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Then-Brigadier General Jean Ganeval was the Commandant (Military Governor) of the French Sector of Berlin throughout the Berlin Airlift.\u00a0 (Like the rest of postwar Germany, Berlin was still under military occupation in 1948; and like the rest of Germany, Berlin was also divided into four occupation sectors:\u00a0 British, US, French, and Soviet).\u00a0 Ganeval’s authority within the French sector of Berlin was considerable, approaching that of a colonial governor or viceroy.<\/p>\n
Direct French participation in the Berlin Airlift proper was limited.\u00a0 \u00a0This was not due to politics or historical animosity; by 1948 France was involved in a war in Indochina they would ultimately lose, and the majority of the French Air Force\u2019s transport assets were engaged in supporting that war.\u00a0 France could supply its occupation troops in Berlin by air, but not much more.<\/p>\n
Nontheless, France \u2013 and Ganeval \u2013 played an essential role in the Berlin Airlift.<\/p>\n
During the first part of the Berlin Airlift, two existing airfields \u2013 Gatow and Tempelhof \u2013 in the British and US sectors were used.\u00a0 These sufficed for summer and fall supply requirements.\u00a0 But the onset of winter brought a new need:\u00a0 coal.\u00a0 Lots of coal.<\/p>\n
Literally thousands of additional tons of coal a day would be required for winter heating.\u00a0 The net result was to more than double the existing daily air transportation requirements.\u00a0 Gatow and Tempelhof combined couldn’t handle the required increase.<\/p>\n
The French constructed a new airfield in their sector:\u00a0 Tegel.\u00a0 Working day and night, largely by hand, German labor crews supervised and directed by French military engineers constructed this new airfield in 90 days<\/em>.\u00a0 Without Tegel, the Berlin Airlift might well have failed.<\/p>\n One obstacle remained, however.\u00a0 In the French sector were two radio towers (reportedly approximately 80 and 120 meters in height) belonging to Soviet-controlled Radio Berlin.\u00a0 These towers made the approach to the new Tegel airfield unacceptably dangerous.<\/p>\n Prior to Tegel’s completion, Ganeval had asked the Soviets to remove or relocate the towers.\u00a0 The Soviets had refused.<\/p>\n Ganeval then advised the Soviets that if the towers were not removed, he would remove them.\u00a0 Still the Soviets did nothing.<\/p>\n Ganeval was a man of his word.\u00a0 On 16 December 1948, at approximately 1100 local time, on his order French sappers used explosives to demolish the two towers blocking the approach to Tegel airfield.<\/p>\n Predictably, the Soviets were outraged.\u00a0 Ganeval\u2019s Soviet counterpart, Lieutenant General Alexej Kotikow, called Ganeval and reportedly asked him how he could possibly have done this.<\/p>\n