There have been many histories of the 1948/49 Berlin Airlift. Most have concentrated on the human drama inherent in the vast effort to save the people of West Berlin from starvation. Arthur Pearcy's 1997 book for England's Airlife Publishing takes a different tack, being a dispassionate if comprehensive operational history of 'Operation Vittles.'
BERLIN AIRLIFT packs a great deal of information and almost 200 photographs into its 144 pages. After explaining how the crisis developed, Pearcy details the Allied response, the organizational and operational set-up of the Combined Air Lift Task Force, the operation's logistical backbone, casualties and so on.
For those unfamiliar with the Berlin Airlift, Pearcy's book will be a revelation. The airlift was an unprecedented feat, lasting over 320 days and utilizing thousands of Allied military and civilian personnel in various units or airlines to deliver 2.3 million tons of food, fuel and other necessities. Likewise "trash-hauler" fans will delight in the many shots of C-47s, C-82s, Avro Yorks and Lancastrians, C-119s, C-74s, Handley Page Hastings and Short Sunderlands not to mention personnel such as LT. Gail Halvorsen, the Airlift's famous 'Candy Bomber.'
Though Pearcy does a workmanlike job of chronicling the event, general readers may be put off by his pervasive use of stats, military designations, aircraft serial numbers and so on that run throughout the book. BERLIN AIRLIFT is a dry read.
If you're looking for "Just the facts, Ma'am," BERLIN AIRLIFT is just what you need. While jargon-heavy, it does provide a fascinating, in-depth look at that long-ago miracle that saved a city. Recommended.
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