When Berlin Was Cut Off: The Airlift That Defied a Blockade

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During World War II, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was portrayed as “Uncle Joe” a warm and friendly figure, that contrasted with his dictatorship. When the war ended, everything changed. U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who replaced Franklin D. Roosevelt towards the end of the war, saw the Soviet Union as a threat to stability and peace. This was because the United States was concerned that the Soviet Union would spread communism into Western Europe. The U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, Walter Bedell Smith, noted in a letter that the Soviet Union was trying to maintain its influence in East Germany. Stalin believed that Germany played a key role in spreading communism, to achieve this, the Soviet Union had to push the West out of Berlin.

These concerns were based on Soviet activities in their occupation zone, Stalin attempted to merger the Soviet occupied zone in East Germany with East Berlin as one zone. , In the election held in East Germany on October 20, 1946, The Soviet Union attempted to expand its influence through the the party it supported, the Socialist Unity Party (SED). However, the SED was it self the result of Soviet intervention, which had had forced a merger between the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Communist Party (KPD). Although the SED managed to win 249 seats in East Germany, but in Berlin, the SED received only 21% of the vote and won just 26 seats.

The Soviet failure was partly caused by its harsh behavior in Berlin at the end of the war. This situation was described by a Soviet political officer as political loss worth millions of rubles per day. After it failure in the 1946 election, the Soviet Union decided to maintain cooperation with the western power and sought to use the idea of “central administration,” which had been outlined at the Potsdam Conference. The aim was to maintain Soviet control in East Germany, and indirectly over Germany as a whole. However, this plan was never realized, in February, 1948, Britain, the United Staes, and France met in London to discuss the future of West Germany. In response, Soviet ambassador Aleksandr Panyushkin, in a letter to U,S. Secretary of State on February 13, 1948, that the Soviet Union would not recognize any decisions made at the meeting. The Soviet union protested again on March 6, 1948, stating that meeting violated the Potsdam Agreement. This protest was followed by Soviet restriction on acces to Berlin on March 31, 1948.

The Soviet restrictions imposed on March 31 were seen by General Lucius Clay as a threat to the United States presence in Berlin. Meanwhile, General Brian Robertson, the British military governor, viewed these restriction as part of an “Iron Curtain”. When Western Power announced a currency reform in West Germany, on June 18 , 1948, the Soviet Union responded by restricting passenger traffic between zones in Berlin, including limiting the number of trains entering the city. This blockade was expected to cut off the food supply for 2.5 million people in West Berlin. At a meeting on June 22, 1948, the United States proposed a separate currency for Berlin, but the Soviet Union rejected the proposal, insisting that its own currency, the “Ostmark” should be used in Berlin, Meawhile, another country like Britain and France took a more cautios poistion.

Before the meeting, General Lucius D Clay prepared a proposal for the Soviet Military Governor. He proposed a trade agreement between the zones, in which the Deutsche Mark (DM) would be limited to payments imports and exports. Under this arrangement, the DM would not be used for everyday transactions by the general public, Although the plan could have benefited the Soviet Union, Clay Remained pessimistic about its acceptance. Although the plan was beneficial to the Soviet, in another way, Clay was pessimistic about the proposal’s acceptance.

The Soviet Union realized the Western Power insisting on their DM, on June 24, 1948, the Soviet started blockade, to cut off land and water transportation between the Western Zone and Berlin, and on June 25, 1948, the Soviet Union would not supply food to the civilian population in the Western sectors of Berlin. Initially, General Lucius Clay wanted to force a military convoy through East German territory to reach Berlin. However, the proposal was rejected by General Robertson of BAFO (British Air Forces of Occupation) who looked at such an action to make it worse. Robertson informed Clay that Air Commodore Rex Waite, director of the Air Branch of the British Control Commission for Germany, had made some rough calculations showing that an airlift could support the entire city for a short period. However, the proposal did not receive support from Washington.

As the Soviet Union realized that the Western powers were insisting on the use of the Deutsche Mark (DM), it imposed a blockade on June 24, 1948, Soviet cutting off land and water tranportation between the Western zones and Berlin, And, on June 25, 1948, the Soviet Union also stopped supplying food to the civilian population in the Western sectors of the city.

