History of the memorial

The founders of the Berlin Airlift Memorial in Faßberg

In 1986 I was transferred to the “Technische Schule der Luftwaffe” - TSLw 3 (Air Force School of Engineering 3) and in the autumn of that year I took part in “Treaty”, the special project

Oberstlt R. Kruppik

for the annual manoeuvres of the Western Allied Forces in order to protect West Berlin and its links with the Federal Republic of Germany. For three weeks, a special squad of American, British and French fighter planes was stationed at Faßberg Airbase. A distinctive feature of this project was the fact that – due to secret treaties with the Western Allied Forces – the Bundeswehr and its Air Force School of Engineering 3 with its Airbase group were in charge of the logistic support of this squadron, also in case of emergency. We, the soldiers of the Bundeswehr, were also responsible for West Berlin and that was something we took very seriously!

In 1988, on the 40th anniversary of the Airlift, to our slight surprise several former American pilots of the Airlift presented themselves at the main gate of our Airbase. This was a reasonable cause to engage in the history of the Airlift. On the occasion of the inauguration of the Berlin Airlift Memorial on March 2, 1990, we had little idea of all the subsequent implications.
In addition to the exhibition of the many objects and documents we can show to the public, there is another important aspect – the contacts and, in the meantime, amicable relations with the contemporary witnesses in Great Britain, the United States of America and Germany.
The Airlift Memorial has grown into an internationally recognized site for contemporary history documenting this unprecedented achievement and preserving its memory for the public.

In 1994, a sponsoring association was founded which, since then, has been enjoying the multilateral support of the Bundeswehr. The concept and the presentation of the exhibition were prepared and set up by our Sponsoring Association. We derived great pleasure from our work and hope that in future the Airlift Memorial will become of even greater interest.
It is one of the specific aims of the Airlift Memorial to enhance the awareness of all people, especially of young people and young soldiers, that it is not possible to preserve freedom and democracy for a mere nothing.

Faßberg, January 2006

Rainer Kruppik
Chairman of the
“Förderverein für die Erinnerungsstätte Luftbrücke Berlin e.V.“
(Sponsoring Association for the Airlift Memorial Berlin e.V.)