THE AIR FORCE STORY : Chapter 26 Cold War

Series: The Air Force Story

Year Published: 1948

Creator: U.S. Air Force

Description: This episode of "The Air Force Story" covers two major post-World War II achievements of the U.S. Air Force: the Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles), which defied the Soviet blockade, and the development of the B-36 Peacemaker, the first intercontinental bomber. 0:00-1:59: Main titles. June 1948, Berlin. Tension escalates between the Allies and the Soviet Union. The Soviets initiate a land blockade of the Allied sectors of Berlin, cutting off all surface access (rails, canals, and roads) to the 2.5 million people living in the American, British, and French zones. The Soviet goal was to force the Western Allies to surrender their position, using hunger as a weapon. 2:43-3:34: The Allies make the important decision to hold Berlin. In late June 1948, General Curtis LeMay and the U.S. Air Forces in Europe started the airlift, flying through the Soviet zone's air corridors to Tempelhof Field in Berlin. This was the Air Force's first important use of air power as an instrument of national policy. 3:34-4:29: Cargo aircraft are called in from all over the world (Caribbean, Texas, Alaska, etc.). The combined airlift task force, headed by General William Turner (who led "The Hump" aerial supply missions in WWII), was established. The Army Transportation Corps moved supplies like coal, flour, sugar, coffee, and butter to the chief air gateway at Rhein-Main. 4:57-5:16: Berlin's minimum daily requirement was 4,500 tons of supplies. In 1949, deliveries averaged more than 7,500 tons a day. The U.S. Air Force contributed over 300 planes and 20,000 men, with Britain making a large contribution as well. 5:22-6:17: The operation was a severe test of precision flight and logistics. Takeoffs with full loads were spaced every three minutes. Narrow and dangerous air corridors were flown at five different levels (500 feet apart), requiring extremely precise air traffic control. 6:20-7:38: Every three minutes, there was a landing at Tempelhof. Each aircraft in Operation Vittles flew three round-trips daily. At the height of the airlift, the control tower at Tempelhof handled more than 400 landings and takeoffs every day. The Ground Control Approach (GCA) operators, working 24 hours a day, talked planes down in heavy fog and rain, proving the Communists wrong for expecting the airlift to break. 8:33-9:05: Initially, C-47s were used, but the larger C-54s took over and began setting and breaking records. Coal was vitally important for heat, light, and power; it was flown in from the Ruhr in war surplus duffle bags. 9:11-10:03: Berlin was saved because the airlift "kept the fires burning." In 15 months, the airlift delivered 2.25 million tons of supplies—the greatest feat in transportation history. Children, who once "cringed in terror" at the sound of airplanes, were taught they need "cringe no more." 10:07-10:20: Simultaneously, a different Air Force achievement was taking shape in Fort Worth, Texas: the B-36, the first genuine intercontinental bomber. 10:20-10:53: The B-36 had an unprecedented size: a 230-foot wingspan and a tremendous fuselage space, equal to "ten good-sized living rooms." Conceived in 1941, it was ready for its first test flight in 1946. 11:00-11:17: Its main function was to carry bombs, but it was heavily armed with eight gun turrets, each mounting two 20-millimeter cannon, giving it more and better armament than any other bomber before it. 11:23-11:44: The B-36 was one of the most complicated engines of war ever built, requiring a crew of 16 highly skilled specialists who achieved a high degree of teamwork. 11:50-12:04: In its late stages of development, the B-36 was powered by six piston engines (3,800 horsepower each) and four jet engines (5,200 pounds of thrust each at takeoff). 12:14-12:32: The bomber had a much greater carrying capacity, able to hold 100 five-hundred-pound bombs or, when needed, two massive bombs each weighing 21 tons. 13:00-13:20: With a fuel load of 21,000 gallons, the B-36 had a tremendous range of 10,000 miles without refueling and a combat radius of more than 4,000 miles. It was a stable and accurate bombing platform even at high altitudes and speeds over 400 miles per hour. 13:33-13:58: With its speed, armament, and high-altitude capability, the B-36 became the Strategic Air Command's Sunday punch and allowed SAC to be the first military organization in history capable of resolving a remote economy's heart from U.S. stateside bases. 14:16-14:25: The film concludes that the B-36 proved to be a great airplane and belonged squarely in the United States Air Force. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ7P3CtNe-s

Metadata Source:YouTube