FReeper Canteen ~ The Berlin Airlift Part 2: Operations ~ 10 December 07

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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The 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!

[luvie]

Okay! Where is everyone???

[Arrowhead1952]

Actually, we do need rain again. We haven’t had any substantial rain for the past two months.

Temps are still in the mid 40 range and expected to stay about the same for tomorrow.

[Tanniker Smith]

Okay! Where is everyone???

Some of us have class, y'know.

[Sonora]

The United Way realized that it had never received a Donation from the city’s most successful lawyer. So a United Way volunteer paid the lawyer a visit in his Lavish office. The volunteer opened the meeting by Saying, “Our research shows that even though your annual income is over two million dollars, you don’t give a penny to Charity. Wouldn’t you like to give something back to your community through the United Way?”

The lawyer thinks for a minute and says, “First, did your research also show you that my mother is dying after a long, painful illness and she has huge medical bills that are far beyond her ability to pay?”

Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbles, “Uh...no, I didn’t know that.”

“Secondly,” says the lawyer, “My brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair and is unable to support his wife and six children.”

The stricken United Way rep begins to stammer an apology, but is cut off again.

“Thirdly, did your research also show you that my sister’s’ husband died in dreadful car accident, leaving her penniless with a mortgage and three children, one of whom is disabled and another that has learning disabilities requiring a huge array of private tutors?”

The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, says, “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”

And the lawyer says, “So...if I didn’t give any money to them, what makes you think I’d give any to you?”

[beachn4fun]

cheater......cheater......Luvy

[beachn4fun]

LOL

I started to post that one.

[beachn4fun]

Two friends were out drinking when suddenly one lurched
backward off his barstool and lay motionless on the floor. “One
thing about Jim,” his buddy said to the bartender, “he knows
when to stop.”

[beachn4fun]

A fellow decides to take off early from work and go drinking. He
stays until the bar closes at 2am, at which time he is extremely
drunk. When he enters his house, he doesn’t want to wake anyone, so
he takes off his shoes and starts tip-toeing up the stairs. Half-way
up the stairs, he falls over backwards and lands flat on his rear
end.
That wouldn’t have been so bad, except that he had couple of empty
pint bottles in his back pockets, and they broke, and the broken
glass carved up his buttocks terribly. But, he was so drunk that he
didn’t know he was hurt. A few minutes later, as he was undressing,
he noticed blood, so he checked himself out in the mirror, and, sure
enough, his behind was cut up something terrible. Well, he repaired
the damage as best he could under the circumstances, and he went to
bed.
The next morning, his head was hurting, and his rear was hurting,
and he was hunkering under the covers trying to think up some good
story, when his wife came into the bedroom.
“Well, you really tied one on last night,” she said. “Where’d you
go?”
“I worked late,” he said, “and I stopped off for a couple of beers.”
“A couple of beers? That’s a laugh,” she replied. “You got plastered
last night. Where the heck did you go?”
“What makes you so sure I got drunk last night, anyway?”
“Well,” she replied, “my first big clue was when I got up this
morning and found a bunch of band-aids stuck to the mirror.”

[Kathy in Alaska]

wh!!

GB.....#350!!
Luv.....#400!!

[Sonora]

George Carlin’s rules for ‘07:

New Rule .1: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com! There’s a reason you don’t talk to people for 25 years. Because you don’t particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days: mowing my lawn.

New Rule .2: Don’t eat anything that’s served to you out a window unless you’re a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy’s chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout?

New Rule 3: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: lucky b#$%^&*.

New Rule .4: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you’re a dope. If you’re a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols. If you’re a grown man, they’re pictures of men.

New Rule 5: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here’s how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we’re done.

New Rule .6: There’s no such thing as flavored water. There’s a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket... water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That should be your flavored water.

New Rule .7: Stop messing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that’s square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his a** will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.

New Rule .8: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the a-hole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a “decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n’-Low and one NutraSweet,” ooh, you’re a huge a-hole.

New Rule 9: I’m not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN number, pressing “Enter,” verifying the amount, deciding, “No, I don’t want cash back”, and pressing “Enter” again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.

New Rule .10: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn’t make you spiritual. It’s right above the crack of your a**. And it translates to “beef with broccoli.” The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren’t pregnant. You’re not spiritual. You’re just high.

New Rule .11: Competitive eating isn’t a sport. It’s one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the US Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too d### exciting. What’s next, competitive farting? Oh wait. They’re already doing that. It’s called “The Howard Stern Show.”

New Rule 12: I don’t need a bigger mega M&M. If I’m extra hungry for M&Ms, I’ll go nuts and eat two.

New Rule .13: If you’re going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what’s playing on the other screens. Let’s remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn’t good enough to be a movie.

New Rule .14: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it’s for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it isn’t gift giving, it’s the white people version of looting.

New Rule .15: and this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint, as if I just had sex with George Michael. I can’t even tell if he’s supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish. I don’t want to be on your webcam, dude. I just want to wash my hands.

New Rule .16: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don’t need to know in months. “27 Months?” “He’s two,” will do just fine. He’s not a cheese. And I didn’t really care in the first place . I was attempting to be nice

[Sonora]

HILLARY’S FIRST NIGHT AS PRESIDENT

Hillary Clinton

Was sworn in today as President

She has disposed of Bill and is spending her
first night alone in the White House.

She has waited several years for this.

FIRST NIGHT

Suddenly!

The ghost of George Washington appears to her,

and Hillary says,
“How can I best serve my country?”

Washington says, “Never tell a lie.”
“Ouch!” Says Hillary, “I don’t know about that.”

SECOND NIGHT

The next night, the ghost of Thomas Jefferson appears...
Hillary says, “How can I best serve my country?”

Jefferson says,

“Listen to the people.”
“Ohhh! I really don’t want to do that.”

THIRD NIGHT

On the third night, the ghost of Abe Lincoln appears...
Hillary says, “How can I best serve my country?”

Lincoln says,
“Go to the theater.”

[Tanniker Smith]

cheater......cheater......Luvy

Yeah, I know ... the same post EIGHT times!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Awwwwwwwwww....breakfast, just in time for lunch. Just heard possible snow showers. I’m not falling for that again! It’s pretty chilly in your area. Stay warm.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Stay dry, Meg.....neat about both raccoons letting you be near. They figured you out...a softee!

[NYTexan]

Good job y’all done there Ms.B!

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Hi Beachy.{{{HUGS}}}

I was wondering what happened to you this morning.

This explains why you never responded.

I thought you were snubbing me.;)

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Hi LUV.{{{HUGS}}}

The good thing about going in early is getting off early.:)

[Lady Jag]

Good afternoon to the Finest!

Monday's Child is fair of face.

[luvie]

Neeeeener...neeeeener...
you're just jealous 'cause I got it! :D

[luvie]

Sweet!