Sid (an RAF wireless operator) and Jim (a pilot) met while serving together in 46 Squadron during the Berlin Airlift. They recall the devastation of postwar Berlin, waving at Russian pilots from their aircraft, and their daily routines during the airlift. They flew two trips per day, including both night flying and day flying to carry flour, coal, newsprint and medical supplies, as well as airlifting children and the elderly out of Berlin. There were few social opportunities for RAF pilots, as their flying schedules precluded heavy drinking at aircrew pubs or clubs. After a few months, the work became rather tedious, but the humour of American pilots provided entertainment and light relief. Sid and Jim reflect upon flying in treacherous weather conditions, explaining that flights were rarely cancelled yet relatively few accidents occurred. They both saw the airlift as an opportunity to fly, rather than a humanitarian feat. Sid and Jim’s interview highlights the routine and eventual monotony of operations during the Berlin Airlift. Their enduring friendship is testament to the lasting bonds forged between servicemen.

Even though Michael was in a protected occupation he joined the RAF as soon as possible. He trained as a flight engineer and was assigned to a Halifax bomber squadron, aged eighteen, in 1942. On their ninth flight the crew had to bail out over Britain due to lack of fuel. His parachute malfunctioned and did not initially open. It opened just in time and he went to a nearby farm. The rest of the crew thought he had been killed. His aircraft flew several sorties for Special Operations Executive, dropping agents into occupied France before D-Day. These missions were at low altitude and attracted a lot of fire from German light anti-aircraft guns. Many of the shells went right through the Halifax without causing too much damage. Eventually Michael and his crew completed a ‘tour’ of forty missions, although this took a toll on him, especially when he would notice some of beds in the barracks had not been slept in, meaning that those men were not returning. Michael was often physically sick at the start of a mission and kept a tin in the plane for this purpose. During his tour he went to see the base Medical Officer (MO) and said that he was not feeling well, to which the MO replied that it was Lack of Moral Fibre. Michael told him to f*** o** and just left. Michael wonders that, if there is a God, why he let all the killing of the war take place.

Called up to service in 1946, Gordon joined an RAF maintenance unit as an electrician before supporting the Berlin Airlift in Wunstorf, Hanover. He recalls a sweet scent in the air there, which he later speculated may have been the smell of death. Though servicemen experienced some hostility from German residents, Gordon empathised with their situation having seen Liverpool flattened during the Blitz. Interactions with locals were usually cordial, however, and Gordon even befriended and ate with a German family. With aircraft supplies sparse throughout the airlift, maintenance units had to think on their feet and be resourceful. Gordon’s responsibilities included inspecting aircraft, adjusting planes’ carbon par regulators mid-flight, and mending faulty engine magnetos. He describes two plane crashes during his time at Wunstorf, one of which proved fatal. In his time off, Gordon practised photography, relaxed in RAF Malcolm Clubs, and ate in lakeside cafés. As a non-smoker, he rarely spent his own money since cigarettes became currency in postwar Germany. He remembers skiing and tobogganing in the Harz Mountains during R&R breaks. Gordon found his time in the RAF enjoyable and interesting. His story sheds light on Germany’s postwar recovery and the vast operation behind the Berlin Airlift.