Few visitors to the Intercity Hotel at Frankfurt Airport know the base once had a different sort of clientele. It was once part of Rhein-Main Air Base used by the U.S. Air Force. The base was established in 1945 and played a key role in numerous moments in history, most notably the Berlin Airlift of 1948 was launched from here.
That operation saw American and allied pilots resupply West Berlin with the food and other supplies necessary to maintain a semblance of daily life in response to a Soviet blockade. The daily tonnage that was being lifted from the base (largely by DC-3 transport planes) was not matched again at the airport until 2005 – ironically the year the base was closed.
Within walking distance of the hotel is the Berlin Airlift Memorial where a Douglas C-54 Skymaster and a Douglas C-47 Skytrain sit next to a prolonged arch and visitor information.
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