New display marks 60 years of Berlin blockade (From Warrington Guardian)

New display marks 60 years of Berlin blockade

7:29am Thursday 5th June 2008

• Print
• Email
• Share

TRANSATLANTIC tourists on a trip to their old airbase at RAF Burtonwood were the first to get a glimpse of a new exhibition detailing a major post war operation in Germany.

US Air Force veterans were treated to the first showing of a display marking 60 years since the start of the Berlin Air Lift at the RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre.

“I used to take things like flour, coal and medicine supplies and then would bring containers or people out to live outside the Russian zone.”

Jim Weston, aged 85

The exhibition highlights the efforts of the British and American forces in keeping West Berlin fully supplied with food and fuel, after the Soviet Union blocked all other routes into the city.

Jim Weston, of Willis Street, Fairfield, flew 220 flights on Dakota planes to Berlin from June 1948 to August 1949.

The 85-year-old said: "I used to take things like flour, coal and medicine supplies and then would bring containers or people out to live outside the Russian zone."

He worked 23 hour days from his base at Lunbeck, with two daily flights taking up around eight hours with every day starting one hour earlier to make sure every pilot shared night flights.

"That went on for six or seven weeks and then we got four days off. We were dog tired after two flights to Berlin," he added.

Mr Weston was on hand to chat to the veterans and their families who were in town to visit their former base as they toured the region during their twice yearly reunion.

The American visitors were decked out in RAF Burtonwood baseball caps, T-shirts and pin badges after attending a memorial service at St Michael's Church in Burtonwood.

Jack Steele, curator and historian for RAF Burtonwood was also involved in the Berlin Air Lift, also known as the Berlin Blockade, from the RAF base Wunstorf.

The 80-year-old from St Helens was an aircraft engineer and would fly on Avro York aircraft during the trips to RAF Gatow in Berlin to drop off supplies.

He remembers the meticulous planning for the planes landing times, with planes landing every 90 seconds and one taking off during those gaps.

"When we landed in Gatow we would just have enough time to quickly go to the aircraft canteen to have a cup of coffee or tea and a jam butty and by the time we got back the Germans had unloaded the plane," he recalled.

The Berlin Air Lift exhibition has memorabilia, photographs and models of the planes used in the airlift, which kept Berlin running for more than a year.

Mr Steele added: "One crew I was with were nearly court marshalled. The Russians had the idea to blind the crews taking off with two searchlights. One of our crew used an old war time trick.

"They threw empty beer bottles at the searchlight when they flew over it and the bottles mimicked the sound of bombs falling, to frighten the Russians.

"They were told never to do that again or we may start another war," he joked.

The Berlin Air Lift exhibition is now on display at the RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre at Gulliver's theme park.

• Print
• Email
• Share