60th anniversary of the Airlift in Berlin I
- 00:02:17
- Google Video
60th anniversary of the Airlift in Berlin I
American and German anthems being played on June 27th 2008 at the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Airlift in front of Tempelhof airfield. When the Soviet Union blocked access to and from Berlin the USA and the UK installed the biggest airlift operation in history. On June 26th, 1948 the first American aircraft landed in Berlin Templehof. Their job was a Herkulean task: the survival of 2.1 Million German inhabitants of Berlin depended on thousands of flights. During the 15 months of the blockade 2,326,406 tons of goods of all kinds were airlifted into the city, from coal to steel, from clothing to milk powder. 278,228 flights in 322 days. Sometimes the planes landed as frequently as 60 per hour. 31 Americans and 39 Britons died when their planes crashed. They died for the freedom of Germany.
Google Video | June 27, 2008
