(On This Day In History) June 26, 1948 - Berlin Airlift Begins

History.com ^ | June 26, 2007 | History.com

[DogByte6RER]

(On This Day In History) June 26, 1948 : Berlin Airlift Begins

In response to the Soviet blockade of land routes into West Berlin, the United States begins a massive airlift of food, water, and medicine to the citizens of the besieged city. For nearly a year, supplies from American planes sustained the over 2 million people in West Berlin.

On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all road and rail travel to and from West Berlin, which was located within the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany. The Soviet action was in response to the refusal of American and British officials to allow Russia more say in the economic future of Germany. The U.S. government was shocked by the provocative Soviet move, and some in President Harry S. Truman's administration called for a direct military response. Truman, however, did not want to cause World War III. Instead, he ordered a massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin. On June 26, 1948, the first planes took off from bases in England and western Germany and landed in West Berlin. It was a daunting logistical task to provide food, clothing, water, medicine, and other necessities of life for the over 2 million fearful citizens of the city. For nearly a year, American planes landed around the clock. Over 200,000 planes carried in more than one-and-a-half million tons of supplies.

The Soviets persisted with the blockade until May 1949. By then, however, it was apparent to everyone concerned that the blockade had been a diplomatic fiasco for the Russians. Around the world, the Soviets were portrayed as international bullies, holding men, women, and children hostage in West Berlin and threatening them with starvation. The unbelievably successful American airlift also backfired against the Russians by highlighting the technological superiority of the United States. By the time the Soviets ended the blockade, West Germany had become a separate and independent nation and the Russian failure was complete.

[DogByte6RER]

The Berlin Airlift...one of the first shots in the beginning of the Cold War

[DogByte6RER]

Occupation zones after 1945. Berlin is the multinational area within the Soviet zone

[DogByte6RER]

Loading milk on a West Berlin-bound plane U.S. Air Force pilot Gail Halvorsen who pioneered the idea of dropping candy bars and bubble gum with little handmade miniature parachutes, which later became known as Operation Little Vittles

[DogByte6RER]

Berlin Airlift Monument in Berlin-Tempelhof with inscription "They lost their lives for the freedom of Berlin in service for the Berlin Airlift 1948/49"

[stevem]

The Berlin Airlift...one of the first shots in the beginning of the Cold War

I think this was the first shot or first real shot. Leon Uris took a run at it in Armageddon. Although fiction, it told the story in magnificent detail. I think it may have been the best book I ever read. At least it was up there.

[Graybeard58]

I heard about this but didn’t pay much attention to it, I was preoccupied with thoughts of my third b/day, which was only 3 days away.

[DogByte6RER]

D@mn! I hate when that happens.

I’ll throw myself on the mercy of the court (i.e., Admin Moderator)

Please correct my bad spelling in the title of this thread, i.e., Histry - History.

Thanks!

[ops33]

That is an excellent map you posted. It clearly shows the two US enclaves in the north in the British Zone but also shows the Saarland.

[Vinnie]

I was at the Wings over Pittsburgh air show a few weekends ago.

One of the planes on display was a C-54 used in the airlift.
Interior was setup exactly as then.

[Red6]

It was the opening salvo of the Cold War. From that point on until 1989, who the enemy was became very clear, except of course for the “moonbats” (as you call them) who could not see this threat and thought it was all our fault.

[DogByte6RER]

Berliners watching C-54

[DogByte6RER]

Yeah...I like to call them “moonbats” although “moonbats” is a recently coined term.

‘The pejorative political epithet “Moonbat” is often used by right-wing political commentators to mock Monbiot.[12] The epithet was coined in 2002 by Perry de Havilland of Samizdata.net, a libertarian weblog. The claim that the term was originally used as a play on Monbiot’s surname [13] has been denied by de Havilland - the full epithet being “barking moonbat”.’

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Monbiot

Also check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonbat

When I was in the Navy in the 1980s, I called those (who would today be called “moonbats”) who were communists or who sucked up to communists “commie pinkos” or “commie pinko pigs.”

How the times change...

[Fiji Hill]

As the Cold War was gettting underway, so was the rock and roll era. On June 26, 1948, “Good Rockin’ Tonight” by Wynonie Harris topped the rhythm and blues charts, while pop fans were buying “You Can’t Be True, Dear” by Vera Lynn.

[Texas Songwriter]

Today Bush and the left would say, you cannot get that done,...there are 12 million packages we need to deliver each month. It can’t be done.

[colorado tanker]

Ping.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks ct. Busy reading the thread on the amnesty bill. Sad times.

[colorado tanker]

Well, Snippy, that’s one of the things that’s fun about history, you can always take a little vacation from the present. :-))