-
Soviet Control
In June of 1945, the Soviet was determined to turn all of Berlin into communist, after the British and American's gave up their positions, claiming that nothing would stand in the Soviets way. -
Decision for an Airlift
It had been agreed, in writing, that there would be three 20 mile wide air corridors providing free access to Berlin. Additionally, unlike a force of tanks and trucks, the Soviets could not claim that cargo aircraft were some sort of military threat. In the face of unarmed aircraft refusing to turn around, the only way to enforce the blockade would have been to shoot them down. An airlift would force the Soviet Union into the position of either shooting down unarmed humanitarian aircraft, -
George Marshall
In January of 1947, President Truman appointed Geroge Marshall as Secretary of State, in July of 1947 he scrapped JCS 1067 and replaced it with JCS 1779, which decreed that an orderly and prosperous Europe required the economic contributions of a stable and productive Germany. -
Marshall Plan
After having a bad outting with the Soviet Union, the U.S. knew they had to take new mesures, and had to come up with a better solution. On the 5th of June in 1947, Marshall announced a program for American assistance for European countries wanting to take part, including the Soviet Union. It was named the European Recovery, but it became better known as the Marshall Plan. -
The April Crisis
In May of 1948, the Soviets strictly made sure that no passenger traffic was going in or out of the American, French, and British zones and Berlin. These plans began on the 1st of April, along with the announcement that no cargo could leave Berlin by rail without permission of the Soviet commander. The Soviets ceased their military restrictions on the 10th of April, but continued to periodically halt traffic and cargo from leaving their zone. -
Post-War Germany
After World War II, Germany was divided into three sections; the Allied part was controlled by U.S., France, and Great Britain and the other part was controlled by the USSR (Soviet Union). The capital, Berlin, was located in the Soviet Union part, and the city was divided into four sections. West Berlin occupied Allies, while the East housed Soviets. -
Airlift Begins
General Curtis Lemay appointed Brigadier General Joseph Smith, commander of Camp Lindsey, as the Provisional Task Force Commander of the airlift. Smith had been chief of staff in LeMay's B-29 command in India during World War II and had no airlift experience. On 25 June 1948 Clay gave the order to launch Operation Vittles. The next day thirty-two C-47s lifted off for Berlin hauling 80 tons of cargo, including milk, flour, and medicine. The first British aircraft flew on 28 June. At that time, -
USSR's Plan
In June of 1948, the USSR wanted to take over all of Berlin, and their plan to make this happen was to cut off all traffic going into West Berlin. Their method was to starve the people out, so they would have no choice but to give in. President Harry S. Truman responded to this by sending supplies to the West Berliners to keep them alive and to make sure they stayed Democratic. -
Let the Battle Begin
the system was getting underway. C-54s were starting to arrive in quantity, and Rhein-Main Air Base became exclusively a C-54 hub, while Wiesbaden retained a mix of C-54s and C-47s. Aircraft flew northeast through the American air corridor into Tempelhof Airport, then returned due west flying out on through the British air corridor. After reaching the British Zone, they turned south to return to their base. -
Black Friday
On 28 July 1948, Tunner arrived in Wiesbaden to take over the operation.[58] "Tonnage" Tunner had significant experience in commanding and re-organizing the airlift over the Hump to China in 1944–45.[46] He revamped the entire airlift operation, reaching an agreement with LeMay to form the Combined Air Lift Task Force (CALTF) to control both the USAF and RAF lift operations from a central location, which went into effect in mid-October 1948. MATS immediately deployed eight squadrons of C-54s—72 -
Food for West Berliners
April 9, 1949 Allied forces were sending more and more cargo everyday to the West Berliners, obviously not pleasing the Soviet Union. The airlift embarrassed the Soviets, who thought this wouldn't be a big deal. -
Splitting Germany
In May of 1949, the blockade in Berlin was lifted, which made two seperate German states. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) split up Berlin. To remember the airlifts, three airports served as gateways to Germany for over fifty years.
