The Beginning

A miniature city is used to instruct military police in Germany on the situations likely to arise in various parts of a city. Photo from http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/BERLIN_ A/BAPIC_92.HTM “The Berlin Blockade was a division of land and water that began on June 20, 1948, starting in the western zones of Germany. This was the Soviet Union’s justification for 'technical disturbances.'  The only open connections between East and West Berlin were corridors for aircraft.  The Soviet Commander in Chief at the time, Marshal Sokolowski, made it openly known that the difficulties would continue only until plans for the establishment of a West German State were forgotten. This was the essential move for the Blockade, which ended in 1949. The Berlin Blockade led to the airlifts.” (Christoph Klessmann The Siege of Berlin. London; Collins, 1979)

The Effects

Photo from http://history.sandiego.edu/cdr2/USPics /58537.jpg “In June 1948, the Soviet Union attempted to control all of Berlin by cutting surface traffic to and from the city of West Berlin. Starving out the population and cutting off their business was their method of gaining control. The Truman administration reacted with a continual daily airlift which brought much needed food and supplies into the city of West Berlin. This Airbridge to Berlin lasted until the end of September of 1949---although on May 12, 1949, the Soviet government yielded and lifted the blockade.” (http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/BERLIN_A/INDEX.HTM)

Airlift by the Numbers

Fresh milk being loaded on a C-47. Shipments of whole milk soon were dropped in favor of more weight efficient condensed milk.Photo from http://www.truman library.org/ whistlestop/BERLIN_A/BAPIC_92.HTM “The numbers relating to the Berlin Airlift are amazing. In January 1949 alone, 171,962 tons were transported into Berlin by 19,485 flights. Flights landed so often that the air forces had to work out a plan that staggered the planes so they could take off three minutes apart and not collide midair. Supporting the city of West Berlin meant a daily airlift of over 4,500 tons of food and supplies. With the Airlift lasting almost a year, the tonnage added up to 2,325,508.8 tons of food, coal, passengers and baggage. It is a little known fact that there were passengers in the Berlin Airlift. Because the city created so much demand, it was theorized that transporting people out of West Berlin would lighten the load for the supply transport. 167, 577 passengers were carried out of West Berlin and into West Germany during the airlift. The cost of avoiding a war with Russia was great; thirty-nine British and thirty-one American aircrews were killed along with nine civilians in ten plane crashes. The price in monetary terms was astounding. The US had paid $350 million, the UK £17 million, and the Germans 150 million DM.” (http://nhs.needham.k12.ma.us/cur/Baker_00/2002_p5 /baker_p5_mf1-02/berlin_airlift.htm#stats)