The Berlin airlift was a big, Cold War event. A massive humanitarian and political operation, that occurred from June 1948 to May 1949. In this blog post we will detail how the Berlin Airlift played a part in escalating the already tense relations between the Western powers and the Soviet Union.

The Berlin Airlift Background

Before we get to how we understand the Berlin Airlift, we have to talk a little bit about the partition of Germany after World War II. Germany was divided into four occupation zones, each controlled by the Allies: Britain, France, United States and Soviet Union. Though located deep in the Soviet zone, Berlin was divided into four sectors as well.

Soviet Union responded by putting an economic blockade in place to gain complete control over capital Berlin, following creation of new currency in the western zones. It was a blockade that was designed to atomise West Berlin by cutting off all land and water access to it, so that it became in essence, cut off from the rest of the world.

The Western Response

The West Berlin was not going to fall under the control of the Soviet Union. It could set off a domino effect resulting in the whole of the Western occupation of Germany being undermined, they thought. So the United States and its allies combined to develop a huge airlift operation to supply the citizens of West Berlin with the resources that they needed.

Berlin Airlift Logistics

The Berlin Airlift saw the supply of food, fuel, and such necessities as being armored into West Berlin, all with rigid effort. In the case of Berlin, the operation depended on cargo planes landing at Tempelhof Airport, one of the city’s main airports, where supplies where unloaded and distributed throughout the city.

The airlift turned out to be a tall logistical order that needed all those participating take very careful coordination. On average the Western Allies flew in around 4,500 tons of supplies a day – about 270,000 flights all told.

The Berlin Airlift impact

The Berlin Airlift had several significant impacts on the Cold War:

1. Symbol of Western Determination: The airlift showed the Western powers’ willingness to defend the citizens of West Berlin’s right and freedom from they Soviet aggression. It opened the door to a powerful symbol of resistance to Soviet onward and proved to the United States that it still took its allies seriously.
2. Strengthening NATO: The successful implementation of the Berlin Airlift wore another dent in the argument that the country needed a strong military alliance in case of more Soviet aggression. It was crucial in the 1949 decision that NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) be created.
3. Subverting Soviet Propaganda: The Soviet Union had hoped that the blockade would end in the fall of West Berlin, putting all Western authorities in a bad light in front of the rest of the globe. Yet the airlift also stood up to Soviet propaganda by showing that the West had a will and a stamina.
4. Heightening Tensions: The Berlin Airlift heightened the already heightened tensions between the Western powers and the Soviet Union. It was a turning point in the Cold War, dragging us both to a more hostile, more confrontational condition from where we were.

The Resolution

Finally, the Soviet Union lifted the blockade May 12, 1949…realizing the blockade had not achieved its aim. West Berlin had survived, despite the blockade, because the airlift was successful in feeding the city so that it could exist. This was important because while the Western powers had been weakened by Stalin’s leadership, the airlift helped them to be stronger.

Conclusion

The Berlin Airlift was a very important matter of the early Munich Bridge, i.e. Cold War. What it showed was that the Western powers were willing to use their greatest might, their might and their commitment to stop the Soviet aggression in West Berlin. Not only did the airlift save the isolated city, but it would play a significantly political part, deepening the tension between the two blocs opposing sides.