the positive image of the US in Germany.

Despite all the free candy and the constant supply of coal, petrol, cereal, milk powder and dried potatoes, the 2.2 million people of West Berlin were struggling. Not least because the Soviets rationed the supply of energy to the city. Electricity was only available for a few hours a day. Some families used propane gas for lighting and cooking.

British and American forces provided 1.5 million tons of coal to West Berlin. But it wasn't enough, especially during winter time. So people in Berlin felled trees everywhere and even used the wood that was then often used to line the streets - as seen here in the district of Kreuzberg - to obtain firewood.

The UK also sent seaplanes to West Berlin. They landed on the Havel river and the Wannsee. Altogether 57,000 personnel took part in the airlift, among them Canadians, Australians, South Africans and New Zealanders. New radar systems helped the pilots fly at night and in bad weather. Seventy-eight people died - 39 Britons, 31 Americans and eight Germans.

During the 11 months of the airlift the Allied Forces brought more than 2 million tons of provisions to West Berlin. It cost the US and the UK around $200 million (153 million euros) In the UK, wheat was rationed to ensure supplies for the operation. People in West Germany had to pay additional taxes to help West Berlin.

On May 12, 1949 the Soviet Union ended its blockade of Berlin. The airlift operation continued until August. In 1952, a monument was erected at Tempelhof to commemorate the aid operation and the victims it claimed. Author: Helena Baers / ng Editor: Michael Lawton