"Berlin's Modern History." Berlin by australia2

(N.B. For one important part of Hitler's history please click here.)

Not a leaning tower of somewhere; maybe a sloping German Parliament House.(Reichstag) A poor quality "grab" from a grass mounted videotape camera. Its main value is that it proves that I was there! A magnificent Glass Dome is now there to replace the original, destroyed, stone one. The whole interior had to be rebuilt and the Parliament chambers are of very modern design. Ironically, the new complex was designed by a British architect. One of the many hauntingly historic sights around the emminently historic City of Berlin.

Avro York Transports over Tempelhof..

There is so much dramatic history associated with Berlin it is impossible to equal it. One such event was the Berlin Air-lift of 1948/49, during the Cold War. The American Air Force used the main Berlin airfield, Tempelhof for their huge part of the undertaking. A number of Avro York freighter aircraft were used by the British in this mammoth operation. They used the Gatow airport, now, in 2004, not a public airport. Also included then was the use of the Havel lakes outside Berlin by R.A.F. Sunderland flying boats. . The French used Tegel in the north. That airfield had to be especially built. It was built by the efforts of the desperate, war-torn German local population in 92 days.
The operation lasted from July '48 to October '49, through the extreme hazards of winter. It was completely successful in all its aims.Nothing of its size had ever been done before - or since ! Unfortunately, lives were lost due to crashes; 31 Americans, 27 British, five Germans, one Australian and one South African died. The Russians realised they were beaten and lifted the Blockade. Apparently the original trial concept had British origins but was made possible by the huge resources of the U.S. Air Force. There is a special museum in Berlin devoted to the period. The operation is referred to also as the "Air Bridge - Luft Brucken" (??).

For interest I have posted, temporarily, a picture of the rare predecessor of the DC3 (Dakota, C47) - the DC2. In RAAF markings and taken by me at an Air Show many years ago here in Melbourne, Australia. A hopefully upcoming picture will show a Royal Australian Air Force C47 {Dakota) at Gatow airfield, now museum, outside Berlin. (Awaiting picture owner's permission to use it. Now, 2012, kindly granted. See 'Things to do, Berlin.) Actually no R.A.A.F aircraft were used in the Berlin Airlift but over 40 Flight Crew personnel carried out Australia's contribution to this international humanitarian/political rescue operation. The C47 represents them. They used British aircraft and operated under the title of the "Berlin detachment of 86 (Transport) Wing.". The hopefully forthcoming C47 picture is a genuine R.A.A.F. example. It is now part of an excellent, comprehensive, aircraft museum at Gatow once one of the Airlift airfields. A Memorial to the R.A.A.F. contribution to the Berlin Air Lift. . ( A R.A.A.F. Heritage Series book, "Odd Jobs" by Stephen Eather is an excellent authority on this and other R.A.A.F. post WWII operations. )