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Commemoration: 76th anniversary of end of airlift

  • 76th anniversary of the end of the airlift

    漏 dpa

    Participants stand at the Airlift Memorial during a commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Airlift.

  • 76th anniversary of the end of the airlift

    漏 dpa

    Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (right) paid tribute to the efforts of the Allies during the Berlin Airlift.

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner has warned that the lessons of the Berlin Airlift should not be forgotten. Today, as then, it is important to stand up against dictatorship and oppression and to defend freedom.

Yesterday, Monday, Wegner laid a wreath at a commemorative event at the Airlift Monument in Tempelhof. The CDU politician recalled the help of the Western Allies, who supplied West Berlin for almost a year from June 1948 through the airlift and flew in thousands of tons of freight every day. Wegner thanked the people from many nations who contributed to the airlift and promised to preserve their memory.

Airlift: More than 270,000 flights

The blockade of Berlin ended 76 years ago on May 12, when the Soviet Union finally gave in. With more than 270,000 flights, the Allies had ensured the survival of a good two million people in the western part of the city. The Soviet Union had previously blocked land and waterways and severely restricted electricity and gas supplies in response to the introduction of the Deutschmark in the West. During the airlift, Allied planes carrying relief supplies landed at Tempelhof Airport every minute.

Author: dpa/deepl.com
Publication date: 13 May 2025
Last updated: 13 May 2025

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