BERLIN AIRLIFT

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Airlift Facts

The blockade lasted 318 days (11 months).

In the winter of 1948–49 Berliners lived on dried potatoes, powdered eggs and cans of meat. They had four hours of electricity a day.

The airlift was codenamed 'operation Vittles'; the first flight was on 26 June 1948.

The Soviet authorities offered to provide West Berlin with essential supplies - this offer was rejected.

275,000 flights carried in 1½ million tons of supplies. A plane landed every 3 mins.

On 16 April 1949, 1400 flights brought in 13,000 tons of supplies in one day – Berlin only needed 6,000 tons a day to survive.

Some pilots dropped chocolate and sweets.

The airlift continued until 30 September 1949, in order to build up a reserve of supplies.

The USA stationed B-29 bombers (which could carry an atomic bomb) in Britain.

The American airmen were regarded as heroes

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