by chance, really.
I happened to be on Wustof airbase
from where the planes flew to Berlin
on a two-minute basis.
And they needed somebody like me
to light up the runway at night.
Because I was a trained electrician.
It also meant that it fell on my shoulders to do that job.
Otherwise I wouldn't have been involved
in the Berlin airlift.
I had to be responsible for taking
the huge floodlight out to the end of the runway
every night before it got dark
and light up the runway.
For landing and takeoff by the aircraft.
To continue supplying food and other items
to the citizens of Western Berlin.
Which was our set, you know each of the,
each of the after the war,
the Russians, the British, the Americans, the French,
had a quarter of Berlin each.
And we had an airfield, Gatow,
an airfield which we sent supplies to
to distribute amongst the Germans.
And this continued beyond the time that
I was demoted.
It started the beginning July, beginning of June I think
uh, '46.
'48.
And I was demoted the end of July, '48.
So I was doing it for two months.
But it continued for another year.
Until the Russians caved in and said,
"You can use the Autobahn and the railway."
But we used to see the Russians
the other side of our sector
with their guns pointing at us.
And if we got anywhere near them, they'd shoot us.
So we had to be very careful
where we went.
It was almost imminent war,
another imminent war arising.
We were very scared of that.
