Bird, Andrew D. The Berlin Airlift

The First Battle of the Cold War

It was a time of immense drama. Tensions mounted daily, with each new restriction, with each show of force. Berlin was the battleground, situated in the Soviet sector of occupied Germany. The Western Allies were determined to maintain their access to the German capital; the Soviets were equally determined to isolate Berlin. In the summer of 1948, the Soviets therefore severed all land connections. This meant that the Allies could only reach the besieged Berliners with vital supplies of food and fuel by air. Thus began the largest logistical air operation in history. On June 24, 1948, the Berlin Airlift was launched. Crews from the US Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force flew more than 1,500 flights a day, delivering up to 8,893 tons of aid daily. When it became clear that the Allies were both willing and able to continue the airlift indefinitely, the Soviets declared their readiness to negotiate the lifting of the Berlin Blockade in the spring of 1949. This blockade was finally lifted on May 12 of the same year. A total of 2,326,406 tons of supplies and goods were delivered to Berlin in 278,228 flights. Around 692 aircraft participated in the Berlin Airlift, more than 100 of which belonged to civilian operators. They flew 19 different types of aircraft, including flying boats that landed on the Spree and Havel rivers. The Soviet blockade led to the founding of West Germany and the introduction of the Deutsche Mark as its new currency.