BERLIN AIRLIFT - PART THREE

[Phil Perry]

The Berlin Airlift, Soviet Response – Part Three

 

10th June 2018.    Blown Periphery.  Non - Fiction

 

With the Airlift gathering pace it became apparent that despite the pessimism and misgivings, the Western Powers had shown the political will and the military logistic prowess, to supply one of the largest cities in Europe entirely by air. The Soviets made a blunt evaluation. They could have easily have choked the city by interdicting the aircraft flying into Berlin and if necessary shoot them down. The Soviet ground forces were superior in numbers to the Western armies, but the US Navy alone greatly outnumbered the Soviet fleet. There may have been problems with the US nuclear forces, but fifty atomic bombs was sufficient to render the Soviet Union’s agricultural and industrial heartlands radioactive wastelands.

 

Initially the Soviets tried to disrupt and unnerve the flights going into Berlin by firing anti-aircraft guns away from the air corridors, dazzling the pilots with searchlights and by flying close to the Allied aircraft. Former RAF Dakota pilot Dick Arscott described one “buzzing” incident.

 

“Yaks (Soviet fighters) used to come and buzz you and go over the top of you at about twenty feet which can be off putting. One day I was buzzed about three times. The following day it started again and he came across twice and I got a bit fed up with it. So when he came for the third time, I turned the aircraft into him and it was a case of chicken, luckily he was the one who chickened out.”

 

The Soviets turned to political intimidation, a tactic that has served the Communist cause effectively throughout the world right up to today’s Momentum and Antifa thuggery. It became impossible for the non-Communist majority of the Greater Berlin Parliament, to attend sessions at the City Hall, which was located in the Soviet Zone. Communist mobs frequently disrupted sittings in all municipal buildings and physically menaced non-Communist members. On the 6th September 1948 the Kremlin attempted a putsch, to take control of Berlin by Communist SED Party members. On 9th September a crowd of 500,000 gathered at the Brandenburg Gate which was in the British Sector. They voiced fears that the Allies would eventually discontinue the airlift. Ernst Reuter an SPD city councillor took the microphone and proclaimed:

 

“You peoples of the world, you people of America, of England, of France, look on this city, and recognise that this city, this people, must not be abandoned – cannot be abandoned!”

 

The crowd then surged towards the Soviet Sector, the Brandenburg Gate was climbed and someone ripped down the Soviet flag. The Soviet military police responded and killed one of the crowd. To prevent the tense and unruly situation from escalating, a single British Deputy Provost intervened and pushed the Soviet MPs back with his swagger stick. The incident resonated around the world and induced a strong feeling of solidarity with Berliners and a determination not to abandon them.

 

The SPD Council members decided to meet at an alternative location at the Technical College of Berlin Charlottenburg, again in the British Sector. This was boycotted by the Communist SED members who called an “Extraordinary City Assembly,” which deposed all non-Communist Council members and replaced them with Communists. The December elections were boycotted by the SED which resulted in a de-facto West-Berlin only city parliament. Thus two separate city governments officiated in the city divided into East and West versions of its former self. In the east, a communist system supervised by house, street, and block wardens was quickly implemented.

 

The Winter

 

 

The initial estimates of 4,000 to 5,000 tons per day to supply the city had to be revised as while the food requirement would remain roughly the same, the requirement for extra coal and fuel would be around 6,000 tons per day. More aircraft were available in the US and the British added the Handley Page Hastings to the aircraft ORBAT, which had a larger carrying capacity to the Dakotas and four engines. Serviceability was always a problem so ex-Luftwaffe ground crews were hired to help the turn-rounds and routine servicing.

 

But one major problem remained. There was a lack of runways in West Berlin and none of them had been designed to cope with the loads that were being lugged into the city. Many of the handling surfaces comprised of pressed steel planking and hundreds of labourers dumped sand on these between aircraft movements, to soften the surfaces and prevent excessive wear on the aircrafts’ tyres. To cope with the additional loads, between July and September 1948 an additional 6,000 foot runway was constructed at Tempelhof. To put this in perspective, it recently took two years to re-surface RAF Waddington’s runway. However, the approach to this new runway was a white-knuckle ride over Berlin’s apartment blocks. In the same period the British added a new runway at Gatow using concrete.

