FReeper Canteen ~ Berlin Airlift Part 2: Operations ~ December 8, 2014

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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Berlin Airlift Part 2: Operations
All info and photos from this website.

Link to Part One

           

Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner:  directed Berlin Airlift operation

  

A native of New Jersey and son of an immigrant father, General Tunner was awarded an appointment to West Point upon his graduation from Roselle High School. He was one of 77 cadets in his West Point graduating class who chose flying as his military career. He joined an Air Force which had literally no transport aircraft and no airlift strategy, planning or capacity. During his career which spanned two wars, he created the Ferrying Command which flew new aircraft to our allies in Europe and the Middle East, and developed the Air Transport Command in its famous Hump operation over the Himalayas to China. We honor him in the Air Cargo Hall of Fame for his outstanding performance in command of the Berlin airlift which established the cargo airplane as an effective freight mover in an unprecedented demonstration of efficiency and productivity. For 13 months, the aircraft under his planning and direction supplied an isolated Berlin- a city under siege- with every product necessary to keep the city and its more than a million inhabitants alive. Coal, heating oil, medicines, food and necessary supplies were airlifted into Berlin in an endless stream of transport aircraft operating at 2 minute intervals day and night in every kind of weather. The Berlin Airlift was a live demonstration on the future of the Air Cargo Industry.

BLACK FRIDAY
Tunner assumed command of airlift operations on July 28, 1948.  The airlift had been operating for just over a month.  One of the first major changes he made came as a result of "Black Friday".  On Friday, August 13, Tunner flew into Berlin to grant an award to Lt. Paul O. Lykins, and airlift pilot who had made the most flights into Berlin up until that time.  Weather that day was awful, and conditions in Berlin were impossible.  Clouds had lowered to the tops of buildings and heavy rain had disrupted radar.  One C-54 had crashed and burned at the end of the runway a second landed behind him and blew its tires trying to stop to avoid hitting the burning C-54.  A third ground looped on the auxiliary runway.  Pure havoc was reigning supreme.  Aircraft were beginning to stack up over Tempelhof and a huge number of airplanes were circling stacked from 3000 to 12000 feet in no visibility conditions.  These conditions spur red Tunner to make a fateful decision.  He called the tower.  "Tunner here, send everyone back to their base and let me know when it's safe to come down".  To avoid this stacking problem, a new policy was created.  Any aircraft that missed its approach was to continue back to its station via the outgoing center corridor.  This created a continuous loop of planes to and from Berlin.  If a pilot missed his approach, he would immediately become a departure and head back to his base.  The loaded aircraft would get a fresh crew and be sent back as a regular flight.  In addition, all aircraft were required to fly by instrument rules to maintain the same speed, interval and altitude.  This almost eliminated accidents and became the key to the success of the operation. 

Another essential decision was to standardize aircraft, parts, and procedures.  It was decided to base these around the C-54.  One of the reasons was that it took just as long to unload a 3-1/2 ton C-47 as it did to unload a 10-ton C-54.  One of the reasons for this was the slanted floor made truck loading difficult, whereas the C-54 was level and a truck could back up to it and cargo could be unloaded fast.  In addition, no pilot was to be away from his aircraft.  General Tunner had seen many aircraft sitting idle, loaded and waiting for their crews to return from inside the terminal.  He thought this to be a great waste of resources, therefore the order was sent that no pilot should be away from his aircraft from the time it landed until the time it took off from Berlin.  Weather and up to date information was brought out to the aircraft while they were being unloaded, so the crews didn't need to go inside the terminal.  In addition, several trucks were outfitted as mobile snack bars and staffed by some of the prettiest Berlin girls.  This enabled the crews to get coffee, a snack or other goods without having to leave the airplane.  This reduced the average turn around time from landing to departing to about 25 minutes. 

LIFE FOR THE BERLINERS

Life for the Berliners was hard.  In the beginning, there was about a month's worth of supplies to be had, but stockpiles were dwindling.  The airlift had not reached its predicted consumption rate yet, and starvation was near.  In addition, when the winter of 1948-49 hit, there was little fuel to run the remaining industry, let alone heat the homes.  Berliners soon found themselves chopping down all of the trees in the city for fuel, and learning what grasses could be eaten for food.  In addition, people rummaged through garbage cans for food, but soon found that there was very little of that to go around.  It was a dire circumstance, but still they knew that their suffering in this manner would be better than succumbing to Soviet control.  They had seen the treatment the Soviet soldiers had given them when they arrived.  They were stealing everyone's valuables, systematically stripping the industry and all of the necessary equipment and shipping it back to Moscow.  In addition, German wives and daughters were being raped and abused all of the time.  German scientists and engineers were forcibly sent to Moscow and forced to reveal all of the German technological secrets.  Starvation was far better than that treatment.  When it was decided that an airlift would be attempted, Berlin's Lord Mayor Ernst Reuter held a public rally in support of the effort.  Germans would suffer and sacrifice to make it work.  The German resolve was strong, even in such a desperate situation. 
 

