Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Berlin Airlift Monument

Luftbrückendenkmal, Berlin Airlift Monument by Eduard Ludwig, Platz der Luftbrücke, Berlin

Luftbrückendenkmal (Berlin Airlift Monument) by Eduard Ludwig
Platz der Luftbrücke
Berlin, September 2011

“For the next 11 months Allied planes flew in food, coal, machinery and other supplies to Tempelhof airport in the western city, 24/7. By the time the Soviets backed down, they had made 278,000 flights, logged a distance equivalent to 250 round trips to the moon and delivered 2.5 million tonnes of cargo. The Luftbrückendenkmal (Airlift Memorial) outside the airport honours the effort and those who died carrying it out. It was a monumental achievement that profoundly changed the relationship between Germany and the Western Allies, who were no longer regarded merely as occupational forces but as Schutzmächte (protective powers).” (Berlin Travel Guide, Lonely Planet)

See also: Candy Bomber

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

to remember a moment in history

cieldequimper said...

I always think they could have done a better job of this...

Andy said...

I'm always learning. I never knew they had a monument. It was a real achievement for it's day.

joo said...

To be honest I'm with Ciel.