MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (100/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service on
12 May 2009
Events to mark the
60th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Airlift, and the
outstanding contribution of UK Armed Forces throughout the
campaign began on the 12 May in Berlin.
Forty British veterans visited the former RAF Gatow Airfield in
Berlin today, where they operated from during the June 1948 to May
1949 campaign.
The veterans then travelled to Airlift Memorial at Templehof
Airport where an international commemoration took place. Wreaths
were laid on behalf of the countries involved in the Airlift.
Citizens of Berlin stood alongside veterans of the campaign from
the UK, USA, France, Australia, Canada and New Zealand for a
minute's silence to remember those who lost their lives in
ensuring others did not. 39 personnel from the UK were killed in
the operation.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, who attended the event, said:
"The Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force,
supported by civilian and Allied aircrew from around the world,
tackled the seemingly impossible task of keeping Berliners alive
during the 10 month blockade of their city.
"This was a difficult, unglamorous and dangerous undertaking
- the biggest humanitarian operation ever conducted. The operation
demonstrated the strategic importance of air power but also the
West's determination to prevent Soviet expansionism in the
confused early days of the Cold War. The consequences of failure
for the people of Berlin and Western Europe would have been
profound and I therefore salute the achievements of everyone
involved in the operation."
Airlift veteran Geoff Smith, Chairman of the British Berlin
Airlift Association, said:
"Today brings back many memories of Operation Plainfare.
Standing alongside my fellow comrades and the people of Berlin, I
am so proud of what we achieved sixty years ago. Those who lost
their lives are not forgotten and our success truly was a defining
moment in the history of the Cold War."
British aircraft flew more than 175,000 trips to and from the
city as the RAF, supported by civilian pilots and Army teams on
the ground, faced the most challenging of conditions in ensuring
that the two million people living in Berlin did not starve or
freeze to death when their supplies were cut off by the Soviets.
Events will culminate on 26 September, the anniversary of one of
the final flights, with a commemorative event organised by the
Ministry of Defence at the Berlin Airlift Memorial in
Staffordshire. Service veterans, those who supported from the
civilian population, and their families, are urged to apply for
tickets to attend to what is likely to be the last major
commemoration for this remarkable endeavour. For further
information on the events visit http://www.veterans-uk.info
or call 0800 169 2277.
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. Images from the events will be available on the Defence News
Imagery website, for current news purposes only. http://www.defencenewsimagery.mod.uk.
Username: GuestUser - Password: FinalCut
2. At the start of the Berlin Blockade, before the Airlift
started, West Berlin had just thirty-five days' worth of
food, and forty-five days' worth of coal. Without the
involvement of the Allied Armed Forces, West Berlin would have
been lost and the nature of post-war Europe would have altered significantly.
3. British aircraft flew spent more than 210,000 hours in the
air, the equivalent of 24 man years, and flew more than 30 million
miles, which equates to flying to the moon and back 63 times.
4. During the Airlift, British military and civilian aircraft
lifted more than 540,000 tons. This included food, coal, liquid
fuel, military equipment and other items, such as metal girders to
rebuild the bridges in the city destroyed during the Second World War.
5. The airlift sustained the population of West Berlin, at that
time estimated to be around two million. Their daily requirement
for food alone was 900 tons of potatoes; 641 tons of flour; 106
tons of meat and fish, 105 tons of cereals and so on, amounting
altogether to some 1,800 to 2,000 tons of food alone every day.
Nearly 45 per cent of the food and supplies taken in to Berlin
were flown in British aircraft.
6. Alongside the population of Berlin, there were also many
Servicemen and women with their families stationed in the city as
part of the Allied garrison for the duration of the Blockade.
7. British aircraft also transported more than 131,000
individuals - mainly children and the sick - out of Berlin for
medical attention in West Germany. They also transported people in
to the city, including Service personnel and their families.
8. The British were the only force that sustained trade with the
city, exporting nearly 360,000 tons of goods produced in Berlin
out to West Germany and beyond.
9. The Soviet Blockade was lifted on 12 May 1949, the Airlift
having prevented the starvation of the city. Flights continued for
several months however, ensuring the city was well stocked in the
event of further blockades.
10. The commemorative event on 26 September will be held at the
Berlin Airlift Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum,
Staffordshire. The personnel who lost their lives are commemorated
in a special orchard of 39 trees, planted so they blossom in May,
and bear fruit in the autumn, symbolically marking the final
flight and the purpose of the Airlift.