GERMAN VOLUNTEERS

One of the biggest problems during the airlift was the lack of manpower.  It was decided to use the very people who the airlift was helping, the Berliners themselves.  There was no lack of supply as they were eager to help because it was all for them anyway.  In addition those who helped got an extra ration. 
This was very important to them, as the allotted ration was very small.  It also gave the people a great sense of pride that they were helping the effort.  So, soon German volunteers were used for unloading crews at Tempelhof.  They would board the aircraft as soon as it stopped and commence unloading.  If the crews did an especially good job, they might get a reward, such as a pack of cigarettes or an extra ration.  This became quite the incentive, as the record for unloading 10-tons of coal was set at 10 minutes. 
Another large problem was the lack of skilled mechanics.  There just weren't enough mechanics to keep a fleet of C-54's maintained so that there could be no disruption in the conveyor belt of supplies to Berlin.  They needed people to perform inspections, repairs, engine replacements, cleaning and servicing these aircraft.  General Tunner had a solution to that problem, too.  There were a large number of skilled former Luftwaffe mechanics available right in Berlin.  It was decided to create crews comprised of these men, an American Maintenance supervisor and an interpreter.  Soon the manpower was there.  Soon, any aircraft that wasn't being fixed, inspected, or overhauled was flying the corridors.  A far cry from the beginnings.        

FLYING THE CORRIDORS
 

Pilots flying in the corridors encountered numerous problems; one was the erratic German weather.  Weather changed so often that it was not uncommon to leave a base in West Germany under ideal conditions, only to find impossible conditions in Berlin.  What made it even more treacherous was the approach to Tempelhof.  In order to land there, a pilot had to literally fly between the high rise apartment buildings at the end of the runway so he could land.  A second runway required a steep drop over a building in order to land soon enough so there was enough runway for braking.  All these conditions plus a fully loaded C-54 with a 10 ton cargo load were more than enough for any pilot to handle, especially during the German winter. 
Unfortunately, that wasn't all the pilots had to deal with.  The Soviets constantly harassed the pilots during the operation.  Between 10 August 1948 and 15 August 1949, there were 733 incidents of harassment of airlift planes in the corridors.  Acts of soviet pilots buzzing, close flying, shooting near, not at airlift planes were common.  Balloons were released in the corridors, flak was not unheard of, radio interference and searchlights in the pilots' eyes were all forms of Soviet harassment in the corridors.  However, this did not stop the pilots, the planes kept chugging on in.  In spite of all these acts of harassment, no aircraft was shot down during the operation.  That would have started a war, and the Soviets did not want that, especially with B-29's stationed in England.  Although the B-29's that were there were not atomic bomb capable, the Soviets did not know that and did not want to find out. 

So, the airlift went on.  American C-54's were stationed at Rhein-Main, Wiesbaden, Celle and Fassberg in the British Sector.  The British flew Lancasters, Yorks, and Hastings aircraft.  They even used Sunderland Flying Boats to deliver salt, using Lake Havel in the middle of Berlin for a base.  Every month the tonnage increased and soon exceeded the daily requirements.  Every day, tonnage records were being set, and the constant drone of airplanes overhead was music to the Berliners ears.  Eventually, rations were increased and life in West Berlin was improving. 

A C-54 Crew consisting of a Pilot, Co-Pilot,
Flight Engineer, and Radio Operator.  Most
airlift crews did not use the Radio Operator
and used a 3 man crew instead.

TEGEL

Berlin had only 2 airports at the outset of the airlift, Tempelhof and Gatow.  Soon, it became obvious that a third was needed. Heavy equipment was needed, but there were no aircraft large enough to carry bulky items like that.  So, it was cut into smaller pieces, loaded onto one of 5 Fairchild C-82 Packet aircraft, flown into Berlin, and welded back together again. Incidentally, a new power plant for Berlin was constructed this way also.  Nevertheless, an area in the French Sector was chosen to become Tegel Airfield.  American, French, and German volunteers broke ground on august 5^th, 1948.  Through dedication, hard work and extreme organization, the first c-54 landed with its 10-ton cargo only a mere three months later.  Quite a feat.  Tegel, incidentally, is Berlin's main airport today.  There was an obstacle in the way on the approach to Tegel, however.  A Soviet controlled radio tower caused problems with its proximity to the airfield.  Pleas to remove it went unheard.  Finally, on November 20, French General Jean Ganeval made a decision.  If they would not take it down, he would simply blow it up.  So, on December 16, the dynamite was used.  The tower fell, and the obstacle was gone.