 

The French Air Force was heavily committed to operations in Indo China and was only able to provide Junkers 52s. These relics were too small and slow to be of any major help, but French military engineers built a new aerodrome on the shores of Lake Tegel. Using mainly female German construction workers, this project was completed in under ninety days. The construction required heavy plant that was too big to fly in, so the machinery was dismantled for the flights in and re-assembled in Berlin. Ground Controlled Approach Radar (GCA) was fitted in Tegel, which allowed flights into the city in all weather conditions. But the appalling weather of November and December 1948 did result in flights being curtailed, mainly because of the American crews’ unfamiliarity with GCA. As the weather improved, 170,000 tons were delivered in January 1949, 150,000 tons in February and 196,000 tons in March.

 

 

On 15 April 1949, the Russian news agency TASS reported a willingness by the Soviets to lift the blockade. The next day, the US State Department stated that the “way appears clear” for the blockade to end. Soon afterwards, the four powers began serious negotiations, and a settlement was reached, on Western terms. On 4 May 1949, the Allies announced an agreement to end the blockade in eight days’ time.

 

At one minute after midnight on 12th May 1949, the Soviets lifted their blockade of the city and a British convoy immediately drove to Berlin. But flights were still needed for several months to come, to build up stocks in the city and provide resilience. By July the weekend flights were stopped and on the 18th August 1949, Flt Lt Roy Mather DFC AFC and his crew of Flt Lt Hathaway, Flt Lt Richardson and A W Marshall of 206 squadron, flew back to Wunstorf for the 404th time during the blockade, the record number of flights for any pilot of any nationality, either civilian or military.

 

The official end to the Berlin Airlift was on the 30th September 1949 and in fifteen months the USAF had delivered 1,783,573 tons, the RAF 541,937 tons, The RAAF 7,968 tons and at the height of the Airlift, an aircraft was landing every thirty seconds. There were 101 personnel killed, 40 British, 31 Americans and 30 other nationals. The Airlift is thought to have cost over US$ 500 million which would be $5.1 billion in today’s currency. This was at a time that a rationed and austere (real austerity) Britain was rebuilding itself after the war.

 

Aircraft used on the Berlin Airlift

 

Altogether, BEA was responsible to the RAF for the direction and operation of 25 British airlines taking part in “Operation Plainfare”. The British also used flying boats, particularly for transporting corrosive salt. These included civilian aircraft operated by Aquila Airways. These took off and landed on water and were designed to be corrosion-resistant. In winter, when ice covered the Berlin Rivers and made the use of flying boats difficult, the British used other aircraft in their place.  The following aircraft were used by all contributors during the Berlin Air Lift:

 

• Avro Lancaster
   
   
   
  
• Avro Lincoln
   
   
   
  
• Avro York
   
   
   
  
• Avro Tudor
   
   
   
  
• Avro Lancastrian
   
   
   
  
• Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
   
   
   
  
• Bristol Type 170 Freighter
   
   
   
  
• Consolidated B-24 Liberator
   
   
   
  
• Consolidated PBY Catalina
   
   
   
  
• Douglas C-54 Skymaster and Douglas DC-4
   
   
   
  
• Douglas C-74 Globemaster
   
   
   
  
• Douglas C-47 Skytrain and Douglas DC-3 (UK: Dakota)
   
   
   
  
• Fairchild C-82 Packet
   
   
   
  
• Handley Page Hastings
   
   
   
  
• Handley Page Halifax Halton
   
   
   
  
• Junkers Ju 52/3m (operated briefly by France)
   
   
   
  
• Lockheed C-121A Constellation
   
   
   
  
• Short Sunderland
   
   
   
  
• Vickers VC.1 Viking
   
   
   
  

 

 

Altogether, a total of 692 aircraft were engaged in the Berlin Airlift, more than 100 of which belonged to civilian operators.  The West had stood up to Soviet aggression and made a clear statement of intent that West Germany and Europe would not be abandoned.

