Did you ever ask yourself how one of the most famous and quite indubitably one of the most sterling humanitarian operations in the history of mankind – the Berlin Airlift – started? In this article, the authors will provide information on what happened to trigger the beginning of this airlift and how it contributed to the development of Europe after the World War II.
The Context: Post-WWII Germany
Following the end of World War II in 1945, Germany was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the victorious Allied powers: include the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom and France. Similarly to Potsdam, the capital of Germany – Berlin was also divided into four sectors, although this city was situated as far from the Western Allies as possible.
Oddly enough, the uneasy relations developed immediately between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies culminated in a blockade of West Berlin. By June 24, 1948 the Soviets blocked West Berlin by land and water in an effort to expel the Western Allies from this city.
The Allied Response
A Desperate Situation
The people of West Berlin felt surrounded by a terrible situation. To aggravate the situation the Soviets has severed all the supply roads leaving the city in scarcity of food, fuel, and other necessity. Furthermore, all the social and business infrastructures of the city were wrecked during the war; therefore, the population could not be fed without importing aids.
The Birth of an Idea
That is the situation in which the Western Allies found themselves and decided to look for a solution on how to supply West Berlin. Twice, General Lucius D. Clay, the Military Governor of the United States Zone in Germany, floated an outrageous idea that was to make history – to airlift West Berlin. It was regarded with suspicion but the problem was finally regarded as insoluble only with its help.
Operation Vittles: The Berlin Airlift
When the Soviets closed the access roads on June 24, 1948, only twenty-four hours later the Western Allies initiated what became known as the Berlin Airlift, coded Operation Vittles. The plan was to drop supplies directly into West Berlin, thus completely ignoring the Soviets’ blockade.
The Logistics
To feed an entire city through air augmentation was a great challenge. This hurdle which threatened to scupper the invasion was solved after serious planning and coordination by the Western Allies. It was performed with the help of the military transport aviation of the USA, Great Britain, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
The airlift needed appropriate aircraft, that primarily included C-47 Dakotas and C-54 Skymasters, as these were built for carrying huge amount of cargo. The airlift therefore developed into a very formalized procedure with aircrafts landing at West Berlin every few minutes.
A Remarkable Achievement
The Berlin Airlift showed just how determined the western allies were and would be in the future. They were able to maintain West Berlin during the operation by delivering more than 2.3 million tons of non-food items, fuels, as well as foodstuffs.
The End of the Blockade
Soviet blockade of West Berlin lasted over a year and principle issued was to cause immense degree of suffering to West Berlin people. However, by the end of the war the blockade failed to achieve what it was intended for. This was because the West Berliners were determined by the Western Allies, the scope of this operation was extremely large which made the Soviet aim unachievable.
The Berlin blockade was eventually ended by the Soviets on May 12, 1949 when the decided that the blockade did not work and failed to demoralise people of West Berlin. Introducing the Berlin Airlift as victory symbol of the West, the author states that the operation had become an unmistakable indication of Western determination, unity, and non-recognition of Soviet hegemony.
The Legacy
It could be confirmed that the Berlin Airlift was a turning point in post-Second World War Europe. It worked to sew up the East–West split and set the scene for the following Cold War. The airlift served to juxtaposition the democratic freedom of the WEST to the despotic rule of the Soviets.
However, in equal turn the Berlin Airlift transformed to a symbol of humanitarian aid and partnership of nations. It illustrated how much nations had been willing to fight to preserve liberty and lives of countrymen, no matter the situation.
Conclusion
The Berlin Airlift, which is a fascinating episode of history making, originated as a reaction to an emergency. The Western Allies, with their never yielding spirit and gall of the operation ‘Roamin-catholic’, airlifted supplies into West Berlin, despite the blockade by Soviet. This dramatic humanitarian undertaking not only supplied the people of West Berlin but also assumed a symbolic significance of a fight and unity for freedom. Today, the memory of the Berlin Airlift provided motivation as well as served as a means to recall community unity in face of the hardship.