 

....Continued next week....

 

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[ConorMacNessa]

REQUEST PERMISSION
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CHARLESTOWN, Mass. (Jan. 14, 2008) The first major snowfall of the New Year blankets the USS Constitution. Despite the weather "Old Ironsides," remained open for free public tours. At 210 years-old, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, manned by 67 active-duty United States Sailors and visited by nearly half a million visitors annually. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric Brown (Released)

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS AND OUR BELOVED NATION!!!





Boston, Oct. 21, 2009 - Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Philip Gagnon pipes as USS Constitution performs an underway demonstration in honor of the three-masted wooden frigate's 212th birthday. (U.S. Navy photo by Airman Mark Alexander/Released).
(Click for Bosun’s Whistle)



USS Constitution's 1812 Marine Guard fire vintage Springfield flintlock muskets during the ship's underway. "Old Ironsides" was underway for the "Constitution Day Cruise," which is conducted to thank the family and supporters of Constitution. U.S. Navy photo by Airman Nick Lyman (Released)

OUR TROOPS ROCK!!!!!!!

[PROCON]

Hiya Ma and thanks for Part II, you’re the best...

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Permission Granted!

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Stones Cry Out

December 8, 2014

Read: Luke 19:28-40

I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. —Luke 19:40

Bible in a Year:
Daniel 8-10; 3 John

Every year it seems that Christmas becomes more and more commercialized. Even in nations where the majority of people call themselves “Christian,” the season has become more about shopping than worshiping. The pressure to buy gifts and plan elaborate parties makes it increasingly difficult to stay focused on the real meaning of the holiday—the birth of Jesus, God’s only Son, the Savior of the world.

But every holiday I also hear the gospel coming from surprising places —the very places that so commercialize Christmas—shopping malls. When I hear “Joy to the World! The Lord is come; let earth receive her King” ringing from public address systems, I think of the words Jesus said to the Pharisees who told Him to silence the crowds who were praising Him. “If they keep quiet,” Jesus said, “the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40 niv).

At Christmas we hear stones cry out. Even people spiritually dead sing carols written by Christians long dead, reminding us that no matter how hard people try to squelch the real message of Christmas, they will never succeed.

Despite the commercialism that threatens to muddle the message of Christ’s birth, God will make His good news known as “far as the curse is found.”

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found. —Watts

Keeping Christ out of Christmas is as futile as holding back the ocean’s tide.

Insight

Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The salvation Christ brings is what all creation is waiting for (see Rom. 8:19-20) and is a message that cannot be silenced (Luke 19:40).

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mac...*hugs*...hope you’ve had a “productive” day.

My errands went well until the low tire light came on. I went to the gas station, drove up the air thingy, stepped out and slid to the ground on ice. Had to crawl on knees that don’t work well and was able to hang onto the car and get back onto the seat. Thank goodness I have spikies in both cars. I put them on, got some air in each tire, and made it home. Morning will tell how the knees and back fared.

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Kathy and Star!

***HUGS***



Thanks very much – coming aboard! Rendering Hand Salutes to our National Colors and to the Officer of the Deck!

And thanks very much to you and Star for tonight’s Hall of Heroes thread! The Berlin Airlift stands as one of our earliest Cold War Victories!

[SkyDancer]

~ Good Evening! ~

Go Hawks!!! A Win Against The Eagles!

[ConorMacNessa]

Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!



Missing Man Setting

"The Empty Chair"

By Captain Carroll "Lex" Lefon, USN (RET), on December 21st, 2004

"In the wardroom onboard the aircraft carrier from which I recently debarked was a small, round table, with single chair. No one ever sat there, and the reasons, both for the table being there, and for the fact that the chair was always empty, will tell the reader a little bit about who we are as a culture. The wardroom, of course, is where the officers will dine; morning, noon and evening. It is not only a place to eat – it is also a kind of oasis from the sometimes dreary, often difficult exigencies of the service. A place of social discourse, of momentary relief from the burdens of the day. The only things explicitly forbidden by inviolable tradition in the wardroom are the wearing of a cover or sword by an officer not actually on watch, or conversation which touches upon politics or religion. But aboard ships which observe the custom, another implicit taboo concerns the empty chair: No matter how crowded the room, no matter who is waiting to be seated, that chair is never moved, never taken.

