‘Spirit of Freedom’ Arrives
Flying Museum Shares the History of the Berlin Airlift
LOCK HAVEN – The Cold War my now seem gone and of not much consequence in their new millennium, but the dire situation the blockade of West Berlin during that era should never be forgotten or the massive effort in manpower, material and logistics that to place to ensure the millions of citizens in West Berlin who were trying to rebuild their city and their lives following the end of World War II.
Today, ‘The Spirit of Freedom’ a Douglas C54 that was used in the Berlin Airlift and now serves as a flying museum returned to Cub Haven and will be on display near the Piper Museum as part of the Sentimental Journey Fly-in.
The nation of Germany, along with it’s capital city, Berlin, were divided up by the victors following the war. The United States, Great Britain and France had control and oversight over West Germany and West Berlin, while the Soviet Union held control over the East. While all the victors were allies during the heat of battle in the war, the two sides differed greatly on how Germany should be rebuilt, creating tenuous political atmosphere that many feared could lead to further hostilities.
On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all road and rail travel to and from West Berlin, cutting off the city from any outside supplies, which were desperately needed for survival. On June 26, 1948, the first planes took off from bases in England and western Germany and landed in West Berlin. It was a daunting logistical task to provide food, clothing, water, medicine, and other necessities of life for the over 2 million fearful citizens of the city. For nearly a year, American and British planes landed around the clock. Over 200,000 planes carried in more than two-and-a-half million tons of supplies.
The project that became known as the Berlin Airlift was not without risk as the planes carrying the vital cargo to West Berlin had to fly over Soviet controlled territory and there were concerns that these unarmed humanitarian flights could come under fire. Fortunately, this never became an issue. Risky nonetheless.
It was determined that in total supplies, 3,475 tons would be needed daily to ensure survivability of the population of West Berlin. A C-47, the cargo aircraft available for the mission at the time, can haul 3.5 tons. In order to supply the people of Berliners, C-47’s would have to make 1,000 flights each day. An impossible task.
It was initially determined, with the limited number of airplanes available, the effort could haul about 300 tons of supplies a day, the British effort, was estimated to be capable of 750 tons a day. This leaves a 2,425-ton deficit daily. Realizing that this kind of tonnage could not be achieved using C-47’s, the American Generals in charge made requests for more C-54’s, for they could carry over three times more cargo than C-47’s. On June 27, an additional 52 Skymasters were ordered to Berlin.
By July 1, 1948, C-54’s were slowly taking over airlift flights, and they were operating 24 hours a day. Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfort was made exclusive C-54 base, and Wiesbaden was a mix of C-54’s and C-47’s. To accommodate these two different aircraft, General smith established a block system, giving the bigger, faster C-54’s priority. They were also given radio codes to identify each type and the direction it was going. C-47’s going East to Berlin were called “Easy”, returning C-47’s traveling West, were called “Willie”. C-54’s had the names ‘Big Easy’ and “Big Willie”. Aircraft were also given a spacing of three minutes apart.
The size of the operation had to be increased in order to sufficiently supply this city and keep these people going. It needed to be commanded by someone who had expertise in air transport. That man came in the form of Maj. General William H. Tunner. He was revered as “The transportation expert to end all transportation experts” by LeMay. Tunner had previously established the Ferrying Command in WWII, and successfully organized and commanded the “Hump” operation into China near the end of the war. His reputation was not falsely earned. Tunner hated to see airplanes parked on the ramp not being utilized. This was a waste to him. He longed for efficiency and was about to set the standard for all that followed.
Fortunately the airlift, after a herculean effort, succeeded in proving tot the soviets that the allies would not be bullied and that West Berlin would sustain the blockade.
