1949 Infographic Map of the Berlin Airlift and How It Operated

This is a 1949 Infographic Map of the Berlin Airlift. The map details the intricate workings of the Airlift, formally known as Operation Vittles. A description of the operation appears on the far left, next to ten bullet points that correspond to different parts of the infographic. Then, two maps, one above the other, depict Airlift operations from the Pacific Ocean across the Atlantic to Europe, and finally to Berlin. The top map provides a 'side view,' allowing the viewer to see how multiple different actions took place in the same airspace, and how these activities, both military and civilian, operated in concert to support blockaded Berlin. The lower map traces the distances traveled and provides a more geographic overview of where the thousands of planes were maintained, where flight crew training happened, and how the supplies and the aircraft themselves traveled from California to Germany and back regularly. A small inset along the bottom border details the different flight patterns that airplanes flying missions into Berlin flew and underscores how important it was for pilots to be aware of what they were doing at all times because of the complicated nature of the Airlift. An artistic rendering of airplanes flying the Frankfurt-Berlin route occupies the right third of the sheet and emphasizes the fact that every flight traversed the Russian occupation zone. This meant that when a crew was over the Russian zone, there was a complete lack of radio contact with Allied personnel on the ground. They then emerged within range of Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, and only had beacons to guide them to the airport. The diagram in the upper right corner details the approach and landing pattern for flights arriving at Tempelhof, which landed every three minutes.

The Berlin Airlift

The Berlin Airlift (June 26, 1948 - September 30, 1949) was an international operation in response to the Berlin Blockade (June 24, 1948 - May 12, 1949). After World War II, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union divided the occupation of Germany and of Berlin itself between themselves. Berlin was situated deep within the Soviet occupation sector. In June 1948, the Soviets blocked all access to the American, British, and French sectors in Berlin in response to the Allied introduction of the new West German Deutsche Mark into the city. The Soviets hoped to either force the withdrawal of the Deutsche Mark or the Western powers from Berlin. In response, American, British, French, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and South African aircrews flew over 200,000 sorties to supply West Berliners. During the fifteen months of the operation, 2,334,374 tons of supplies were delivered, over two-thirds of which was coal. The airplanes used in the Airlift flew over 92,000,000 miles, almost the distance from Earth to the Sun, and at its height, an aircraft was landing in West Berlin every thirty seconds.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by an unknown author, although we suspect that it was an official publication of Aviation Operations within the U.S. Air Force. This piece is not cataloged in OCLC.