The candy bomber – 50 years of the Big Lift of Berlin

20 min, Digi-Beta, Dutch Television "2 Vandaag"

Berlin in 1948 – the city was burned down to the ground. The Allies had the city separated. In the spring of that same year the troops of the Soviet Union closed the German capitol. They blocked all entries into the West sector. The reason was the undertaking of the currency reform in the parts of Germany that were owned by the Western allies. The reform became operative at June 20th 1948. Over night the entire city didn't have energy anymore. All fields of supply were cut off. The people in West Berlin didn't have any contact to the outside world anymore. A dramatic aid action started. Captain Jack O. Bennet was the first pilot to start with a supply-airplane. Direction: West Berlin.
The US-American officer flew the "Big Lift" up to its last day. Almost daily he did his flights over Berlin. The aid action lasted more than 462 days. During these days US-American and British soldiers supplied 2.25 million people from the air. They saved them from starving or freezing to death.
The Big Airlift: Almost 280,000 airplanes landed on the airports in Berlin. They carried food, coal and fuel.
The motors roared day and night. The "Big Lift" was a logistic masterpiece.

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Camera: Holger Preuss
Sound: Ingo Koch
Cutting: Mario Biehl