Free Republic

It was one of the most-amazing sights of the Cold War. By the hundreds, plane after plane thundered into the Berlin airports of Gatow, Tempelhof and Tegel, often arriving at the rate of one every three minutes. The supplies they delivered during the course of about a year sustained over 22,000 Western troops and over two million German civilians huddled in the ruins of the war-ravaged city. That the chief metropolis of a former, enemy nation could suddenly become a symbol of freedom revealed much about the strange, new era the world was entering. It also said much about the...

At the age of 7, Mercedes Wild waved excitedly at each plane that circled over her Berlin home and landed at Tempelhof Airport, packed with supplies to feed Berliners during the Soviets' Cold War blockade. Today, 67 year old Wild is fighting against city plans to shut down the airport site in central Berlin. After years of debate, Berliners are to vote on the closure of the Nazi-built complex on Sunday. "It's quite emotional. The airport is a symbol of freedom," Wild said, standing in the almost empty, 1,200 metre-long building just a 10 minute drive from the Brandenburg Gate....

As teenage residents of West Berlin during what many consider to be the first battle of the Cold War, Guenther and Gisela Petzold never knew how close the Berlin Airlift came to collapsing. It wasn't until years later, after the couple married and became U.S. citizens, that they learned of the difficulties surrounding the operation and how their neighbor played a critical role in the airlift's success. While the Petzolds didn't get to know retired Gen. T. Ross Milton until the trio met at an Oro Valley affair, they certainly benefited from his actions during the pivotal standoff between the...

BERLIN - Historic Tempelhof Airport — which played a key role in the Berlin airlift in the wake of World War II — will close to passengers in 2008, Germany's top administrative court confirmed Tuesday. The court threw out a bid to prevent Tempelhof's closure as part of plans to expand Schoenefeld airport, a former military airport on the city's outskirts, into Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport. Several airline companies that use the centrally located Tempelhof airport tried to block the closure. But the Leipzig-based Federal Administrative Court rejected their claims, approving an earlier decision by a Berlin-Brandenburg administrative court that argued...

(On This Day In History) June 26, 1948 : Berlin Airlift Begins In response to the Soviet blockade of land routes into West Berlin, the United States begins a massive airlift of food, water, and medicine to the citizens of the besieged city. For nearly a year, supplies from American planes sustained the over 2 million people in West Berlin. On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all road and rail travel to and from West Berlin, which was located within the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany. The Soviet action was in response to the refusal of American...

10/5/2006 - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AFPN) -- Retired Lt. Col. James and Ellie Spatafora possess a unique answer to a common question couples are quizzed about. When asked where they met, they answer that the seeds of their 56-year marriage were planted during the historic Berlin Airlift. The couple was able to catch up on old times with friends during a Berlin Airlift plaque dedication at Veterans Memorial Park here Oct. 4. More than 150 people attended the dedication, which was one of numerous events held during the weeklong reunion of the Berlin Airlift Veterans Association. The Berlin Airlift was a...

For the past month, there has been heavy advertising for a made-for-tv movie on SAT1 Television called "Die Luftbruecke" (this means "The Airlift"). I was skeptical that it would be pro-American. However, I can't believe me eyes: the movie that everyone in Germany is watching tonight...accurately portrays the Americans as doing everything they can to save Berlin from Stalin, and the film is showing many American heroes dying as their planes crash from the chaos. German children are waving and cheering as the American pilots fly overhead...and German women are saying yes to marriage proposals from Americans. Am I in...

The Berlin Wall is something I grew up talking about. It's a little bit different for my sons. In fact, our 3rd son, now serving in the US Army, was born the year after the Wall came down in the fall of 1989. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and the first casualty came 52 years ago today:

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ 60th Anniversary of the Berlin AirliftPart 4All info and photos from this website.             Berlin Airlift Veterans Return to Germany for AnniversaryBy Air Force Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein Special to American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 27, 2008 – For 50 years, Dub Southers recalled the grueling hours he...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ The Berlin Airlift Part 1:  The BeginningAll info and photos from this website.             For the next four weeks, on Mondays, the Hall of the Heroes threads will be about the Berlin Airlift and it's heroes.  I hope the story inspires you like it does me!  Thank you to...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Part 3:  Operation Little VittlesAll info and photos from this website. Link to Part One Link to Part Two             "DER SCHOKOLADEN FLIEGER"   OPERATION LITTLE VITTLES   General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force is shown presenting the 1948 Cheney Award to...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Part 3:  Operation Little VittlesAll info and photos from this website. Link to Part One Link to Part Two             "DER SCHOKOLADEN FLIEGER"   OPERATION LITTLE VITTLES   40K JPEG General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force is shown presenting the 1948 Cheney...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Berlin Airlift, Part 2: OperationsAll 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...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Part 3:  Operation Little VittlesAll info and photos from this website. Link to Part One Link to Part Two             "DER SCHOKOLADEN FLIEGER"   OPERATION LITTLE VITTLES   40K JPEG General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force is shown presenting the 1948 Cheney...

11/13/2009 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- They had never met face to face, but a chance encounter between the two conjured a touching reunion six decades later at the Randolph Air Show Nov. 7. Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, a 1st lieutenant at the time, earned his spot in in history flying C-54s and C-47s during the Berlin Airlift of World War II. He earned the nickname "The Candy Bomber" from dropping candy from his aircraft to children below while flying over the American sector of Berlin. "One day I met some kids in Berlin at the fence...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ The Berlin Airlift Part 4:  The LegacyAll info and photos from this website. Link to Part OneLink to Part TwoLink to Part Three             THE AIRLIFT'S LEGACY   The most obvious result of this confrontation was the 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union, which ebbed with the construction...

A loudspeaker spluttered briefly with a routine announcement that echoed across the high-vaulted departure lounge. . . Outside, there were no oompah bands and no grand parades, only a DC3 “candy bomber” revving its engines for the final take-off from the otherwise deserted runway. The choice of aircraft was a tribute to the US and British pilots who ferried two million tons of supplies to a blockaded West Berlin during the hottest moments of the Cold War.

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., May 17, 2008 – The historic humanitarian efforts of the Berlin Airlift 60 years ago demonstrated to U.S. allies and enemies alike that the country would not be deterred from its commitments, the Air Force secretary said today. Two Oracle bi-planes perform aerial acrobatics during the Joint Service Open House at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., May 17, 2008. Thousands attended the event, which coincided with the 60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. Defense Dept. photo by Fred W. Baker III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It displayed a U.S. dedication to a...

3/28/2008 - MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Air mobility leaders gathered for the annual Phoenix Rally to acknowledge past and present accomplishments while celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift March 24 through 28 here. The theme of Phoenix Rally was "A legacy of global reach and hope," chosen to recognize the Air Mobility Command's past, present and future. At this year's conference, attendees acknowledge the historical accomplishments of Berlin Airlift along with special guest, retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, the Berlin Candy Bomber. "This year is special because we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Berlin...

Today, during an afternoon conference that wrapped up my project of the last 18 months, one of my Euro collegues tossed this little turd out to no one in particular: " See, this is why George Bush is so dumb, theres a disaster in the world and he sends an Aircraft Carrier..." After which he and many of my Euro collegues laughed out loud. and then they looked at me. I wasn't laughing, and neither was my Hindi friend sitting next to me, who has lost family in the disaster. I'm afraid I was "unprofessional", I let it loose -...