In response to the Soviet blockade, General Lucius D. Clay proposed sending a military convoy through East German territory to reach Berlin, but the plan was opposed by General Brian Robertson of the British Occupation Force, who warned that such an action would be worsen the situation. He informed Clay that Air Commodore Rex Waite, director of the Air Branch of the British Control Commission for Germnay, had conducted rough calculation showing that an airlift could support the entire city, at least for a limited period. However, this proposal did not receive support from Washington.

Realizing there was no other option, he informed the Mayor of Berlin, Ernst Reuter that he would proceed with the airlift plan, while warning that it would only be an temporary to but time in dealing with the Soviets. On June 26, 1948, General Lucius D Clay and General Curtis Le May, Commanding General of USAFE (United States Air Forces in Europe), ordered the establishment of an airlift between the Western Zone and Berlin, known as Operation Vittles meanwhile Two days later, the British started Operation Plainfare.

Three airports were used during the Berlin Airlift: Tempelhof in American Zone, RAF Gatow in British Zone, and a new airfield at Tegel in the French Zone. In the beginning, Operation Vittles relied on 70 aircraft that were immediately available, with an estimated of around 100 flights per day. Plans were made to add 30 more aicraft, In June, Curtis Le May, Commander of the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE), requested deployment of Douglas C-54 Skymaster to the airlift, as they had a bigger capacity than the C-47. Meanwhile, the British launched Operation Plainfare, which relied 54 of the Royal Air Force’s C-47 Dakota, transporting approximately 75 tons per day to Berlin. The number of Dakota was later reduced to 32, which were replaced by Avro York aircraft, capable carrying between 7.5 and 8.25 tons per flight. , Additional aircraft, including Handley Page Haltons Aircraft and Short Sunderlands, were also brought into operation. As a result, the total airlift capacity was expected to reach 450 tons per day, later increase to approximately 750 tons as part of the Western power effort.

At the beginning of the blockade, the Soviet Union stated that it would lift the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the Deutsche Mark from West Berlin. This was because the Soviets believed that the airlift would only be sufficient to supply the American and British military garrisons, as had been the case in April 1948 during Operation Little Lift, and would not be able unable to meet the needs of the civilian population in Berlin. Even though, Berlin was located in Soviet zone, but, the Soviet Union chose not to extend the blockade to the air corridors. This was because the air corridors were established under an agreement reached on November 30, 1945, through the Allied Control Council, These corridors covered all airspace within a 20-mile radius of the city center at an altitude of up to 10,000 feet. The Soviets made several attempts to disrupt the blockade, such as conducting anti-aircraft drills near the corridor, or ordering its fighter jets to harass Western transport aircraft. Even at night the Soviet Union deliberately fired searchlights and also used obstacle balloons near Berlin airports. However, they also did their best to avoid any actions that could trigger a war with the West.

As the operation grew longer and more complex, the Combined Airlift Task Force (CALTF) was established in Wiesbaden on October 15, 1948, under the command of Major General William L. Tunner, and Air Commodore J.W.F. Merer of the Royal Air Force serving as his deputy, . CALTF successfully integrated the increasingly complex air traffic system to Berlin.

General Turner introduced a one-way air corridor system and required the use of Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) for every landing, even in clear weather, in order to maintain flight discipline. The use of CPS 5 radar technology at Tempelhof and precise spacing between aircraft further increased landing capacity. By January 1949, tonnage volumes risen sharply at the April “Easter Parade” of 12,849 tons were delivered in a single day. The Berlin Airlift lasted for nearly a year, from 1948 until the Soviets lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949. The total tonnage transported to Berlin by British and American aircraft was 2,325,808.7 tons supplies into Berlin

The succes of Berlin Airlift shattered the Soviet prediction that the airlift to fail during the harsh winter of November 1948 due to the cold snap. And also demonstrated that the Western presence in Germany remained firm despite the blockade, Rather than forcing the West out of Berlin, Soviet actions instead reinforced fears that the Soviet Union intended to use Germany as a base to spread communism into Western Europe. Two weeks after the end of the blockade, West Germany was officially established, followed by the Creation of NATO.