 

The North Atlantic Alliance, an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries, based on the North Atlantic Treaty, was signed on 4 April 1949.  NATO constituted a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agreed to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.  In just over a year, NATO would be galvanised from Cold War to very much a Hot War, in and over the Korean Peninsular.

 

 

Blown Periphery 2018

 

Going Postal bog.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

I hope that he stuff that I am posting is of interest to Flyers, and if it is deigned Not to be, then please say so And I shall desist.

 

Phil. X X X

 

 

[Bernie]

I read them Phil .

 

Bernie .

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

An incredible display of industrial might and political determination- 

 

and how allegiances so quickly change.

 

 

[Flying Officer Kite]

I hope that he stuff that I am posting is of interest to Flyers, and if it is deigned Not to be, then please say so And I shall desist.Phil. X X X

Fascinating stuff Phil. Brings back memories of my old employer, British Eagle (RIP), which, as Eagle Airways, was one of the many airlines which took part in this massive operation. Just a little before my time though!

 

 

[Kenlsa]

Even in the '70s my Oma used to visit relatives in East Germany and would put a few pairs of Levi jeans  in the spare tyre of the car and the border guards knew this but let them through as it was standard practice for everyone.  Levi's were better than cash in the east. My Opa worked for the BBC in Bonn and they were always on alert for an invasion.  Glad I lived here.

 

Ken

 

 

[Pilot Pete]

Love reading the historical stuff. So much I wasn’t aware of. Thanks very much for your efforts. 

 

Pete

 

 

[Pilot Pete]

It is deigned to be interesting. 

 

I Say So!!!!!!!!

 

Pete

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Even in the '70s my Oma used to visit relatives in East Germany and would put a few pairs of Levi jeans  in the spare tyre of the car and the border guards knew this but let them through as it was standard practice for everyone.  Levi's were better than cash in the east. My Opa worked for the BBC in Bonn and they were always on alert for an invasion.  Glad I lived here.Ken

My Parents had some German friends who moved to the UK after the war.   They lived on the Eastern side, and Helmut, the Patriarch got his entire family out of there before the Russians closed the border.  He was, my Dad said, something to do with passing intel to the Americans and British whilst he worked for the Germans in communications.   He was a qualified mechanical / electrical engineer, and My Dad gave him a job in his fledgling engineering  business in 1951. . . . His nickname was 'OPA' . . . .In the early 1960s, I had the 'hots' for one of his five Children,. . .her name was Anna,. . .(Ooooooh. . .you would.) . .but alas, she was three years older than me and it never happened !  ( I never fancied any of the other four as they were Lads. . .but at least they taught me a few German Swearwords. . .)  He used to own an old 'LT' van,. .( Seen in very early episodes of 'The Sweeney' ) can't recall the maker, they were used by the Police for paddywagons, ( The Black Maria ) and as Ambulances. . He put seats and windows in the back of it, and this was his 'Car'   He had a signwriter put 'OPA'S KINDERWAGEN' on the back of it, and at the time, I did not know what this meant. . .

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Operation 'OVERLORD' next,. . . .if you want it. . . . . 

 

 

[facthunter]

Yeah, go for it. I need it, really. Would I kid you, Phil? Nev

 

 

[hihosland]

Yes please!!

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Yeah, go for it. I need it, really. Would I kid you, Phil? Nev

Slight delay Nev ( + HiHo ) the Blogsite where friend BP posts these missives is down for a major oil change nd grease, so I can't access the Archives at the Mo. . Blown Periphery and Mrs BP are on a four week vacation in. . . .AUSTRALIA at the moment, ( All thanks to ME 'Bigging it Up' he says ) so I can't get them on email either !

