Der alt... Task Force Times

Rare pictorial map of the events that took place during the Berlin Airlift designed as a souvenir for those who took part.



At the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided into zones of occupation between the four major Allied powers: France, the United Kingdom, the USA, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union controlled East Germany, which included Berlin, while the three other Allies controlled West Germany. Despite Berlin being located in the Soviet zone, it was agreed that the city would also be divided into four occupation zones. However, in June 1948, the Soviet Union attempted to force the other Allied powers to cancel the introduction of the new Deutsche Mark in West Berlin by blockading the road, rail, and canal routes across East Germany, thereby cutting off crucial supply lines to West Berlin.



In response, the Berlin Airlift was organised by the Western Allies and took place between 26th June 1948 and 30th September 1949. American and British air forces used three narrow air corridors, negotiated in writing by the Allied powers in 1945, to fly supplies into the city. The operation was a logistical nightmare, and yet, at the height of activity, one plane reached West Berlin every thirty seconds. The Airlift continued for 15 months until the Soviet's reluctantly dropped the blockade. It was seen as one of the first major events of the Cold War and was a major propaganda victory for the Western Allies.



This map was drawn by Lieutenant Colonel Harold Sims (1912-2002) of the U.S. Air Force for publication in the Task Force Times newspaper, the bulletin of the Combined Airlift Task Force. Besides maintaining troop morale as the editor of the Task Force Times, Sims was also responsible for planning the extremely complicated flights paths as the Chief of Navigation for the Airlift. His importance in making the Airlift a success cannot be overstated.



The map is filled with visual puns, plays on words, and amusing mistranslations of faux-German and Russian phrases, for example a sign stating 'Keepsky Outsky' written upside down to resemble Cyrillic script. The city of Berlin is shown surorunded by walls and fortifications, an interesting foreshadowing of the Berlin Wall which would be built a decade later.



This rare, ephemeral piece illustrates a defining moment of 20th Century history and serves as an uncommon record of everyday servicemen's humour.



Printed colour. [GER2264]