Berlin Airlift

Record Group 342 -G 25-69251 AC

Record Group 342 -G 25-69254 AC

Ice on aircraft surfaces disturb flying characteristics sufficiently to keep planes grounded or force them down once airborne. 1st. Lt. W. C. Bowman of Denver, Colo. (Left) shows airlift crews how to operate high pressure chemicals sprays that can blast thick ice layers from Berlin bound planes and simultaneously coat flight surfaces with the anti-icing chemical effective for hours. Supervising instructions is Maj. William R. Milburn (right) of Sagamore Pa., commanding officer of the 7015th Airforce Chemical Center .
According to Maj. Milburn, a spray truck and a two-airmen crew can de-ice a Skymaster in four minutes. The spraying equipment, used extensively in the war, is available at all airlift terminals where the U. S. Air Force planes are based.

In preparation for winter weather, Pfc. James L. Roher, installs de-icer boot on the
vertical fin of a C-54
type aircraft at
Oberpfaffenhofen Air Force Depot. Many of the C-54 aircraft now used in Operation "Vittles" were brought to
Germany from tropical bases where de-icer boots were not used, however, the winter weather of Germany requires this device. As part of the maintenance project all C-54 type aircraft are being equipped with de-icer boots. Roher is the son of Mr. And Mrs. Lewis N.
Roher, 6200 Marlboro Pike,
Washington, D.C., and was
assigned to Keesler Field,
Mississippi before coming
to Germany.

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