The Cold War was the tense time period in which the United States and Soviet Union opposed one another (ending in 1945 and continuing until the early 90’s). Moreover, on many different realms (of politics, economics and others) these two super powers fought in proxy conflicts, particularly. Berlijansj Blockade and Airlift is one of the key events of this era and it went a long way in shaping the post war world. In this article we will investigate what the Berlin Blockade and Airlift was, why it happened, and what it led to in the Cold War.

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Soviet; Berlin Blockade a Soviet attempt to block off access to West Berlin by Western Allies in postwar Germany. The idea started on June 24, 1948 when the Soviet Union started to block all land and water routes that lead to the city, making West Berlin a world isolated zone. The reason the Soviets made this move, was that their currency would be subordinated to the currency of new currency introduced into the Western zones of Germany by the Allies, and they deemed that to be a threat to their influence.

West Berlin was being blockaded to force the Allies to abandon control in West Berlin, or allow the Soviets to take control. But it ended up as a tense standoff and was a problem for Western powers.

The Berlin Airlift: A Remarkable Response

In reaction to the Berlin Blockade the United States and its Western Allies launched an unprecedented operation that came to be known as the Berlin Airlift. By airlift, the West Berlin was to be supplied with essential necessities, such as food, fuel, and everything else, with the aid of aircraft only.

Operation Vittles: Keeping Berlin Afloat

Operation Vittles was the name given to the Berlin Airlift, which ran from June 26, 1948, two days after the blockade was initiated. British and French allies, along with the United States Air Force, coordinated a huge airlift operation to deliver supplies into West Berlin. This was one of the biggest humanitarian operations in history.

Round the clock, cargo planes landed at West Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport every few minutes as part of the airlift. The supplies delivered in the planes were essential, as were Christmas presents from the pilots that they had sent the people living in West Berlin to help make it through and keep morale high.

Part Triumph of Cooperation, Part Triumph of Innovation

While the Berlin Airlift was in itself a logistical feat, it was also a sign of Western determination and unity. Between May 1948, when the Berlin Airlift began, until September 1949, over 200,000 flights were flown, resulting in the movement of some 2.3 million tons of supplies to West Berlin. This extraordinary effort amply proved the resolve and unanimity of the Western powers against any kind of Soviet aggression.

End of the Blockade: This is a Political Victory for the West.

A year of tension finally ended the Berlin Blockade on May 12, 1949. Having failed to drive the Western Allies out of Berlin, the Soviet Union lifted the blockade. The Soviet decision very much owed its success to the efforts of the Berlin Airlift.

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift had far reaching consequences of the Cold War. The shattering of the Berlin Wall fully exposed the divide between the democratic West and the communist East, and further intensified the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. It also led to the formal division of Germany into two separate countries: the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). For this, the division of Germany would last until reunification in 1990.

Conclusion

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift helped to turn the Cold War. Its message was that the Western Allies would determine and engage in the right manner and that of the Soviet Union was that of aggressiveness. The Berlin Airlift was the well known successful counter of the blockading efforts by the United States, and all of its allies, thereby securing the survival of West Berlin. More than that, it underlined the divisions of East and West, and served to lay the foundations of the East-West conflict in the Cold War.