Klarinet Archive - Posting 000072.txt from 2005/09

From: "Rien Stein" <rstein@-----.nl>
Subj: [kl] Berlin Airlift
Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:50:32 -0400

Thank you for your exposé of the Berlin Airlift, Nancy. At that time an aunt
of mine tried to survive in Berlin. She was a convict in Berlin during the
last part of WWII, and after the war had not enough money to return to
Rheinland-Westfalen, where she was born.

You wrote

<<
The Truman administration reacted with a continual daily airlift which
brought much needed food and supplies into the city of West Berlin.
>>

My aunt used to say, as long as I have known her, from about 1953 when she
spent six months with us (my grandfather, who lived with us, paid the trip,
my parents her food during this time): "Americans are very convinced of
their infallability, but sometimes they do the right thing". The Air Bridge
belonged to the last category: it was well-organised, continuous, and indeed
brought in every few minutes a plane with what was needed most: food,
medicines, construction materials, and ... beer! In Germany to many people
beer is as indispensable as milk is to a baby. Actually my aunt started a
"Lokal", kind of pub, in 1949, together with a friend.

They survived, and when I visited Berlin the first time, in 1966, the allied
part of it was very prosperous, as was my aunt who at that time had a
regular job with the City Administration. She had many physical problems.
Her sister had been in Switzerland during the war and was mentally broken,
but that does not belong in this place.

Rien

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