The Significance of the Berlin Airlift

-

 Today I close my series on the Berlin Airlift by reflecting on why it was important.

Impressive as the logistical achievements of the Berlin Airlift were, they were only the bi-product and not the objectives of the entire operation. The Berlin Airlift was first and foremost a political rather than a military operation. Inevitably, perceptions of it have changed over time in accordance with the political situation in Europe. 

 

In the immediate aftermath of the Airlift, as the U.S. and the Soviet Union confronted one another more and more openly around the globe, the Airlift was seen primarily as a Western Victory in the Cold War. Even though nothing had really been achieved but the status-quo ante, the Soviet advance had been halted and this seemed like a vitally important victory at the time. The ideological fault-line now clearly ran through the heart of Germany, and Berlin had become an outpost of “Freedom” in a sea of totalitarian oppression. Not only had the Airlift preserved that outpost and beacon, the dramatic and unwavering preference of the Berliners for Freedom over Communism – even at the price of significant hardship – became legendary. RIAS, “a Free Voice of the Free World,” seemed to embody this spirit as did the cabaret “The Islanders.”

The decade and a half following the end of the Airlift was also a period in which West Germany attained reconciliation with the hereditary enemy France and was integrated into the Western system of Alliances, both military and economic. In those early years of the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany was “rehabilitated” and throughout this period the Airlift was remembered and valued as the catalyst for the transformation of the former German enemy into an Ally.


 
But as a new generation came to maturity in the late 1960s, the Vietnam War tarnished America’s image as the defender of justice and freedom. Focus shifted to the negative aspects of the Airlift. It was conceded that the Airlift had saved two million civilians from being annexed into the Soviet Zone against their will, but it was also seen as the cause of the – then apparently irrevocable – division of Germany. People noted that not only had enemies been turned into allies, but brothers had been turned into enemies. 

 

The Wall that by then ran through and surrounded Berlin was deadly and cruel. Voices were raised that said: well, yes, the Airlift seemed like a good thing at the time, but are we sure there wasn’t another way? Weren’t the Western Allies too quick to reject Soviet peace proposals, too quick to go their own way, too bigoted to give joint government a chance? Is it really better to be dead than Red? Indeed, is Real Existing Socialism all that bad? After all East Germany has Day Care and Equality between the Sexes and only the Americans have ever used an Atomic bomb….

 

Then the Wall came down in 1989, and a peaceful rebellion in East Germany led to German Reunification. The Airlift abruptly regained its significance and acquired new appeal. Suddenly, the words of Ernst Reuter seemed prophetic – for he had said the job would not be finished until the East Berliners too were free. In 1990 they finally were. The 50th Anniversary of the Airlift was celebrated in the knowledge that the Berlin Airlift had played a critical role in keeping the U.S. engaged in Europe and enabling West Germany to become a powerful and prosperous country. Without both these factors, especially West German economic recovery and the coveted DM, the revolution in East Germany would not have been possible.

In short, the Airlift was again perceived as being on the “right” side of history. Rather than being a contributor to the division of Germany, the Airlift was credited with contributing to German reunification. It had furthermore ensured that there was a sovereign, independent and democratic Germany capable of playing an active role in international politics rather than an emasculated, satellite state dependent on outside help as in the case of the other colonies of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe.


Today, nearly eighty years after the end of the Airlift, a generation is reaching maturity that cannot remember the Division of Germany and knows of the Soviet Union only from history books. The end of the Cold War has reduced the significance of the Berlin Airlift, and public attention is focused on new enemies and new wars. Tragically, the United States has turned against NATO and Europe to pursue patently imperialistic and aggressive goals. Memories of a better America are almost embarrassing -- to all parties. 

Yet there were “Lessons Learned” that should not be overlooked in our haste to turn our attention and resources to new battles. The Berlin Airlift was first and foremost a means of resisting aggression without war. Although the Airlift was peaceful, it was also forceful and entailed NOT giving in to pressure. It entailed a determined and dramatic dedication of resources – regardless of the cost — to a cause worth fighting for.

  The Airlift was, furthermore, a successful collaborative effort between Allies, in which each partner brought special skills and made a unique contribution. All participants report that British and Americans worked well together, respected and – if one excludes the food at RAF stations — enjoyed working together. 

 


Yet perhaps the most significant achievement of the Airlift was the inspiring example it set for transforming a spontaneous and improvised stop-gap measure into a highly efficient and almost painfully precise operation. From Air Commodore Waite with his rough calculations to Lt. Halvorsen with his handkerchief parachutes for chocolate bars, the Airlift owes much of its success to the initiatives of subordinates, overcoming the scepticism of their superiors. 
 


So much of what made the Airlift succeed was experimental – whether it was straight-in approaches and one-way traffic, streams of aircraft flying in blocks, or crushing rubble and re-melting pavement to build runways. Tunner might have been the world’s leading expert in aviation transport at the time, but he was always prowling around and asking his subordinates for suggestions on how to make things better.

The Airlift wasn’t a General Staff Plan executed perfectly like the German offensive against the West in 1940. It was a spontaneous response to a crisis in which, due to the over-all support for the action even at the lowest level, everyone involved was willing to give his or her best. From the Berliners preferring “Pom” in the West to fresh potatoes in the East to the cooks keeping the Messes open 24 hours a day, it was very much the ordinary men and women involved in the Berlin Airlift who ensured its success. They should all be remembered.

