When discussing the events that took place during the Cold War, one cannot overlook the significance of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift. These historic events, occurring between 1948 and 1949, forever changed the political landscape of Europe. In this article, we will delve into the details of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift, exploring the causes, consequences, and lasting impact they had on the world.

What Was the Berlin Blockade?

The Berlin Blockade was an effort by the Soviet to starve the Western Allies out of West Berlin, which in the mid 1940s was encased in East Germany, under Soviet control. This maneuvre was thus designed to push the Western powers out of its sectors in the city and centralised power under the Soviet Union.

In June 1948 the USSR blockaded railway, road and canal communications between West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. This action was occasioned by the introduction in nine western zones of a currency known as Deutschmark. The Soviets thought that this would decrease their grip of the east Germany and this made them try to regain grip on East Germany.

The Western Response

The major challenge the Western Allies, which comprised of the United States of America, Britain and France had to grapple with was. Being a city with neither coastal nor territorial sea exposure, West Berlin was dependent on the SED for all of it supplies, for instance food and fuel. The people in West Berlin were at risk of starvation and economic ruin.

The response by the western powers for the blockade was the forming of the Berlin Airlift. Supported by the United States, Great Britain, French and other countries cargo planes were delivering supplies to the city. For a little over 11 months during the airlift, more than 2.3 million of tons of food supplies, fuel and other necessities were airlifted into West Berlin.

Operation Vittles: The MEO or the fluid and large-scale airborne operation

Operation Vittles, the code name for the Berlin Air Lift was a tremendously complex operation to implement. Drops would occur at Tempelhof Airport where the airplanes would circle the city dropping their drops before flying back to their airbases. The airlift continued day and night, with planes either taking off or landing each few minutes.

In order to such an achievement, airports were stretched and others were developed that are exclusively for the operation. Some developmental needs include building material were airlift to put in place some infrastructure that needed to be developed and a developed conveyor belt system ensured that those materials were discharged from the planes and got to where they needed to be faster. The operation was complex and needed huge coordination between the Allies to make it work.

The End of the Blockade

The Berlin Airlift was most successful in many aspects that were as follows. It demonstrated the resolve of the Western powers to safeguard liberty and sovereignty of West Berlin. Moreover, it stressed and illuminated the difference between the Soviet Union’s blockade and the image of America as a helper adopted by the United States and its friends.

At some point, the side of the Soviet Union had to come to terms that their blockade wasn’t bearing any fruits. These forces raised the blockade on May 12 1949 but this showed a sign of relieving a long and stressing war. West Berlin was kept an emblem of the Soviet terrorism and its existence entrenched division in Germany after the war.

The Long-Term Impact

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift could be considered one of the most devastating operations influencing the world’s future. Here are some key impacts:

• Having entrenched the division between the East and West Germany it pointed to the creation of two different German states.
• It led to emergence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 as an defensive system against the expansion of soviet union.
• It strained relations between the United States and the Soviet Union to reach an arms Race leading to the cold-warred decades.
• This prepared people for the centrality of airpower and the pronounced anxiety and/U.S. logistical prowess.

In Conclusion

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift played the significant roll during the period of early Cold War. Learning with the stiff stand of the Western Allies used in the determination of the airlift indicated that freedom of West Berlin was protected. Second of all, the events contributed to separation of East and West Germany and shaped the world politics for years later. Through learning and realizing its importance we will have some idea of how the Cold War was and how its impact is still being felt in the modern world.