Let’s pick up the scene.

You’re in West Berlin, a small island in the sea of communist opposition.

All road, rail and barge access to your city has been cut off.

How are you going to get groceries in two weeks when the city runs out of food?

Enter airplanes.

Put what do the people in the city need?

Enter food planning for a city.

Over the next 13 months, more than 2 million tons of food and other supplies enter.

And because the US, Britain, and France, all have a presence there it’s an operation with an additional level or coordination, different languages, processes, etc.

Enter U.S. Army Master Sgt. Edward A. Guilbert. He and a few other officers, innovation and big undertakings are rarely accomplished alone, developed a standard manifest system.

What is a manifest system?

A standardized way of tracking cargo, where it’s going and who’s transporting it. Although it was initially paper-based, information could be transmitted via telephone, teletype, and fax.

How did it work?

1. Standardized Forms: Every flight had a cargo manifest that listed what was on board (e.g., sacks of flour, coal, medicine), its weight, and its destination. This ensured consistency across different air bases.

2. Electronic Transmission: Instead of always relying on physical paperwork traveling with the cargo, these manifests were transmitted in advance via phone, teletype, or fax. This allowed the receiving end in West Berlin to know before the plane landed what was arriving and prepare for fast unloading.

3. Verification Upon Arrival: Even if the manifest was sent ahead electronically, a physical copy often accompanied the cargo. When the plane landed, crews would verify that what was listed on the manifest matched the actual shipment. This prevented errors and made sure nothing was missing.

What was the impact of this invention?

1. Pre-planned Load Assignments: The manifest system helped pre-assign cargo loads to specific aircraft, minimizing delays between landings and takeoffs. Instead of figuring out what to load after a plane landed, everything was pre-documented and ready.
2. Faster Unloading & Turnaround: Since receiving crews in Berlin knew exactly what each incoming plane was carrying, they could quickly direct shipments to where they were needed—whether it was coal, food, or medical supplies. This dramatically reduced unloading time and kept supply chains running smoothly.

This system tracked thousands of tons of cargo daily and ensured the delivery of 2.3 million tons of goods to West Berlin over a year.