The Frankfurt Airlift Memorial was built between April and June 1985 and is a copy of the structure erected in Berlin in 1951. The Airlift Section of the Airlift Tanker Association eV, based at Rhein-Main Air Base and the predecessor of our Frankfurt-Berlin Airlift Association 1948-49 eV, was responsible for raising the necessary funds of approximately 1 million German marks (today approximately 500,000 euros) for the construction of the memorial, mainly through donations. Three people played an important role in this project: Gerd and Gerdi Rausch and Celeste Warner Heymann, our honorary chairwoman, who helped make this original project possible for years. The memorial was built in record time because it was hoped that the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, would come to the inauguration of the memorial during a planned visit to Europe. Much time was saved by the fact that the memorial was built entirely of concrete, unlike the Berlin original, which is made of cement. The Rhine-Main version is therefore much heavier. A three to four meter deep foundation was necessary to withstand the strain of this weight.

Share by: