Evening star., 1949-02-20
|BerlinAirlift
Meets Goals
Operation Vittle e S
Beats Weather in
Food Race
By Brock Curry

Gen. Lucius D. Clay, the Amer
lean military governor. says:
"Of course, winter weather de-
creases the tonnage we can move
by air. Nevertheless our worst air
weather, based on the record.
comes in November and December.
1--WE have met this challenge by
carrying our minimum essential
tonnage in both months. We now
have 40 more C-54s available with
better weather prospects and we
should. henceforth, exceed the
minimum which means some coal
for domestic heating and for IN
dustrial use."
In one week recently American
and British cargo planes dumped
an average Of just under 5000 tons
daily into Berlin's three airports.
The usually accepted minimum
requirement is 1000 tons daily.
While the airlift has defeated
the Soviet starvation threat. Ber-
Inns economy has been crippled
by the blockade. Life and COM
merce are by no means normal.
Before the blockade, the Allies
brought in from 5000 to 10000
tons of supplies daily.
Has Four-Week Supply
American officials say produc-
ton has slumped from go to 10
per cent. Factories are using raw
materials faster than they are
coming in. More than 100000
Berliners are totally or partially
unemployed.
During the week ended January
Is the plane fleet set a new record
since the Soviet blockade was i'm
posed June 26. 1t ferried in Al ,546
tons Of food, coal and other neces-
sites. The old mark was 1887
for the last week in December.
Berlin has received more than
800. 900 tons Of supplies on $4,000
flights.
Now the city has a four-week
supply Of basic foods on hand-a
slightly better food position than
at the beginning of the blockade.
Since the blockade started. the
ration level Of the normal con-
sumer has been hiked from 800 to
$50 calories a day. American Of
f1cials say Berliners are eating bet
ter than most other Europeans.
Officials say 1,400 Berliners can
live for one day on one ton Of food.
Only Is pounds of coal have
been issued for house heating to
each family unit. Germans SNUG
gle coal into the Western sectors
from the Russian zone. 1t is ped
died on the black market for Is
marks ($4.50 per hundredweight.
The airlift has lugged in 469.0
tons Of coal. most Of 1t needed by
industry.
On its first day operation vittles
consisted of 80 flights from Frank
furt to Berlin. Now American and
British airmen average $50 flights
a day. They have flown IS 5,000, 900
miles from bases in Western Ger
many.
Three.Nation Teamwork
British, French and Americans
work together as an integrated
team to keep the airlift going. At
legal. British crews fly the planes,
American radio crews control
landings and French ground
crews service the planes. Planes
from Fassberg are manned by
Americans while the base Is ad-
ministered by the British.
Germans load and unload the
planes. Nearly 1000 work in
round -the-clock shifts. Allied Of
fcials say German workmen are
stealing from 3 to 10 per cent
of small packaged goods flown to
Berlin. Heavy sacks Of coal and
-four are rarely bothered. Losses
were much higher when the air
lift began.
Operation Vittles is costing the
United States more than $780,
600, 900 a year. Secretary Of De-
fense Forrestal made this estimate
during a recent visit to Berlin.
Christopher Mayhem, British Un-
dersecretary Of Foreign Affairs,
told the House Of Commons that
Britain's airlift costs average
1876, 900 English pounds ($740,000)
a week.
The United States Air Force
has about $4,000 men assigned.
These include pilots. co-pilots and
fight engineers, ground personnel,
maintenance crews, base opera
tions and flight control personnel
and radiomen. The British re-
fuse to disclose their figures.
More u. S. Planes Used
The Anglo-American air forces
have 361 planes flying the lift
209 American and 152 British.
This includes planes laid up for
repairs. The British, for example,
usually have 102 in operation.
During the first six months
American planes toted u per cent
of the airlift supplies. the British
Foreign Office announced.
The throb of planes engines
never ends over this beleaguered
city. On good weather days planes
zoom into each of Berlin's three
airports at three-minute inter-
walls. They take of at five to
seven minute intervals.
Everything comes in on q
priority basis" says w. T. Bab-
cock. deputy American COM
mandant in Berlin. I'VE list 1t
this way: Food. medical products,
coal. newsprint and industrial
equipment"
= distributed BY the Associated Press)
Republican tax law Of the last
Congress.
The Southerners are not par