Berlin Airlift

Berlin Airlift

After WWII ended and the Allies defeated Germany, Germany was divided into four occupied zones between the allies. Berlin which was located deep in the Soviet zone was also equally divided into four parts. In June 1948, the Russians who wanted Berlin all for themselves closed all railroads, highways and canals from western occupied Germany into western occupied Berlin to make it impossible for the people who lived there to get food and supplies. This, they thought would drive United States, Britain and France out of Berlin and then they could have it all for themselves. However, the allies did not retreat and instead they decided to supply their sectors of the city from the air. This was known as the "Berlin Airlift" which lasted more than a year and carried about 2.3 million tons of cargo into West Berlin. More than anything, the Soviets were concerned about having a Capitalist city in the middle of their zone. In 1948, the three western Allies created a single new currency for all of their occupation zones, a move that the Soviets feared would fatally devalue the already hyper-inflated Reichsmarks that they used in the east. When the Soviets made an excuse for closing down the highways, the allies knew that retreating was not an option because that would spread communism more and more. President Truman told the Soviet leader that they will stay there. The allies did not do anything to break the Soviet Union's blockade because they feared that it would turn the cold war into an actual nuclear war. Then the "Berlin Airlift" was introduced and it was supposed to be a short term measure, but settled in for a longer time because the Soviets refused to lift the blockade. The airlift supplied about 5000-8000 tons of food each day supplying 2.3 million tons overall. Life in West Berlin during the blockade was not easy. Fuel and electricity were rationed, and the black market was the only place to obtain many goods. Still, most West Berliners supported the airlift and their western allies. By spring 1949, it was clear that the Soviet blockade of West Berlin had failed. It had not persuaded West Berliners to reject their allies in the West, nor had it prevented the creation of a unified West German state. On May 12, 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade and reopened the roads, canals and railway routes into the western half of the city. The Allies continued the airlift until September, however, because they wanted to stockpile supplies in Berlin just in case the blockade was reinstated.