Coal, which represented two-thirds of all tonnage airlifted to Berlin, presented some unique transportation problems. The coal dust would sift out from the sacks and seep into the inner fuselage, wings, and even the engines. At first coal was sacked into Army duffel bags, but later cloth and paper bags were developed. Dust control was attempted by laying a tarpaulin on the aircraft floor and by dampening the cloth bags or by doubling the paper bags, but the dust problem persisted throughout the airlift. Commander Herman Krol recalled flying a Navy R5D back to the United States in March 1949 for its 1,000 hour maintenance check. Upon dropping off the plane, he was informed it was almost 1,000 pounds overweight. Later, he learned this was coal dust which had seeped into the fuselage.

Aircraft of the Gatow-Fassberg coal run. Note the spilled coal at left which will eventually be rebagged.

Much of the coal flown into Berlin was unloaded into barges on the Havel River. When filled, the barges carried coal to Kladow or Westhafen area for distribution to industries and homes in the blockaded city. The barges carried an average of 500 to 700 tons of  "vittles" coal daily.

  Liquid fuel hauling presented a different problem. At first, 55 gallon metal drums were used, but proved unsatisfactory because of the material tonnage lost in the drums' weight, the necessity of steam cleaning the empty containers, and outlifting them from Berlin. Then the British contracted for the services of a fleet of commercial tanker aircraft capable of delivering 550 tons a day of liquid fuel. Because the tanker method of fuel transport proved by far the most efficient, the airlift of all liquid fuels was assigned to this fleet.

  British bases were used, with approximately half of the total fuel airlifted originating at Wunsdorf, where a unique loading system was installed. This consisted of rail sidings which permitted rail tank cars to deliver directly to underground storage pools from which the various fuels were pumped to twelve distributing points at aircraft parking positions. To load an aircraft, the desired quantity was selected on the regulator dial; and electric pumps provided a flow of 100 gallons a minute and stopped automatically when the pre-set tonnage was reached. Tankers then flew into Gatow and Tegel, where pipes to underground storage tanks enabled unloading by gravity flow directly from the aircraft at a rate of 8 1/2 tons in 18 minutes.
 

A resident of the Neukoeln District receiving her weekly coal ration