A special service of commemoration to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Airlift took place today at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The service, which marks the final British flight of the Airlift, was held in the presence of Veterans Minister Kevan Jones, the new Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, and 500 veterans, families and current Service personnel.
The service paid tribute to the many servicemen and women who served on the airlift in the air and on the ground, supporting operations to keep the population of West Berlin alive during the Soviet Blockade of 1948-1949. The 39 British and Commonwealth personnel who lost their lives during the airlift, also known as “Operation Plainfare”, were also remembered.
Readings were given by representatives from the British Berlin Airlift Association, and a message of thanks on behalf of the people of Berlin from their Mayor, Klaus Wowereit was read out to the congregation by Brigadier General Franz-Josef Nolte, Defence and Air Attaché, German Embassy.
Following the service, the congregation moved to the national Berlin Airlift Memorial within the Arboretum, where wreaths were laid on behalf of the Armed Forces, the British Berlin Airlift Association and the people of Berlin. There was also a minute silence for those who lost their lives and a flypast of an RAF Dakota from the time of the Berlin Airlift.
The ceremony concluded with a flypast by the Red Arrows, two Hercules aircraft, and aircraft from the Army Historic Aircraft Flight, acknowledging the contribution of the Army to the campaign.
Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said:
“The airlift veterans deserve our respect and pride. Over many months and in treacherous conditions, they worked tirelessly to keep West Berlin alive while it was under siege. Taking place during a period of austerity and hardship for Britain, their achievement is all the more selfless. They truly showed Britain at its best.”
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton said:
“The Berlin Airlift was a difficult, unglamorous and dangerous undertaking; the biggest humanitarian operation ever conducted. I am proud to be here today to mark this remarkable achievement, and pay tribute to those who lost their lives.”
Airlift veteran Geoff Smith, Chairman of the British Berlin Airlift Association, said:
“Today brings back many memories of Operation Plainfare. Standing alongside my fellow comrades and their families, and representatives of the people of Berlin, I am so proud of what we achieved sixty years ago. Those who lost their lives are not forgotten and our success truly was a defining moment in the history of the Cold War.”
British aircraft flew more than 175,000 trips to and from the city as the RAF, supported by civilian pilots and Army teams on the ground, faced the most challenging of conditions in ensuring that the two million people living in Berlin did not starve or freeze to death when their supplies were cut off by the Soviets.
Today’s service is the culmination of a year of 60th anniversary events commemorating the Berlin Airlift. They began on 12 May, the anniversary of the end of the Soviet Blockade, with ceremonies in Berlin at the former Gatow and Tempelhof airfields, and at the Imperial War Museum in London.
The Time Machine carried a feature about the Berlin Airlift a short while ago. You can find out more about the operation and see vintage newsreel here.
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