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Right,. . .I've messaged BP and he says he hasn't done one on Overlord, and what have I been drinking. . .He's given me access to his database and here is Operation Sealion, Part One. ( It is in Eight parts BTW ) Please let me know if you would rather I posted the rest of it onto Whatsup Australia, as it isn't Aviation-Centric.

 

I'll tentatively risk Part one here.

 

The extremely ruthless and efficient preparations to defend the British Isles, 1940

 

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Dad’s Army and admire the writing, the nuanced observations on absurdity and perfectly timed comedy. It is so successful because we all know characters like Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson. I was brought up with the common belief that the British Army had been defeated in France, had been lucky to escape due to British selflessness and ingenuity. That these shores were vulnerable to attack from the German National Socialist war machine, that the troops were disorganised, dispirited and had lost all their tanks and heavy weapons. The Royal Navy was overstretched trying to keep open the sea lanes across the Atlantic and to our far-flung empire. The Local Defence Force, later called the Home Guard, was a bunch of fuddy-duddies and old Blimps from the Boer War and the Great War, armed only with shotguns and pickaxe handles.

 

We all know that the Germans needed air superiority to attack Southern England and the RAF was heavily outnumbered. The Luftwaffe had swept the skies of the RAF and Armée de l’Air in France and Belgium, but despite this, the heroic fighter pilots of RAF Fighter Command proved their superiority and saved Britain in their finest hour. I am in no way disparaging the brave pilots of No 11 and 10 Group Fighter Command, but this is a rather a simplistic view of what was a very complex situation with many subtle interdependencies.

 

Here is a synopsis of the BBC’s Bitesize Key Stage 3 notes and lesson plans:

 

The War had five phases:

 

1. The Phoney War (September 1939‒April 1940)

 

o Hitler conquered Poland. There was no other major activity.

 

2. Blitzkreig (April 1940‒June 1940)

 

o The Nazis conquered Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium and France.

 

o The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was trapped at Dunkirk, but managed to withdraw by sea back to Britain.

 

3. Britain alone (July 1940‒June 1941)

 

o Britain defeated the German Airforce, called the Luftwaffe, in the Battle of Britain (July‒September 1940).

 

But Britain was alone, and in great danger of losing the war:

 

o The Luftwaffe bombed London for 76 nights running (the Blitz), then other cities such as Coventry.

 

o The British were driven out of Greece and most of North Africa.

 

o The British ran out of money, and had to sign the Lend-Lease Agreement with America (America sold arms to Britain, to be paid back after the war).

 

4. The tide turns (1941‒1943)

 

o In June 1941, Hitler invaded Russia, known as Operation Barbarossa. This brought Russia into the war. The failure of Operation Barbarossa was the first major German defeat.

 

o In December 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This brought America into the war.

 

As a result the Allies gradually began to win the war:

 

o In June 1942 the Americans defeated the Japanese at the Battle of Midway.

 

o In November 1942 the British won the Battle of El-Alamein in Africa.

 

o In January 1943 the Russians defeated the Nazis at the Battle of Stalingrad.

 

5. Victory (1943‒1945)

 

o In 1944, the Nazis launched V-1 rockets, known as doodlebugs, which fell randomly in southern Britain.

 

Notice that there is no mention of German/Soviet Pact or the Soviet invasion of Poland, The Soviet/Finnish War, the War for Oil in Iraq, Stalingrad and Kursk, the Arctic Convoys, the Battle of the Atlantic, the Fall of Singapore, The War in Burma, the Strategic Bomber Offensive, the D-Day landings, the German Nuclear Programme and the Final Solution. Personally, I believe that History is as important as English and Mathematics and if it is taught badly or simplistically to pass some exams, then it is better not being taught at all. So just how unprepared was Britain for a German invasion?

 

 

Operational map of the German assembly areas and routes to South-eastern landing sites.

 

There may be some truth in this view. Very little has been found in the way of planning documentation for Operation Sealion (the invasion of Britain), compared with the plethora of archived maps and plans relating to Operation Overlord, (the D-Day Landings). This may be due to the bombing, the systematic destruction, hiding and looting of German archives towards the end of the war, when they knew the game was up and they were desperate to cover their tracks.

