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5. Berlin Blockade and Airlift

5. Berlin Blockade and Airlift. By Lindsey Greer. Allied Control Council. After WWII, Germany was divided up among the Allies; East Germany for the Soviets, West for the rest. There were 4 sections in Berlin, controlled by Great Britain, France, the USA, and the Soviet Union. The Story.

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5. Berlin Blockade and Airlift

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  1. 5. Berlin Blockade and Airlift By Lindsey Greer

  2. Allied Control Council • After WWII, Germany was divided up among the Allies; East Germany for the Soviets, West for the rest. • There were 4 sections in Berlin, controlled by Great Britain, France, the USA, and the Soviet Union.

  3. The Story • Because the plans of the Soviets differed from the plans of France, GB, and USA, the Soviets tried to take complete control of Berlin (June, 1948) • They attempted to cut off the West Berliners from the rest of the world. • The blockade would cause starvation and bankruptcy if successful.

  4. The Story • The Occupation forces were ready to break through the blockade in retaliation, which would have caused another war. • No agreements had been made that everyone could use the ground transportation, but the airways were free.

  5. The Story • Supplying the city by air – suggested by a British Commander, Sir Brian Robertson • This would be difficult, as not only would the supplies be going to the Occupation forces, but also to the 2 million citizens of West Berlin. • However, it seemed to be the only option that would not provoke a violent reaction.

  6. Numbers: • For 1700 calories per person per day, more than 1.5 thousand tons of food had to be flown in every day. • To keep the city powered (since the Soviets had also cut off their electricity), nearly 3.5 thousand tons of coal and gasoline. • The American Occupation forces had only 2 squadrons of C-47 planes that could carry 3.5 tons each, approximately 300 tons daily. • They had one only month’s worth of supplies already.

  7. The Story • With the combined efforts of Great Britain, the United States, Canada, France, and later Australia, the support fleet grew substantially. • Supplies were being flown in to West Berlin daily by July 1st, 1948.

  8. Black Friday • July 28th, 1948 - William H. Tunner, the man appointed to be in charge of Operation Vittles, arrived in Berlin. • Rain caused low visibility, and a plane crashed; • a second plane swerved to avoid it; • a third plane had to avoid both of them; • many planes were stuck circling overhead.

  9. Post- Black Friday • Tunner instituted new rules that greatly improved the rate at which planes landed and were unloaded. • 1st- If a plane missed its landing slot even once, it must return home. • 2nd- Instead of using 3.5 ton C-47s, they started using 10-ton C-54s. • 3rd- Aircrew cannot leave their planes.

  10. The Story • Although 5,000 tons of supplies were being flown in, life was still difficult for the Berliners. • In the winter of 1948-49, things only got worse. • However, the Germans would rather starve and suffer through the cold than submit to the Soviets. • The Berliners fully supported the Allied Occupation forces and their airlift efforts.

  11. Morale Boosters • Gail Halvorson gave two sticks of gum to runway spectators consisting of German children. • He promised them more, saying they would know when he came because he’d “wiggle his wings.” • Tunner was notified, and he approved. It became a routine event in which several pilots participated. • Operation Little Vittles (July 1948)

  12. Morale Boosters • The Easter Parade (April 1949) • Tunner pushed for record-breaking amounts of supplies to arrive in Berlin on Easter Sunday. • Thanks to combined efforts, almost 13,000 tons were flown in that day. • This made the Airlift seem as if it would be able to continue indefinitely.

  13. The End of the Blockade • The Soviets could do nothing against the Airlift • They negotiated with the other Allied Powers and the blockade was set to end on May 12th, 1949 on Western terms. • The Airlift continued into September in order to build up surplus.

  14. Sources • http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/berlin_airlift/large/ • http://www.spiritoffreedom.org/airlift.html • http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0807200.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade

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