Christmas

We, the curators — William McLaughlin, Witali Gerber, Bernd von Kostka, and Ewan Burnet — of this distinctive collaborative website commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, extend our warmest holiday greetings to all our readers. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

“The National Museum of the United States of Air Force wishes you a Merry Christmas and asks that everyone take a moment to appreciate the sacrifice of past and current Airmen who spend their holidays away from their families in support of others. The men of the Behind the Berlin Airlift were no exception. They sacrificed their time and lives to ensure that the citizens of West Berlin were not forced to trade their freedom for survival. This holiday season, we ask that you remember the humanitarian side of the USAF and its role as a force for good. Merry Christmas.”

“This particular aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force served for 32 years as a stationary exhibit at the entrance of the Gatow barracks. It was subsequently restored and placed next to the tower at Berlin-Gatow Airfield as a tribute to the Australian contribution to the Berlin Airlift. The Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr wishes our readers a Merry Christmas.”

“The Allied Museum Berlin wishes all readers of our Airlift posts happy holidays and a good start to the year 2024."

‘The RAF’s Sunderland flying boats made an important contribution to the early part of the Berlin Airlift. Designed to operate in salt water, their corrosion-resistant structure made them ideal for transport of salt into Berlin. They were forced to stop operating in December 1948 as the rivers and lakes around the city froze. The RAF Museum’s Sunderland did not operate in the Berlin Airlift, but it represents the aircraft that did. Merry Christmas from the RAF Museum.’