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The Greatest Humanitarian Effort
in Modern History

Edwin Gere's, The Unheralded Men and Women of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift tells the story of the greatest humanitarian effort in modern history.

With the ground and water routes to West Berlin blockaded by the Soviet Union, the extraordinary Berlin airlift flew coal, food, medicine, and every-thing needed for survival to 2.24 million West Berliners for 462 days until traditional supply routes were restored in September 1949.

Edwin Gere, for the first time, pays proper homage to those whose deeds have gone largely unheralded and who valiantly contributed to the airlift’s success.

Newspaper Articles about The Unheralded

Reader Reviews

An Uplifting and Inspiring Saga
Daniel Harrington | Yorktown, VA USA | April 8, 2003

The Berlin airlift was one of the watershed events of the twentieth century. Had the Soviet Union expelled the Western powers from Berlin, history might have taken a different course. There might have been a third world war or all of Germany might have been drawn into the Soviet orbit.

Author Edwin Gere helped avert these potential disasters. He flew in the airlift, but this is not a memoir of his 184 trips down the corridors. Rather, it is one pilot's tribute to those he calls "the unheralded"--the thousands of people outside the cockpit who made those flights possible. The heart of the book presents the personal stories of dozens of Britons, Americans, and Germans who contributed in one way or another to the airlift's dramatic and unexpected success. Although Gere tells each individual's story simply, without hype or spin, the cumulative effect is tremendously moving and inspiring.

Historians like to argue whether great leaders or impersonal forces control events. Heartwarming, stimulating, and informative, "The Unheralded" vividly recreates a time when ordinary people overcame an extraordinary challenge and changed the course of history.

The Unheralded: The Berlin Blockade and Airlift
Anonymous Reader | Omaha, NE USA | February 23, 2003

"The Unheralded" fills a gap in the literature related to the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. The book advances on a single theme - the resolve of nations and people who are caught up in great events and epic times. The author divides the manuscript into three essential parts: review of the period, personal sacrifices by the British and American participants along with the plight of 2.5 million Berliners, and finally the future. This book should be of special interest to those who follow the history of the period, foreign relations, and personal sacrifices during periods of international upheaval.

Ed Gere, airlift pilot, Professor of International Relations, and Historian, has written a seamless account of one of the great humanitarian events of the 20th Century. The Berlin Blockade and Airlift was an epic undertaking that turned on the national resolve of the governments of Great Britain and the United States and the resolve of individuals.

The author opens with the final stages of World War II with a review of the conferences at Teheran, Yalta, and Potsdam. The period was characterized by the naive hope that the Allies could work at the problems of peace in the same spirit they had used in winning the victory. Gere notes that this simplistic notion of "Trusting the Russians" failed as the Allies watched the Soviets plunder their occupation sectors of Berlin and Germany.

Several sections of the book focus on "The Unheralded," or a sampling of stories everyday service men and women from Britain and the Dominions, the United States, and the Berliners who chose to stay during this period of uncertainty, had to say of their experience during the airlift. These are the memories of "little "people" and not of Generals and Pilots. These are memories of those who loaded and unloaded the coal, fueled the aircraft, sentries who walked their posts in freezing rain, and the Berliners who refused to abandon hope for a better life. Ed Gere also devotes space to those who paid the supreme price: Commonwealth, German, and United States casualties are written in detail.

The author wraps up the book on the 50th anniversary of the end of the blockade and beyond - what was gained? As President Truman said in the beginning as he wrote in "Years of Trial and Hope," this was not a struggle over Germany. In a larger sense it was a struggle over Europe. It was won by the thousands of nameless and faceless men and women from the Commonwealth, the United States and 2.5 million Berliners.

A Must Read for History Buffs
Anonymous Reader | USA | February 12, 2003

If you are interested in history, especially WWII and the beginning of the cold war, this is a great read. The author gives voice to the many unsung heroes of the Berlin Airlift, and chronicles in a remarkable way each of those who died in the endeavor. Gere provides a fascinating insight into the politics of the time and the personal stories of those who helped alter the course of history. The author, who flew in the airlift, is too modest and leaves out his own story. Still, a great piece of history.

Expert's Comments

"The section of The Unheralded covering the postwar period and leading up to the airlift is the best I have read on the subject. The Unheralded pulls together under one cover the various events and descriptions given separately in other books."

– Frank Stillwell, Chairman, British Berlin Airlift Association

"The Unheralded vividly recreates a time when ordinary people overcame an extraordinary challenge and changed the course of history. The simple honesty with which each individual's story is told is tremendously moving and inspiring. Taken together, they have a real emotional impact. I think the focus on the "unheralded", the folks outside the cockpits and in the background, who did so much to make the airlift a success, is truly inspired."

– Dr. Daniel Harrington, Civilian air force historian

"Comparing it with other airlift books and summing up in musical terms, The Unheralded is the Johann Strauss amongst the Beethovens, the Brahms, the Tchaikovskys, and the Bachs: it's light, enjoyable, inviting to dance by, and full of charm and rhythm."

– Barbara Fairall, Blockade survivor

"I have read your great book The Unheralded twice and shall do so again."

– Arthur Jetke, Berlin Constabulary Veteran