The Berlin Airlift is the subject of Bridge to Tomorrow, a trilogy of novels starting with Cold Peace and followed by Cold War and Cold Victory.


Standing up to dictators isn’t easy — but sometimes it’s necessary.

Berlin 1948. The economy is broken, the currency worthless, and the Russian bear is hungry. Next on the menu is Berlin. Here war heroes and war’s victims are struggling to come to terms with a world where unemployment is widespread and the wartime Allies are at each other’s throats. When a Russian fighter brings down a British passenger plane, and the world teeters on the brink of World War Three. The defenders of freedom must work together to save Berlin from Soviet tyranny. The first battle of the Cold War is about to begin.

Based on historical events, award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader brings to life the backstory of the West's bloodless victory against Russian aggression via the Berlin Airlift in Cold Peace, the first book in the Bridge to Tomorrow Series.

Cold Peace is the winner of WINNER of an Independent Press Award 2025 in the category: Political Thriller, Runner-Up for BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 from the Historical Fiction Company,  GOLD (1st Place) in the category Historical Fiction from the Feathered Quill Book Awards 2024, GOLD (1st Place) in the category Wartime Fiction from the Historical Fiction Company Book Awards 2023, SILVER (2nd Place) in the category Political Thriller from Readers' Favorites Book Awards 2023, a MAINCREST MEDIA Award and a BRAG Medallion. 

Buy Now!

Stopping Russian Aggression with milk, coal and candy bars….

Berlin is under siege. More than two million civilians must be supplied by air or surrender to Stalin’s oppression.

USAF Captain J.B. Baronowsky and RAF Flight Lieutenant Kit Moran once risked their lives to drop high explosives on Berlin. They are about to deliver milk, flour and children’s shoes instead. Meanwhile, two women pilots are flying an air ambulance that carries malnourished and abandoned children to freedom in the West. Until General Winter deploys on the side of Russia….

Based on historical events, award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader delivers an insightful, exciting and moving tale about how former enemies became friends in the face of Russian aggression — and how close the Berlin Airlift came to failing. 

WINNER OF BRONZE for 20th Century Historical Fiction from the Global Book Awards 2024 

Buy Now!

 

You know you’re winning when the enemy turns to dirty tricks ….

With the Airlift gaining momentum, the Russians turn to more devious tactics to thwart the forces of democracy. Key players — or their loved ones — are targeted in unscrupulous attacks. Simultaneously, the policy of “collective guilt” has been replaced by “collective amnesty,” enabling former Nazis to worm their way back into positions of power. Yet throughout this dangerous dance with the henchmen of dictators, women are steadily rebuilding Berlin and Germany.

Award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader takes the reader away from the limelight and into the shadow side of the Berlin Airlift to explore the social, psychological and long-term impact of this seminal event.

Based on historical events, Cold Victory reminds readers that standing up to tyrants isn’t easy — but sometimes it is necessary.

Buy Now!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Challenges of Flying on the Berlin Airlift

-
Image
  Wherever they came from or whatever national or corporate symbol decorated the fuselage of their aircraft, the pilots of the Airlift were thrown into a situation that was unprecedented. They might be first-rate combat or airline pilots, their courage tested, their experience extensive and the number of hours flown impressive, but none of them had ever flown in quite the same circumstances as they now found themselves. No where else in the world did aircraft have to fly in very narrow corridors over hundreds of miles like cars on a motorway maintaining a safe distance and to the extent possible the same speeds.  Initially aircraft flying to and from Berlin had to share the same narrow corridors just 20 miles wide and 10,000 feet high. To reduce the risk of collisions, however, it was soon decided to pour aircraft into Berlin on the northern (Hamburg) and southern (Frankfurt) corridors but fly them out again on the central (Hanover) corridor. This helped somewhat, but could no...
Read more

Recruitment of Women Pilots to the ATA (Phase II)

-
Image
 In mid-1942, the pool of qualified pilots in Britain not eligible for service with the RAF had been depleted. The ATA's demand for pilots, however, was still growing. Recruiting had to become more innovative.   For roughly one year, the ATA filled their ranks with volunteers from other countries -- from the Commonwealth, of course, but also neutral countries such as the U.S. and Switzerland, and from the countries already defeated by Hitler like Holland, France, and Poland. Some of these recruits were women. Most were men. By May 1943, the pilot shortage had again become so acute that the decision was made to start training pilots from scratch and the focus shifted to young women. Candidates for ab initio training were first drawn from the non-flying members of the RAF and WAAF and, of course, from the staff of the ATA itself. The rationale was that ATA and RAF ground staff had already demonstrated an interest in flying and in the case of ATA's own staff already possessed an...
Read more

The Always Underestimated Ground Crews

-
Image
  Aircraft maintenance is the forgotten step-child of all great aviation achievements. The huge amount of labour, time and dedication that goes into keeping aircraft serviceable so that they can fullfill whatever role is assigned to them is largely forgotten, overlooked or ignored in most accounts of great aviation deeds. The Berlin Airlift is no exception and far too little attention has been paid to the astonishing achievements of ground crews in the most important airlift in aviation history.   RAF groundcrew servicing an aircraft. Note the mechanic on the right is a woman. At the start of the Berlin Airlift, in an incomprehensible example of neglect and under-appreciation, the USAF made no provision for ground crews when it deployed squadrons from around the world. The ground crews were expected to “follow” – by sea. This meant that at the start of the Airlift, the USAF’s cargo fleet had to be serviced by the mechanics already in Europe and they had been trained on c...
Read more