Assembling Aircraft and Aircrew for the Berlin Airlift
When the British and American Military Governors in Germany decided to try to keep Berlin alive and free by flying in supplies, neither the USAF nor the Royal Air Force had any dedicated cargo planes in Germany. For the RAF the problem was less severe because the RAF's Transport Command was based less than 500 miles away in the UK. The RAF could and did rapidly deploy aircraft to "the front", i.e. the Berlin Airlift. The USAF's assets on the other hand were dispersed around the globe. Yet the call was made and soon aircraft and aircrew began to pour into Germany by the hundred. The USAF 60th Carrier Group, scattered across Europe and the Middle East was the first to start re-calling its aircraft to Wiesbaden. In addition, C-47s from other bases in Europe were concentrated at Wiesbaden and Rhein-Main, bringing together a fleet of 102 of these small cargo aircraft for the short term. More important, however, President Truman personally mandated the redeployment of t...