Jim Giacomazzi gave a great presentation on February 25th about the Berlin Airlift that started in 1948. The presentation was used by permission of Bob Parkin who created an exhibit about the 50th Anniversary Covers of the Lift. The full presentation can be found on Stamporama.
The Berlin blockade (24 June 1948;– 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under allied control.
In response aircrews from the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing up to 8,893 tons of necessities daily, such as fuel and food, to the Berliners. Neither side wanted a war; the Soviets did not disrupt the airlift.
This is the uplifting YouTube video that Jim showed during the presentation. Tom Brokaw tells the story of Gail Halvorsen (The Candy Bomber) during the 2012 Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. Brokaw chronicles Halvorsen’s efforts to share candy and gum with the children during the Berlin Airlift by dropping them from his plane to children in the city.
See also – Bob Parkin, the creator of this presentation, is a stamp dealer – you may want to check out his website.