Children's airlift
The purpose of the Children's Airlift , which existed from 1953 to 1957, was to enable needy (West) Berlin children to have a carefree vacation with host families or in holiday camps in the federal states of Germany . Most of them were children of families who had previously fled to West Berlin from East Berlin and the GDR .
The children's airlift emerged from an idea by Peter Boenisch , the then head of the public relations department of the North West German Broadcasting Corporation (NWDR). When executives of the NWDR were talking about the great refugee crisis in Berlin, Boenisch suggested "Then let's do an airlift". The then head of the NWDR, Adolf Grimme , took on the idea, started a large fundraising campaign and secured the support of the Berlin relief organization , the German Red Cross (DRK) and the US Air Force .
While the relief organization Berlin and the German Red Cross were responsible for the selection of the children and the procurement of host families, the US Air Force took over the air transport. The flight crews consisted of military personnel who had volunteered for this humanitarian operation.
More supporters were soon added, for example the British Red Cross raised funds, while the Swedish Red Cross found places in Swedish host families. Soon, additional flights were also operated by British European Airways (BEA).
In the years 1953 to 1957 a total of 10,000 children were from Berlin Airport Tempelhof from the Federal Republic flown to German and American host families. Some of the children were also housed in youth homes and youth camps. As early as 1955 , the German Red Cross awarded the Commander of the American Air Forces in Europe, General William H. Tunner , the DRK Badge of Honor for the achievements of the US Air Force .
The association Kinderluftbrücke e. V. since 1991
The idea of the children's airlift was taken up again in 1991 by the German actress Witta Pohl . In 1991 she founded the Hamburger Verein Kinder-Luftbrücke e. V., who has been organizing aid transports to the Ukraine , Russia , Romania , Bulgaria and the Kaliningrad region ( Königsberg / East Prussia ) under the motto “There is nothing good unless you do it” .
The association takes special care of children from Chernobyl and every year allows a number of children a few weeks vacation with German host families, during which the children can relax and get away from everyday worries.
The relief organization Berlin was the main sponsor for the children's airlift. In 1956, the net proceeds of the first German TV lottery were intended for the Berlin relief organization and were used to finance vacation spots for Berlin children.
literature
- Bernd von Kostka: Holidays from the Cold War. The children's airlift 1953–1957 . Berlin Story Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-86368-090-9 .