By Todd DePastino
West Berlin native Bibi LeBlanc is collecting firsthand memories of the Berlin Airlift—one of the Cold War’s defining humanitarian missions. In this VBC conversation, she explains her Voices of the Berlin Airlift oral history project and invites anyone with Airlift stories to share them before they’re lost.
👉 To share your story or participate in the project: Visit Bibi’s project page. Or contact her directly via email or phone listed on the site.
As Bibi writes, “No memory is too small. A single moment, a vivid image, or a story passed down through generations can help bring this history to life.”
The Berlin Airlift was one of the great humanitarian and logistical feats of the twentieth century. In June 1948, as tensions between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union hardened into the Cold War, Soviet authorities cut all road, rail, and canal access to West Berlin. Nearly two million civilians—living in a city deep inside the Soviet occupation zone—were suddenly cut off from food, fuel, medicine, and electricity.
Rather than abandon Berlin or risk war by forcing a land convoy through Soviet lines, the United States and its allies chose a third path: they would supply the city entirely by air. For nearly a year, American and British aircraft flew around the clock into West Berlin, landing every few minutes at Tempelhof, Gatow, and later Tegel. At its height, the operation delivered more than 4,500 tons of supplies per day, keeping the city alive through the harsh winter of 1948–49. By the time the blockade ended in May 1949, Allied aircraft had carried more than two million tons of food, coal, and supplies—and delivered a powerful message about democratic resolve and humanitarian commitment.
The Airlift also marked a turning point in the Cold War, hardening the division of Europe and signaling that the United States would remain engaged in Europe’s future.
Writer and creative entrepreneur Bibi LeBlanc has dedicated herself to capturing and sharing the history of this remarkable saga in the words of the ordinary people who lived it and never forgot what it meant to them.
Bibi was born and raised in West Berlin during the Cold War, then came to the United States, where she eventually founded Culture to Color, a company that creates what she calls “Explainer” books designed to teach through visual storytelling.
She didn’t experience the Airlift first-hand. She’s too young for that. But the Airlift was always present in the memories and hearts of Berliners, who carried its spirit with them the dark days of the Cold War of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Growing up in divided Berlin, Bibi was always intrigued the Airlift’s hold on her city’s historical imagination.
Her first major Berlin Airlift project was Wings of Freedom, a bilingual coloring book designed to help people, especially younger readers, enter the story through images. The project exists in two forms on her site: a “Coloring Edition,” meant to be colored in, and a “Full Color” edition, presented as a vivid illustrated tribute. The books “bring to life the heroic saga of the Airlift,” introducing iconic aircraft like the C-47, C-54, and the Short Sunderland, alongside pilots, leaders, and the broader humanitarian effort.
Voices of the Berlin Airlift is a book-in-the-making that will feature personal memories and reflections from people connected to the Airlift—eyewitnesses in Berlin, veterans, aircrew families, historians, and descendants who carry these stories forward. The goal is not just to document history, but to capture the human experience—the fear, resilience, kindness, and solidarity that defined this moment. Participants can contribute in several ways: Schedule a Zoom or phone interview Submit a written story Respond to a guided questionnaire by email If you or someone in your family lived in Berlin during the blockade, served in the Airlift, supported the operation, or preserved memories through letters, photos, or oral tradition, your voice matters.
📩 Get in touch with Bibi LeBlanc: bibi@wings-of-freedom.com 386-228-5147 or by visiting Wings of Freedom.
Help preserve this history while those who lived it are still here to tell it.
People can participate in Bibi’s oral history project by Zoom or phone interview, submit a written story, or ask for prompts by email.
Written narratives submitted to Bibi are typically 500–1500 words. She welcomes stories in English or German.
She even includes a small, telling example on the site: “A Pair of Baby Shoes — A Symbol of Hope,” tied to the memory of one man who received baby shoes in a CARE package. He still has those shoes today as a reminder of his young life in the Airlift.
There’s a particular urgency to Bibi’s project because Berliners who were children in 1948–49 are now elderly. The window for sharing their stories is closing. Now is our final chance to get first-hand stories from this remarkable time.
If you lived through the Airlift or have stories from those who did, please consider contributing to Voices of the Berlin Airlift. You can read through the submission process and contact Bibi here.
