Frankfurt, Germany, July 7, 1948: Berlin Airlift pilots receive their final orders before flying another load of coal out of Rhein-Main Air Base, one of the two hubs (along with Wiesbaden) of the effort to supply the divided city in the face of a Soviet blockade of ground transportation. On the blackboard in the background are strict instructions limiting pilots’ radio transmissions, a necessity with planes taking off for Berlin every three minutes.

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