United States Army Air Forces conduct an airlift that enables Berlin to survive in spite of a of Soviet blockade in post World...

United States Army Air Forces conduct an airlift that enables Berlin to survive in spite of a of Soviet blockade in post World War II Germany

Film begins showing ruins of the Bundestag in Berlin, in June, 1948. A tram rides along a street headed toward a tunnel through a destroyed building. Berliners walk about and eat at outdoor tables, enjoying the pleasant weather. On June 26, 1948, the Soviets established a blockade of West Berlin. View of Soviet soldiers in a line at a square in the city. A manufacturing business is seen being adversely affected by the blockade through denial of coal to generate electricity for it. The employees cover the company's equipment and close the business. People jam a corner store fearing a food shortage. Crowds mingle outside the main buildings of the Templehof airdrome. Some men hold a German newspaper announcing Allied intent to supply West Berlin by air. View of an American Army Air Forces C-47 transport plane landing at Templehof. A number of C-47s lined in a circle at the airport field as large trucks offload their cargoes. C-47 taxiing into position. German men climb aboard an open bus to start work at jobs unloading supplies from the aircraft. Views of the men busy with their labors. Glimpse of a "follow me" jeep leading a just landed aircraft to its parking place at night. Images of the workers dimly seen in the semi dark. View of the circular Templehof buildings. A truckload of German workers being carried to their work places. American pilots entering Base operations at Temlehof. Pilots inside Base operations, taking a break while their C-47 is being unloaded. They head out to their airplane to fly back to Frankfurt, Germany for another load of cargo. The climb aboard through the plane's side door. View of C-47 flying with clouds in the background along the Berlin Corridor. Ambulance seen responding to an Airlift aircraft crash. View of aircraft wreckage in a city. It is up side down with landing gear pointing skyward. The wreckage being carted away on a flat bed truck. German citizens gathered in front of a memorial plaque they had put in place. An Army Air Forces Lieutenant and another C-47 pilot look up as the board their plane to watch a four engine C54 transport plane coming in to land. Several views of C-54 transport aircraft in flight overhead. Airlift pilots are seen in a briefing room. Animated map shows Berlin as an "island" in the Soviet zone of occupation, accessible only by three 20mile wide air corridors. Several air bases in the Western zones are shown. Map shows Berlin's three airfields, Templehof, Tegel, and Gatow in the Western sectors, surrounded by a ring of Soviet fields. A line of American C-47s is shown on the map, flying from Wiesbaden airdrome, along a corridor to Berlin, from 9:30 AM until 11:30 AM. At 12:00 Noon the C-54s began flying from Rhein Main air base. At 3:00 PM the C-54s stopped and the C-47s began again. Illustration shows how the aircraft were separated by three minute intervals and a thousand feet in altitude. Closeup of a C-54 pilot in his cockpit as he starts his engines. The plane has "The Air Transport Command" written on its side. Inside the C-54 the flight engineer is seen at his panel performing engine start at the direction of the Aircraft Commander Pilot. View of the pilot in the cockpit and his instrument panel. The aircraft taking off. Views of cargo handling on the ground. Trucks carrying the cargoes to places they are needed in the city. Bread being baked for Berliners. Coal being unloaded from rail cars after being flown into the city, A crane operates in a Western sector coal yard. Smoke rising from some of the restarted factories. German employees punch a time clock. Doctors examine school age children. View of street cars operating on power generated by burning coal. Commercial vehicles operating on airlifted gasoline. Darkness due to power saving at night. But people arriving in the city by subway in the morning. Glimpse of C-54 overhead. Food being prepared and sold in shops. People patronizing a news stand. The damaged Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, with C-54 in flight in far distant background. German workers sweeping the airfield ramp. An officer from Base operations arrives in a jeep to debrief a C-54 crew as a truckload of German workers pulls up to begin unloading their cargo. Crew members get food from a mobile snack bar the meets their airplane. A German worker who knew a pilot gives him a gift of a wind up musical Steiff bear for his child. The two pilots begin dancing to the toy bear's tune. The pilot places the toy bear next to the window in his cockpit. Back home, near Frankfurt, the pilot greets his wife, baby and school age daughter, whom he gives the toy bear. The next day, the pilot walks to the rear of his aircraft while en route to Berlin. He throws little parachutes of candy out a window for the children of Berlin below. Views of the parachutes descending and children rushing to retrieve and unwrap them.

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