<p>The corridor from the US zone to Templehof was longer by more than half than the two others available to the Western allies. The RAF bases at Fassberg and Celle were a 160-mile (260-km) flight from Berlin; Templehof was 290 miles (470 km) from Rhein-Main in the US zone. Two planes based at Fassberg could do the work of three at Rhein-Main. Tunner approached the British about a combined action. By 21 August, American planes were loading at Fassberg. On 15 October, the USAF and RAF operations officially merged into the Combined Air Lift Task Force. Tunner was commander, with Air Commodore J. W. F. Mercer as his deputy.
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<p>The C-47s were replaced as rapidly as possible with C-54s, which became the workhorse of the fleet. About 275 of the four-engined aircraft came from various USAF bases around the world. The Navy element of MATS sent along two squadrons—24 planes—of R5Ds, their equivalent to the C-54, and stayed with the airlift to the end. One Douglas C-74 made one recorded trip, and five Fairchild C-82s were used to move some specialized large vehicles.
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<p>For a brief period, the British carried salt to Berlin aboard Short Sunderland flying-boats. They had been designed for open-seas operations, and had superb anti-corrosion protection. They were well suited to carry salt, which would have ruined other aircraft. The big boats were flown to and from the Havelsee, near Spandau, a suburb of Berlin.
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<p>The final fleet size varied, but stayed fairly close to a composition of 300 C-54s, with about 225 involved in the airlift at any time, and the remaining 75 in maintenance. The British had about 100 aircraft of several types which they worked hard, and, in true RAF style, did more than they were asked to.
