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/The 26th day of the Berlin blockade was like any other for the men and their machines flying the airlift to Berlin. Frankfurt Rhine-Main Airport, like all the other airfields in the Western zones, was bustling with activity as usual. Then came a highly unusual announcement.

/Moscow had finally remembered Berlin after 26 days. The Russians described their offer as an "act of unprecedented humanity and generosity." Berliners did the math: "The Russians promise us 100,000 tons of food. But they still owe us 75,000 tons. Result: a whole 25,000 tons and only for sale in the Russian sector.

/The already tired housewives had the strangest ideas about their future shopping routes: From Charlottenburg to Lichtenberg, from Zehlendorf to Pankow, and from Reinickendorf to Treptow. And they stuck with the airlift, which brought their daily rations closer to their doorsteps.

/One thing was clear to Berliners: the Western Allies and their planes were the best guarantee against hunger. No gesture by the Soviets could compete with Gatow, for example, when this English airfield began its busiest week yet. The British gave the airlift a new twist: they began flying home thousands of Western Zone residents stranded in Berlin by the Russian blockade. Inter-zone passes are valid at any altitude. The so-called "Rosinenbomber" became passenger planes on their return flight to Hanover.