European Aviation History

 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 Airl...

The spectacular success of the Berlin Airlift in 1949 has largely obscured the fact that it came very close to failing. In November and December of 1948 weather conditions combined to make flying nearly impossible on some days. The deliveries of essentials dropped dramatically, and Berlin's reserves dwindled. The Allies came close to a humiliating defeat. Below the details.   Winter in Berlin typically starts with foggy days  and November of 1948 was no exception. Visibility was so bad on so many days that Tunner reduced the minimums for flying from 400 feet visibility to 200 ft. But this wasn’t enough to overcome the problems. The meteorologists were predicting that the fog might persist for weeks, and on Sunday, November 28, it got substantially worse. A fog blanket spread across Europe from Finland to Italy that was so dense that it closed down practically every airport in all of Northern Europe – for the next 100 hours. On November 29, the Airlift came to a complete ...