At the start of the Berlin Airlift there were just two airports in Berlin and three in the Western Zones involved in the effort. At the end there were three airports in Berlin and nine airfields in the Western Zones. Yet this simple fact does not convey the immense efforts and ingenuity involved in creating that infrastructure. The engineers and construction teams that made that infrastructure are unquestionably some of the unsung heroes of the Airlift.   At the start of the Airlift, the only airfield in the American Sector of Berlin was Tempelhof. Already by the end of June, less than two weeks after the start of the Lift, the main (PSP) runway was starting to break down under the constant C-47 traffic. It was clear that the arrival of the heavier C-54s would  put it entirely out of commission — unless “something” was done immediately. The fastest way to build a runway was with pierced steel planking, so this was laid down south of the main runway by July 8, but ...