The
Berlin Airlift was an amazing organisational feat. A population of approximately 2 million people was supplied with all their worldly needs by a continuous stream of cargo aircraft.
The
Combined Airlift Task Force (
CALTF) was formed a few months into the effort, as an organisation solely dedicated to keeping planes flying into
Berlin. It was made up of American, British, and French
aircrews.
From June 1948 through to September 1949, around
2.1 million metric tons of supplies were carried into Berlin by CALTF. In total, almost
280000 flights were made, peaking at 1400 flights landing in Berlin *per day*, approximately 1 per minute!!
These numbers may not seem much today, especially compared with major international terminals like
Heathrow and
O'Hare, but 55 years ago to organise for such a mind bogglingly
large amount
stuff to be transported in just 12 months is a truly great feat!
Stats drawn from: http://www.usafe.af.mil/berlin/quickfax.htm