One of the bitter periods in world history marked by great tension between the United States and Soviet Union is known as Cold War, which occurred from the end of World War II until the start of the 1990s. In many respects, these two superpowers fought proxy wars against each other on a myriad of different fronts, in politics, in economics, and also militarily. The Berlin Blockade and Airlift was a key event of this epoch, and had an important impact on post war development. Read on to learn what was and the Berlin Airlift and what it meant for the Cold War.
What was the Berlin Blockade?
Berlin Blockade was a Soviet attempt to isolate Western Allies from West Berlin in postwar Germany. The German city of West Berlin began getting isolated on the 24th of June, 1948, when the Soviet Union closed all land and sea borders, preventing the world from seeing the place. It was a reaction to the Allies’ introduction into Western zones of Germany of a new currency that the Soviets believed threatened their influence.
The idea behind the blockading of West Berlin was to force the Allies to stick or move the city from the Allies control to the Soviet sphere. But it ended up producing a stalemate and was a big obstacle to the Western powers.
The Berlin Airlift: A Remarkable Response
The Berlin Blockade led the Western Allies led by the United States to launch an unprecedented operation, also called the Berlin Airlift. The airlift was designed to supply West Berlin with vital provisions, food, fuel and other essentials, using aircraft as alone means of transport.
Operation Vittles: Keeping Berlin Afloat
Operation Vittles or the Berlin Airlift began on June 26th, 2 days after Soviet blockaded Berlin. In 1946 and 1947, in conjunction with a French and British allies, the United States Air force performed a massive airlift operation to supply West Berlin. This became one of the biggest humanitarian operations in history.
There were round the clock flights for the airlift, with cargo planes landing at West Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport every few minutes. Essential supplies were carried on the planes, and Christmas presents from the pilots to people in West Berlin — for their survival and morale.
Triumph of Cooperation and Innovation
It wasn’t just a logistical victory, but a symbol of Western determination and cooperation. Over 2.3 million tons of supplies was delivered during eleven months of operations by over 200,000 flights that reached West Berlin. This was an extraordinary effort of will and unity of the Western powers against Soviet aggression.
End of the Blockade: A West political victory
And on May 12, 1949, the Berlin Blockade finally came to an end, having lasted for nearly a year. Having failed to compel the Western Allies out of Berlin, the Soviet Union lifted the blockade. The Soviet decision, to some degree, had been helped by the successful efforts of the Berlin Airlift.
What happened in the Berlin Blockade and Airlift was immensely important to the Cold War. In doing so it fully exposed the split between the democratic West and communist East, and intensified the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. It also led to the formal division of Germany into two separate countries: Between the Federal Republic of Germany, (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic, (East Germany). This division would remain until 1990 when Germany was reunified.
Conclusion
The Berlin Blockade and Airlift was a crucial moment in the Cold War. It demonstrated the Western Allies’ determination and resilience and how the Soviet Union used aggressive moves. Through the Berlin Airlift, the United States and its allies managed to defeat the blockading of West Berlin and to prevent its death. It brought home the schism between East and West, and it served as the crucible for the Cold War East-West struggle of many decades.