5472 x 3648 px | 46,3 x 30,9 cm | 18,2 x 12,2 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
5 giugno 2023
Ubicazione:
Airlift Hill, Great Sankey, Warrington WA5 3TZ
Altre informazioni:
Two bespoke commemorative benches have been installed at Airlift Hill, a new park opened on the former Burtonwood Airbase site. The benches commemorate the work of the American personnel who served at RAF Burtonwood from 1940 to its closure in 1993, and the vital role that RAF Burtonwood played in the Berlin Airlift. RAF Burtonwood was opened in 1940 and was transferred to the US military in June 1942, during which time it became the largest air base in Europe during the Second World War. In June 1948, and after the post-war division of Germany, the Soviet Union closed all the roads, railways and canals from Western-occupied Germany into Western-occupied Berlin. The Western Allies responded with the Berlin Airlift between June 1948 and September 1949, supplying the people of West Berlin with all their needs in the biggest air lift in history. RAF Burtonwood played a central and vital role in the success of the airlift, with every C-54 Skymaster involved in the Berlin Airlift being serviced at the base. After the war and role in the Berlin Airlift, RAF Burtonwood became a major equipment storage and supply centre for the US in Europe before its eventual closure in 1993. The two bespoke benches now in place at Airlift Hill were designed in collaboration with Aldon Ferguson, president of the RAF Burtonwood Association, funded by Omega Warrington and were installed next to Pickett-Hamilton Fort.
