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Buy the Book
Heavy Lifting for Berlin
Don’t miss Richard Reeves’s engrossing new book about one of the Cold War’s hottest episodes.
(Page 2 of 2)
Not only things like dying for their former enemies, but like becoming the Candy Bomber. That peculiar exercise began when Lt. Gail Halvorsen was stretching his legs around the perimeter fence after landing at Tempelhof. He came across a group of German schoolchildren and tossed them a couple of sticks of chewing gum. Seeing their excitement over the exotic treat, he promised to drop gum and candy next time he passed over them and to waggle his wings so they would know which plane was his. Before long, the Tempelhof ops office began receiving dozens of letters addressed to Uncle Wackelflugel (Wiggly Wings) and Schokoladen Flieger (Chocolate Flyer). Soon other pilots joined in, donating their candy rations. In all, more than 23 tons were dropped on miniature parachutes the pilots made in their spare time.
As the months wore on, the Airlift became ever more efficient, the North Atlantic Treaty creating the NATO mutual defense alliance was signed in April, and West Germany moved closer to political reality. Stalin realized he had lost his gamble to get Berlin without a war. The lights running around the New York Times building on May 5, 1949, said it all: “BERLIN BLOCKADE WILL END MAY 12.” The West had won the Cold War’s first eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation.
Reeves’s highly readable account of the Airlift highlights a largely neglected operation that once again showed American ingenuity and resourcefulness, as well as the selfless, can-do spirit of its citizen soldiers. It was undeniably a heroic undertaking. But was it the best way to handle the crisis? It does not detract from the merit of those courageous, dedicated airmen to question whether the West should not have called Stalin’s bluff and broken the blockade instead of circumventing it. After all, who had The Bomb?
As Reeves records, at that same June meeting where Truman decided to make a stand in Berlin, he also ordered no fewer than 60 B-29 Superfortresses to bases in Britain — carrying the same type of Fat Man atomic bombs dropped on Japan — under a secret plan code-named Charioteer. And as it happens, an eager Curtis LeMay, never one to back off from a fight, had already prepared a contingency plan in case of a Soviet blockade, insisting that USAFE’s fighters and bombers could destroy every Soviet airfield and plane on the ground in a few hours. That was vetoed by the war-weary British and French.
Had we chosen to take off the gloves, we had the punch to put Uncle Joe on the ropes. As LeMay put it, “They had no atomic capability. Hell, they didn’t have much of any capability.” Of such questions do armchair generals debate after the battle is over.
About the Author
Joseph A. Harriss is The American Spectator’s Paris correspondent. His latest book, An American Spectator in Paris, was released this fall.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (32) | Leave a comment
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DAVID MENARD| 4.13.10 @ 6:38AM
Mr Harriss's review of the book on the Berlin Airlift
was very good, but one major correction: there were
not MIG-15s in squadron service that early! There
were prop driven MIGs being used, however. Also,
those 60 B-29s were not all equipped to carry the huge
atomic bombs of the time but since the Soviets did
not know that, kept them guessing!
David Menard, Huber Heights, Ohio
WRTolkas| 4.13.10 @ 8:32AM
Dear Mr. Menard,
Good catch. The Berlin Airlift was too early for the MiG-15. The first production version flew in 1948 and acquired squadron strength in 1949.
Regards,
WRTolkas
Joseph Harriss| 4.14.10 @ 1:20PM
Reeves specifies that the Mig-15s buzzing the Airlift were a "new" Soviet fighter. As understand it, the Mig-15 first flew in 1947. If it was up to squadron strength by 1949, as you say, and the Airlift lasted until mid-May of that year, it seems possible to me that Reeves is right. Worth further research, or shall we drop it?
louis vuitton| 4.13.10 @ 7:53AM
German capital, is Germany's largest city, about 3.4 million current residents. Northeast of Berlin in Germany, surrounded on all sides by Brandenburg. River Spree and Havel rivers through the city. Berlin is Germany's 16 states one of the United States, it is also known as the Berlin state, and Hamburg, Bremen, Germany with three cities, a city state
Alan Brooks| 4.13.10 @ 10:21AM
I know this is a rightwing as well as conservative blog, but remember this:
if the Third Reich had won, they would still be enslaving Europe.
JimE| 4.13.10 @ 6:24PM
Alan,
Your mastery of the obvious is amazing, truly you are a moron of the highest caliber.
Bohred| 4.13.10 @ 10:34PM
So what? What's your point?
This is about the Berlin Airlift, not the righteousness of fighting the Nazis.
Your comment is a non sequitur.
Curtis| 4.13.10 @ 10:52AM
Had the Third Reich won, Europe would already be enslaved, us right wing wackos would be fighting them about a mile out from whatever beach they picked to land on, and the left wing would be trying to pick whether to send Pelosi or Reid to New Germania to negotiate surrender terms.
Paul from SA| 4.13.10 @ 12:45PM
I once watched an old movie called, "The Big Lift" and that got me interested in that time in post-war Germany.
