Lieutenant General William H. Tunner single-handedly revolutionized
military transport operations of the United States Air Force. His
spanned thirty years and included distinguished service in World War II and
His greatest contribution to wartime military transport operations were in
logistics and mission safety, as well as for his crucial role in re-
across enemy territory in Operation "Hump" in 1944.
A native of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tunner graduated from the United
Military Academy in 1928, a commissioned second lieutenant, and then in
the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field in Texas. (1) He began as a
the Ferrying Command, which grew to become the Air Transport Command under
leadership, and later expanded to incorporate naval transport operations as
While General Tunner distinguished himself during wartime, he is as
remembered for directing a peacetime operation to supply the civilian
Berlinâ€"then the world's fifth largest city of 2.5 million
inhabitantsâ€"completely by
air during the Berlin Airlift of 1948 as for his heroism in battle.(3)
At the close of World War II in Europe in the Spring of 1945, Germany
jointly occupied by the United States, Britain and France in alliance with
forces, administrated by a four-member coalition as an interim government
1. Lieutenant William H. Tunner: A Brief Biography (1997)
2. USAF Museum On-line. (1998) General William H. Tunner.
3. Lieutenant William H. Tunner: A Brief Biography (1997)
post-war reconstruction of Germany. Tensions between the three Western
and the Soviets arose as a function of emerging differences in their
for post-war Germany, culminating in 1948, when Stalin completely cut off
and electricity to Berlin, claiming they were due to technical problems.
June 24th, Soviet forces cut off all Western access to the city of Berlin,
heart of the Sov...