Aharon wrote:
Is it possible or impossible to find out which RAF DC-3s/C-47s and which registration numbers did Australian pilots flew for Berlin Airlift?
Regards,
Aharon
It would be logistically impossible to find out which RAF DC-3s/C-47s and Aircraft registration numbers of flights that, the Aircrews from both the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) transport squadrons, flew with during the Berlin Airlift flight operations.
Simply due to the large-scale of operations and the flight duty time limitations, with the large-scale of Aircrew numbers involved with supply flights at any given time during the Berlin Airlift.
To appreciate the reasoning behind the questioning.
Aharon wrote:
find out which RAF DC-3s/C-47s and which registration numbers did Australian pilots flew for Berlin Airlift
Regards,
Aharon
As a suggestion, please watch these highly informative videos.
BERLIN AIRLIFT Documentary including Archive Film and Interviews The Berlin Airlift - The Cold War Mission to Save a CityWatch them right through to the very end, they fully document the historical event behind the scenes of the monumental, logistical operational effort to supply the besieged city. Entirely by air, flying huge numbers of transport planes into Berlin's airports every three minutes, while the city's lakes were used as landing sites for seaplanes.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) No. 41 Squadron was a transport unit. The squadron was formed in 1944, and conducted transport flights in the south Pacific during World War II. It remained active after the war, and flew supplies to the New Zealand occupation force in Japan.
Three crews from No. 41 Squadron Dakota crews (each crew comprising a pilot, a navigator and a radio operator) were dispatched to Europe in 1948 to operate with the Royal Air Force as New Zealand's contribution to the Berlin Airlift.
The crews were based at Lübeck and conducted two flights into Berlin each day they were on duty. A second group of three crews was later dispatched to replace the first group.
Following the end of the Soviet blockade of Berlin, the detachment returned to New Zealand in August 1949.
At this time the main body of the squadron in New Zealand had been forced to reduce its flying hours due to a shortage of technicians to service the Dakotas.
Thus the RNZAF contribution to the Berlin Airlift was fairly small by comparison with the American and Britsh Aircrews.
New Zealand provided Two 6 month long group rotational deployment of 3 RNZAF Transport Aircrews that comprised of a pilot, a navigator and a radio operator.
In total a year long deployment for the RNZAF transport unit personnel involved 18 RNZAF Aircrew members to assist the western allied forces during the Berlin Airlift.
In contrast the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) transport squadron formed to participate in the Berlin Airlift. The unit operated for one year, between August 1948 and August 1949, and was raised specifically for the operation, drawing crews from two existing RAAF transport squadrons. In total the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) contributed 40 Aircrew members from the RAAF transport squadrons.
R.A.A.F. Berlin airlift crews home without a scratch