HEAVY FOG STOPS AIR MANOEUVRES IN AIR CORRIDOR

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 October 1948, Page 6

HEAVY FOG STOPS AIR MANOEUVRES IN AIR CORRIDOR

LONDON, October 9.

Heavy ground fog put a stop to the Russian air manoeuvres in the Allied air corridors to Berlin and also considerably slowed down the Allied air lift, according to agency reports from Berlin. When the fog lifted the Russians again announced large-scale manoeuvres in the Allied air lift corridors, including gunnery drill. The British controller at the Berlin air safety centre lodged six separate protests with the Soviet controller on Saturday because of the Soviet manoeuvres. A British spokesman •said the protests would continue as long as the manoeuvres continued. The Americans also lodged protests. British air lift pilots reported that Russian aeroplanes were practising live bombing and sleeve target gunnery in the air corridor from Berlin to Hamburg, says Reuter’s correspondent in Berlin. The pilots also reported Russian anti-aircraft gunnery and parachute jumping. Major-General Herbert, the British commandant in Berlin, assured the British community living in the capital that they would not go cold or hungry this winter. He added: “There are strong reasons to suppose that we may remain blockaded in Berlin this coming winter.” He announced earlier that in spite of the Russian blockade all the 2,500,000 Germans in the three Western ( sectors of Berlin would have their rations increased by 200 calories daily i from November 1. The increase had been made after it had been decided that the air lift could maintain it.