new airport on the shores of Lake Tegel in less than three months.

Adding to the hazards of the operation, fog and rain made for treacherous landing conditions. On July 30 1948, 'Black Friday', one plane crashed, another burst its tyres trying to avoid it, and a third span onto the auxiliary runway. The incident caused pandemonium for those in the air above. The Soviets, initially scornful of the Allied effort, were determined to ensure its failure. They launched balloons into the flight paths, set up a radio signal at the same frequency as Tempelhof and ordered their pilots to fly intimidatingly close to the cargo planes, firing into the air around them. Once, a Soviet fighter collided with a British plane, killing 35. In total, there were 101 fatalities over the course of the Berlin airlift, including 39 Britons.

Despite the setbacks, enough

supplies got through, and resilient West Berliners were convinced they were better off without Soviet rule. American pilots dropped chewing gum, chocolate and candy from planes christened 'raisin bombers' by grateful German children. An illustrated propaganda poster from the time shows a fleet of planes dropping glasses of milk into the hands of a cute pigtailed girl. Its slogan: 'milk... new weapon of Democracy!'

By May 12 1949, the Soviets had realised the futility of their efforts and gave up on the blockade, though air cargo deliveries continued until late September to create a stockpile for any future emergency. The airlift ranks as one of the great logistical achievements alongside the evacuation of Dunkirk and the D-Day invasion.