This was supposed to be a temporary situation until a new democratic political system could be implemented in Germany, and obviously to also prevent the resurgence of a Nazi-style regime following the Allied victory. But Berlin was deep within East Germany, which meant that supplying the Western-aligned sectors required the Soviets to allow supply trains and truck convoys to pass through their zone.
Sensing an opportunity to annex West Berlin in the spring of , the Soviets decided to force the other occupying powers from Berlin by simply shutting off the land and water-based supply routes through East Germany⦠to effectively starve the city into surrender. While the Soviets could block the land and water routes to West Berlin relatively easily, it was far harder to do the same in the air without the risk of sparking a new, and far more devastating war. So long as the Western aircraft stuck to very specific routes and there were dire consequences for any which deviated from these air corridors the cargo planes with their precious loads were allowed through.
It was an incredible feat of complex logistics of a scale never before tried, determination and bravery, and, in addition to the occupying nation air arms of France, Britain and the USA, also included aircrew from Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia to keep West Berlin from falling into Soviet hands. At its peak, a cargo plane was landing in West Berlin every thirty seconds! Through sheer bloody-mindedness, and the building and managing of the biggest airlift in the world to that date, the blockade ended roughly a year later when the Soviets capitulated and reopened the land routes to West Berlin.
But the Berlin Airlift also had a steep human cost as well with aircrew losing their lives in the endeavor, which saw 17 US and eight British aircraft crash. As a result of this brave effort to keep West Berlin safe, the Berlin Airlift is held in enormously high regard in Germany, even today, and celebrated accordingly. Several events have taken place in the nation to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its conclusion with a number of Douglas Cs flying into Garrison Wiesbaden this past weekend.
Col Halvorsen passed in , so this year his daughter flew in Western Airlines to celebrate the event. Halvorsen told the Berlin kids he would drop something to them on his next landing at Templehof if they promised to share. In many ways, Halvorsen has become the face of the Berlin Airlift for many in the U.
