Berlin Blockade & Berlin Airlift

historical context:

  • Potsdam Agreement (July and August 1945)
  • Marshall Plan
  • Six-Powers-Conference (February to June 1948)
  • Soviet delegation left the Allied Control Council (20 March 1948)
  • Soviets restricted traffic between Western Allies’ zones and West Berlin(25 March 1948)
  • April Crisis
  • currency crisis (June 1948)

the beginnings of the Berlin Blockade:

  • Berlin Blockade began on 24 and 25 June 1948

transport by rail and roads as well as shipping traffic stopped

electricity cut off

food supply of non-Soviet sectors ended

air corridors only transport routes left

  • West Berlin had food for 36 days and coal for 45 days
  • 1500 tons of food and 3500 tons of coal (per day) needed to supply West Berlin
  • US Air Force able to transport 300 tons a day and Royal Air Force 400 tons a day

Why did the Western Allies make the effort to stay in Berlin?

(cf. Sources of Modern History, “Ernest Bevin on the Significance of Germany” (July 1948), p.107+108)

  • strong Germany as a barrier to Communism (cf. ll. 16-21)
  • West Berlin as “a means to an end” (l.65)

control over West Germany

  • “symbol of German unity” (ll.41+42) and “the last democratic island in the Soviet sphere” (ll. 52+53)

prestige

support of European freethinkers (especially the German people)

  • Blockade as a Soviet bluff to gain influence

no escalation expected

Berlin Airlift strengthened the Western Allies’ bargaining position

the course of the Berlin Airlift:

  • “Operation Vittles” started on 25 June 1948 and “Operation Plainfare” on 28 June 1948
  • after two weeks 1000 tons were flown to Berlin every day
  • William H. Tunner (“Tonnage Tunner”) became commander of “Operation Vittles” (28 July 1948)

aimed at 1440 landings a day

  • changed “the ladder”
  • improved unloading
  • introduced Instrument flight rules
  • introduced a common control center

accident rates and delays decreased drastically

daily tonnage increased to 5,000 tons

  • in winter 1948/49 more coal was needed

Ground Controlled Approach radar system installed

runways improved by using asphalt and concrete

France built the airport Tegel within 90 days (August to November 1948)

  • heavy machinery flown to Berlin
  • Soviet radio tower blasted
  • however, the Airlift almost failed due to bad weather conditions
  • situation settled down in spring 1949
  • William H. Tunner wanted to boost the Airlift by a new record on Easter Sunday

13,000 tons delivered (16 April 1949)

Airlift exceeded the “pre-Blockade tonnage”

  • Berlin Blockade ended on 12 May 1949
  • Berlin Airlift officially ended on 30 September 1949

Soviet reaction during the Airlift:

  • Communists invaded the Stadtverordnetenversammlung von Groß-Berlin several times

SED boycotted the parliament

  • free food for emigrants offered
  • 733 events registered that aimed at disturbing the Airlift
  • propaganda

basic facts:

  • participants:

United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand & South Africa

  • tonnage:

United States delivered about 1,800,000 tons

United Kingdom delivered about 550,000 tons

  • 278,228 flights
  • when the Airlift reached its peak, every thirty seconds one plane landed in West Berlin
  • 101 pilots died during the Airlift

the consequences:

  • Airlift improved co-operation between the Western Allies
  • Berlin Blockade proved the Soviet Union to threaten the First World (the West)

sources:

by Max Cleve

  • Sources of Modern History (Klett)
  • Horizonte(westermann)
  • Germany (Oxford Advanced History)
  • Germany 1848-1991 (Collins)

by Max Cleve