The table is by the main entrance to the wardroom. You will see it when you enter, and you will see it when you leave. It draws your eyes because it is meant to. And because it draws your eyes it draws your thoughts. And though it will be there every day for as long as you are at sea, you will look at it every time and your eyes will momentarily grow distant as you think for a moment. As you quietly give thanks.

AS YOU REMEMBER.

The small, round table is covered with a gold linen tablecloth. A single place setting rests there, of fine bone china. A wineglass stands upon the table, inverted, empty. On the dinner plate is a pinch of salt. On the bread plate is a slice of lemon. Besides the plate lies a bible. There is a small vase with a single red rose upon the table. Around the vase is wound a yellow ribbon. There is the empty chair.

We will remember because over the course of our careers, we will have had the opportunity to enjoy many a formal evening of dinner and dancing in the fine company of those with whom we have the honor to serve, and their lovely ladies. And as the night wears on, our faces will in time become flushed with pleasure of each other’s company, with the exertions on the dance floor, with the effects of our libations. But while the feast is still at its best, order will be called to the room – we will be asked to raise our glasses to the empty table, and we will be asked to remember:

The table is round to show our everlasting concern for those who are missing. The single setting reminds us that every one of them went to their fates alone, that every life was unique.

The tablecloth is gold symbolizing the purity of their motives when they answered the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones who kept the faith.

The yellow ribbon around the vase symbolizes our continued determination to remember them.

The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitterness of their fate.
The salt symbolizes the tears shed by those who loved them.
The bible represents the faith that sustained them.
The glass is inverted — they cannot share in the toast.
The chair is empty — they are not here. They are missing.

And we will remember, and we will raise our glasses to those who went before us, and who gave all that they had for us. And a part of the flush in our faces will pale as we remember that nothing worth having ever came without a cost. We will remember that many of our brothers and sisters have paid that cost in blood. We will remember that the reckoning is not over.

We many of us will settle with our families into our holiday season, our Christmas season for those who celebrate it, content in our fortune and prosperity. We will meet old friends with smiles and laughter. We will meet our members of our family with hugs. We will eat well, and exchange gifts and raise our glasses to the year passed in gratitude, and to the year to come with hope. We will sleep the sleep of the protected, secure in our homes, secure in our homeland.

But for many families, there will be an empty chair at the table this year. A place that is not filled.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER."

Many Thanks To Alfa6 For Finding Capt. Lefon's Chronicle Of "The Empty Chair."

"Träumerei"
Robert Schumann
(Click)

Never Forget The Brave Men And Women Who
Gave Their Lives To Secure Our Freedom!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Sending out prayers for Arrowhead1952 as he recovers from his horrible fall.

Please note: The author of the Hall of Heroes is StarCMC.

Please thank StarCMC for today’s thread.

~ Hall of Heroes: Berlin Airlift Part 2: Operations ~

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[Soaring Feather]

Good evening, Kathy!

Bitter cold here, hope all is well for you. HUGS

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

((((HUGS))))

[Publius]

Hello, M-L.

(HUGS)

Wallowing in the Greatest Generation's music?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Ms Feather...*HUGS*...stay warm!!!

It got above freezing today....means ice in the morning. Weather guy says possible rain early evening. Yuck!!

I did get the lights up around the living room windows. More stuff later tonight.

[ConorMacNessa]

Not a productive day, Kathy. Our rain continued through the night and the ground was too wet to do any fencing.

I hope you didn't hurt yourself on the ice - we're still above freezing here for the most part, but going into the low 20's tonight.

"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

This is the Arabic character "nun" – the first letter of the word "Nazarene." I post it as my avatar in solidarity with people of all faiths suffering persecution at the hands of Islam. Many of them are members of the oldest of our Christian Communities, dating from the days of the Apostles. They endure cruel, merciless and unrelenting persecution. They are Orthodox and Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical, Coptic, Pentecostal, and Baptist. To the persecutors they, and we, are all "Nazarenes."

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro....((HUGS))...still raining?

Possible rain here. I hope the weather dude is wrong, but the temps are above freezing today. I hate this up and down stuff.

[left that other site]

Indeed!

I used to do a solo version of “The Boogie Woogie Bugler Boy” in which I fed my voice into a digital vocal processor that split my voice into three part harmony.

It always brought down the house!

Tanks for the Memories!

[Publius]

I’m impressed. Virtual harmony. What will they think of next?

[left that other site]

It was made by Digitek, a company founded by Donny osmond of all people!