1963, Operation "Big Lift": The original release sheet reads: OPERATION "BIG LIFT": The greatest military maneuver in history begins in the dark of a Texas night as the first members of the Second Armored Division go aboard transports for the long flight to German bases. Day and night the airlift continues until more than 15,000 men are winged to Europe where they pick up heavy tanks and armor for maneuvers. Operation Air Lift concludes without a hitch 63 hours later, 9 under schedule. The $20,000,000 experiment casts a long shadow into the future.