 

On the evening of 4th September 1940, the Fuhrer was in the Berlin Sportpalast, baying to the 14,000 hysterical and worshipping followers:

 

“In England they’re filled with curiosity, and keep asking ‘why doesn’t he come?’ Be calm, be clam, he is coming! He is coming!”

 

German troops from Norway to France were on high alert throughout August and September of 1940. Ammunition and supplies had been stockpiled in the Forward Mounting Bases along the coastlines of Western Europe. The Divisional staff had been given their mission and objectives and as true proponents of Mission Command, the German Staff Officers went ahead and planned.

 

That summer the Kriegsmarine had gathered in Belgium and French ports over 100 freighters, paddle steamers and ferries, 1,910 barges, 419 tugs and 1,600 motor boats. Since the German war effort has heavily dependent on moving war materials on the inland waterways, the requisition of so many vessels was a serious undertaking and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. While the Hurricanes and Spitfires of Fighter Command carved vapour trails above the Kent Weald, the Wellingtons, Hampdens and Blenheims of Bomber Command doggedly attacked the build-up of vessels in the ports, in the face of murderous flak.

 

The Germans had requisitioned 13 hospital ships and converted 250 PZKW IIIs and IVs into amphibious tanks with snorkels and waterproofed guns and turret rings. The confidence and morale of the German Army was very high. They had annihilated the French Army and kicked out the British, annoyed that the bulk of the BEF had escaped, but minus their weapons. The commander of British Home Forces, General Alan Brooke wrote in a personal diary that:

 

“Indications of an impending attack before the 15th September are cumulating.”

 

Even Churchill who had been sceptical about a German invasion throughout the summer said in a speech:

 

“No one should blind himself to the fact that a heavy, full-scale invasion of these islands is being prepared with the usual thoroughness and method and that it may be launched at any time now.”

 

But the Germans never came. They never achieved air superiority over the south of England, but they could still have achieved local air superiority or a favourable air situation in which to mount their assault. The Few have carved their niche in history, but the victory belongs to every man and woman of fighting age in these islands, the scientists, the planners, the Intelligence Services and the fleet in being. The Army may have been evacuated from Dunkirk and other French ports, but it maintained its cohesion and fighting spirit, and the soldiers would sell their lives dearly. Within the context of Britain in 1940, Operation Sealion was a viable and deadly undertaking and neither side was taking it lightly.

 

Blown Periphery 2018

 

Goingpostal Blog.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Next Seven parts here ?

 

Or inappropriate and moved to What'sUp.

 

Commenteers ? Your choice. Sir Ian ?. . Your final decision.

 

Phil.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Next Seven parts here ?Or inappropriate and moved to What'sUp.

 

Commenteers ? Your choice. Sir Ian ?. . Your final decision.

 

Phil.

Zero response from anyone. . . OK,. . .I'll post Operation Sealion Part 2, but I'll give it a new Thread heading.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Zero response from anyone. . . OK,. . .I'll post Operation Sealion Part 2, but I'll give it a new Thread heading.

There's lots of aviation related to these stories, look at the viewing total to tell you if it's worthwhile or not, or just be pleased that some of us are happy to read the stuff.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

There's lots of aviation related to these stories, look at the viewing total to tell you if it's worthwhile or not, or just be pleased that some of us are happy to read the stuff.

There isn't much aviation on the early stages of 'Sealion' though mate. . I only post this stuff because I think that the bloke is a very good writer. His fiction stuff is most entertaining and militarily, surgically accurate and superbly researched. I only post the Fiction on WhatsUp though.

 

I've followed his stuff for a few years now. . .I would not be surprised if he is a 'Known' author, operating under a pseudonym for larfs. . .he certainly knows how to spin a story. . .and if you like it,. . that's even better. I cannot take any credit whatsoever for pasting his stuff up.