Jean Desmond| 4.13.10 @ 2:06PM
In 2008 Andrei Cherny published a great account of the Berlin Airlift feats entitled "The Candy Bombers." I had civilian friends who lived in Berlin at the time and heard many tales from that time.
Joe Poussky| 4.13.10 @ 3:51PM
"Alan Brooks| 4.13.10 @ 10:21AM
I know this is a rightwing as well as conservative blog, but remember this:
if the Third Reich had won, they would still be enslaving Europe. "
Alan, you blithering idiot: Hitler was a LIBERAL, you fool!
Col. B| 4.13.10 @ 5:47PM
I wonder would we do the same today, or acquiesce and appease the Soviets. A leopard never changes his spots!
Pingback| 4.13.10 @ 9:24PM
Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials — April 13, 2010 « Read NEWS links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Marc Jeric| 4.14.10 @ 2:43AM
Joe P. - don't you know that both Hitler and Stalin were extreme left? With Mussolini just behind them? Our Democrats are now belatedly following in their steps. No wonder you are confused - you were taught by the teachers union goons.
C.J.(Lindy) Lindemann| 4.14.10 @ 11:54AM
I was one of the first C-47 pilots to leave my base in Furstenfelbruck and go to Weisbaden. I flew the C-47s until the C-54s took over. We who flew the lift were not concerned with conservative or liberal views, but were Americans carrying out an important mission. A few weeks into the lift the Russians started operating a radio beacon on the same frequency as one of our beacons to suck us over into the Russian zone so they could fire on us. Fortunately, the first pilot had flown the lift enough times to recognize the problem and did not follow the wrong beacon and alerted the rest of us that were on our way to Berlin. To the best of my knowledge there were no fatalities with the c-47s, but we were harrased in the corridor as indicated in the above comments.
philfl63| 4.14.10 @ 8:11PM
It is sad that our political and military leadership was ready to cave to the Communist and "evildoers" even after we had just defeated the fascists in WWII. Why did we not use an atomic weapon on the Soviets? Stalin, like all tyrants, was a coward who pushed us to test us (and we almost failed the test). If we had nuked the Soviets at that time, we might not have had to put up with their nonsense to the present day.
Gary Kinzer| 4.14.10 @ 10:41PM
It amazing how some us Americans can so flippantly wave our hand and say "we shoulda nuked them and be done with it" like we have have some God-given sanction over the destiny of every living thing. I am sure another couple of hundred thousand dead on top of the twenty plus million who already died to defeat fascism would have helped the Soviet Union out of its misery and made the world a far safer place!
Curt| 4.14.10 @ 11:32PM
Defeating the Soviets after spending all those lives and all that time defeating the nazis and the Japanese empire would not have been impossible, but it would have been akin to swallowing an elephant whole. A Pyrrhic victory in the least.
throw in the fact that we were temporarily out of atomics at the moment, and you have a very good cause to just call peace while the calling was good.
The allies could have pulled a little more diplomatic fortitude in confronting the emerging Iron Curtain, but opening up WW2.5 would not have been a bright idea.
Will| 6.3.10 @ 5:40PM
"When American forces consulted Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) about a possible joint airlift, they learned the RAF was already running an airlift in support of British troops in Berlin. General Clay's counterpart, General Sir Brian Robertson, was ready with some concrete numbers. During the Little Lift earlier that year, British Air Commodore Reginald Waite had calculated the resources required to support the entire city. His calculations indicated that they would need to supply seventeen hundred calories per person per day, giving a grand total of 646 tons of flour and wheat, 125 tons of cereal, 64 tons of fat, 109 tons of meat and fish, 180 tons of dehydrated potatoes, 180 tons of sugar, 11 tons of coffee, 19 tons of powdered milk, 5 tons of whole milk for children, 3 tons of fresh yeast for baking, 144 tons of dehydrated vegetables, 38 tons of salt and 10 tons of cheese. In total, 1,534 tons were needed daily to keep the over two million people alive.[45] Additionally, the city needed to be kept heated and powered, which would require another 3,475 tons of coal and gasoline.[46]
C-47 Skytrains unloading at Tempelhof Airport during Berlin Airlift.Carrying all this in would not be easy. The post-war demobilization left the US forces in Europe with only two squadrons of C-47 Skytrain aircraft, which could each carry about 3.5 tons of cargo. Clay estimated these would be able to haul about 300 tons of supplies a day. The RAF was somewhat better prepared, since they had already moved some aircraft into the German area, and they expected to be able to supply about 400 tons a day."
So, it was a British idea, and more British personnel died than American. Yet this article focuses entirely on the USA and dismisses the British contribution towards the end by calling them "war-weary". I know this is an American magazine but please, learn some balance towards the rest of the world.
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gail randell| 4.9.12 @ 4:52AM
hi - i just wanted to comment that Lt. Noah C. Thompson is my great uncle! i was so proud to come across this article and wanted to tell you he is now 94 and still alive and well. i've always been amazed by his tales and i'm glad to see others also respect his service to our country!