The Berlin blockade and airlift

• New Western-backed Deutsche Mark introduced into Western Germany


  June 18, 1948
• Introduction of new Deutsche Mark


  One of the main causes of the Berlin Blockade
• There had been many hostilities between the East and West brewing over the years since the division of Germany and Berlin
• Discussions over Germany broke down with accusations of the West violating the Potsdam Conference


  Late 1947
• Soviets withdrew from the Allied Control Council which administered Berlin

  March 1948
• Berlin Airlift incident during the Cold War

  1948
• Soviets blocked all road and rail links into Western Berlin from Western Germany


  June 24, 1948
• Berlin Airlift


  A response by the US, Great Britain and other allied nations to the Soviet blockade of West Berlin
• Reason for Berlin Blockade

  Soviets believed the new Deutsche Mark went against the Potsdam Conference, so they banned it from East Germany and replaced it with the East German Mark
• Berlin Airlift


  1. Allies began flying planes into West Berlin carrying loads of supplies, including food, coal and other necessities

  2. Progress was slow at first, but before long fresh supplies were flowing into West Berlin by the minute

  3. Soviets were helpless to stop the flights as opening fire would have been considered an act of war

  4. Soviets realized their blockade effort was futile and lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949

  5. Airlift continued for several more months, lasting a total of fifteen, with countless planes landing in Berlin
• West Berlin only had 36 days of food and 45 days of coal
• After the blockade was lifted, the American and British air forces had combined to supply Berlin with over two million tons of supplies
• American response options


  • Surrender West Berlin sectors to Communists and let the city starve
  • Act proactively, risking aggravating the Soviets
• There were 101 deaths caused by crashes during the airlift, which became the first casualties of the Cold War
• British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin's view


  Soviets' main aim was to spread communism across the whole of Germany, and Berlin was the first step. The West had to keep West Berlin supplied with essentials instead of using force.
• The cost of the airlift was $224 million, however most believed it was a small price to pay to secure the lives and freedom of those in West Berlin
• US General Clay's view


  Any withdrawal from Berlin also threatened democracy in the whole of Germany, so Berlin was extremely important for the whole of Germany.
• Germany after WWII


  • Divided into four portions, each controlled by the US, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union
  • City of Berlin also split into four similar segments, with the American, British, and French portions joining together to create West Berlin, and the Soviet region known as East Berlin
• American, British, and French regions of Germany announced they would be creating a new currency called the Deutsche Mark

  Soviet Union halted all traffic between East Berlin and West Berlin, and severed all communications with the non-Soviet sectors of the city
• Airlift operation


  1. Deliver 2,000 tons of supplies per day

  2. Each plane carried 2.5 tons, making it extremely hazardous
• At the time, the non-Soviet region of Berlin had enough food to last about 36 days and nearly 45 days' worth of coal
• The airlift was a great success, as it provided all Berliners with a lifeline and the Soviets didn't intervene.
• Eventually, Stalin had to admit failure and ended the blockade in May 1949.
• The Berlin Blockade failed to prevent the creation of West Germany, and containment had been a success.
• However, it was also clear that Europe had now been divided.