The Berlin Airlift

 My father served with the RAF and was Posted to the Berlin Airlift during 1948 and 1949  He was maintaining the engines on Avro Yorks, Lancastrians and Ansons at the service station at "RAF" Wunstorf.

This is Harold (Harry) Pursglove servicing an engine on an Avro York at Wunstorf in the Summer of 1949.

The accommodation was a bit basic, using German wartime prefabricated huts with very basic services. Uniform regulations were relaxed (Any dress that was available) and wartime rations applied. In the British sector, RAF and Ex-Luftwaffe personnel served side by side.

During the operations, roles were flexible and Harry occasionally doubled as flight engineer when needed.  He was also the first choice for any Merlin or Griffin engine work that was required, including Spitfires and Hurricanes.

The display at IWM Duxford includes one of the York aircraft used in the Berlin Airlift.   The Yorks were both Military and commissioned Civil aircraft - If aircraft could carry cargo, they were used to supply essentials to the people of West Berlin.

The display aircraft is in Hangar 1 and it is in the Dan-Air livery.  It has the cargo access doors and strapping points, being in the same configuration as the Military Yorks. (Photo: Rosie Pursglove)

The cargo bay is the whole fuselage, excluding the main wing-spar box and the small cabin. Cargo was lashed to the outsides of the bay and a narrow walkway space was retained down the middle of the fuselage and to the doors.  The aircraft could carry 68,000 pounds (30,850 Kg or 31 tons) of cargo and had a range of 2,700 miles at a cruise speed of just over 200 miles per hour.

The York was basically a Lancaster Bomber with a wider cargo bay fuselage.  The RAF initial order was for 200 aircraft, several of which were decommissioned to Civil use at the end of the war.

The crew of 4 were confined to a very small front cabin with a pilot and copilot up front and a signaller and flight engineer down behind them. During the Airlift, navigation was by landmarks and altitude along one of 3 air corridors.

By comparison, the US C47 Skytrain (RAF DC3 Dakota) could carry 6,000 pounds of cargo.

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was the preferred transport aircraft for crews, having the capacity to carry 32,500 pounds of cargo when stripped out of seating and equipment.

The Short Sunderland flying boat could carry 22,000 pounds of cargo onto the lake at the Havel, and as the control systems were along the upper fuselage, it was able, like the York, to take dirty loads like coal, timber and salt.

The Avro York was something of an unglamorous and unsung hero of the day.