Bridge in the Sky.
1970 · London
by Donovan, Frank.
London: Robert Hale & Company, (1970). Octavo, black boards (hardcover), x + 209 pp. Neat former-owner bookplate; otherwise, Fine; in a Near-Fine dust jacket. From dust jacket: In June 1948 the Russians closed down all rail, barge, and road traffic into Berlin and isolated the city. Coal supplies were cut off and electrical service was forced to function on an intermittent basis. Medicines and other staple items became difficult or impossible to obtain. Suddenly the people of West Berlin were faced with the threat of starvation. The Allies, surprised by the blockade, were expected to knuckle under to Russian demands, ince the only access to the city was by air. The Russians, however, reckoned without the determination and ingenuity of the Americans and British, who began to fly fuel, food, clothing, and medical supplies into Berlin. At first, the shipments were small, and Berliners had to pull in their belts and go without many necessities. But the Americans and British stepped up the pace of the airlift until a record shipment of 12,941 tons and 1,398 flights was achieved on Easter Sunday, 1949. This amounted to an average of one round trip to Berlin every minute. And thereafter shipments never fell below 9,000 each day. That unusual Easter Parade made it clear to the Russians that Brlin could be maintained on a normal basis without the use of ground transportation. (Inventory #: vas5266)