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  • Rubble to Runway: The Triumph of Tegel

    Air Force planners knew that the success of the Berlin Airlift depended upon rapidly expanding the capacity of Berlin airports. Potential at Tempelhof and Gatow for expansion was limited and difficult. A third, new airlift terminal facility was desperately needed. A site was selected at Tegel in the

  • Trummerfrauen: "Women of the Rubble"

    In the aftermath of World War II, Berlin was in ruins. Its population had been reduced by half, and nearly two-thirds of the city's 2.3 million citizens were women. Many of these German women -- known as Trummerfrauen, or "women of the rubble" -- worked hard to clean up and reclaim the city. In many

  • Berlin: City Held Hostage

    1948-1949: Humanitarian TriumphThe Berlin Airlift was one of the defining events of the Cold War. The 464-day effort to supply a city's needs solely through the air demonstrated the resolve of democratic nations to oppose communist repression. The massive humanitarian effort was an early triumph for

  • Cold War Gallery Overview

    The Cold War dominated the second half of the 20th century. This confrontation grew out of the clash between the ideologies of the Western democracies led by the United States -- and the communist nations led by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The ever-present threat of nuclear

  • A McDonnell Douglas KC-10 refuels a Lockheed SR-71

    (approximately 1/48 scale)Tankers, like the KC-10 and the smaller Boeing KC-135, permit the refueling of other aircraft in flight, extending their range to permit global missions. Fuel is transferred to the receiver aircraft by way of a boom mounted on the tanker's lower aft fuselage. Operation of

  • "Iron Mike"

    "Iron Mike," the mascot of the 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, prior to its deactivation in late 1969, is a classic example of Air Force esprit de corps. He was considered "fair game" by rival USAF units, and as such, was frequently abducted from Alaska, to

  • Berlin Wall: Concrete Symbol of the Iron Curtain

    In 1961, Berlin became the focal point of increased tensions between the Western democracies and the Soviet Union. Dissatisfied with the economy and the political conditions in East Germany, thousands of East German refugees fled into West Berlin, the only gap in the Iron Curtain running from the

  • Trabant 601 S "Delux"

    Throughout the Cold War, the communists used East Berlin as a showcase for the success of socialism. Visitors were shown carefully maintained areas with shops, department stores and restaurants carrying some of the finest merchandise available in the communist block. However, the average East German

  • Atomic Bomb Alarm: Early Days of Early Warning

    In the 1960s, The U.S. Air Force needed a sure way to know quickly whether Soviet bombers or missiles had struck American cities and bases with nuclear weapons. This small device, part of a nationwide "Bomb Alarm Display System," was designed to send warning signals to military command centers to

  • F-111A Escape Module

    Note: This artifact has been moved to storage.This cockpit crew escape module on display is the first one ever used to save the lives of its occupants. On Oct. 19,1967, two General Dynamic contractor pilots flying F-111A (s/n 63-9780) over Texas were required to eject the module when the plane