Berlin Blockade / Airlift
Cost of the Berlin Airlift
$350 million
Soviet military forces around Berlin
1.5 million troops
Food required each day
2000 tons
Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota
A military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner
Fuel and coal required each day
Around 4000 tons
General Lucius Clay
Clay orchestrated the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) when the USSR blockaded West Berlin.
Division of Germany and Berlin
Germany and Berlin divided among the four major Allied powers - U.S., Great Britain, France, USSR
Berlin Blockade
June 24, 1948 - May 12, 1949 Initiated by Joseph Stalin One of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control.
Berlin Airlift
Lasted 318 days (June 26, 1948 - May 12, 1949) During this time, 275,000 planes transported 1.5 million tons of supplies and a plane landed every three minutes at Berlin's Templehof airport.
Federal German Republic
May 23, 1949 The Federal Republic of Germany (popularly known as West Germany) is formally established as a separate and independent nation. This action marked the effective end to any discussion of reuniting East and West Germany.
Bizonia & Trizonia
May 29, 1947 Combination of British and US regions of Berlin, to which the French zone was soon added (Trizonia - April 1949)
German Democratic Republic
October 7, 1949 otherwise known as East Germany; set up by the Soviets.
Why the Soviets blockaded West Berlin
The blockade was an attempt in 1948 by the Soviet Union to limit the ability of France, Great Britain, and the US to travel to their sectors of Berlin, which lay within Russian-occupied East Germany.
The Allies wanted what from Germany?
They wanted a strong Germany as an ally against the Soviet Union
The Soviets wanted what from Germany?
They wanted a weak Germany having fought them during both World Wars
