When did the Berlin Blockade start and end?
The Berlin Blockade began on the 24th of June 1948 and ended on the 12th of May 1949. The Berlin Airlift that supplied the city continued until the 30th of September 1949, a total of fifteen months.
Questions about Berlin Blockade
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why did the Soviet Union impose the Berlin Blockade?
The Soviet Union imposed the blockade primarily in response to the Western Allies' introduction of the Deutsche Mark in their occupation zones. Stalin wanted to prevent the new currency from circulating in Berlin and, according to some historians, to stop the creation of a separate West German government. The Soviets officially cited "technical difficulties" on the railways and roads.
How much cargo was delivered during the Berlin Airlift?
The US Air Force delivered 1,783,573 tons and the RAF delivered 541,937 tons, for a combined total of over 2,334,374 tons on 278,228 flights. Nearly two-thirds of all cargo was coal. The peak single-day delivery was 12,941 tons, achieved on Easter Sunday 1949.
Who was Operation Little Vittles and who started it?
Operation Little Vittles was a humanitarian effort in which Allied pilots dropped candy over Berlin for German children. It was started by Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen, who handed two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum to children at Tempelhof on the 17th of July 1948, then began dropping chocolate bars by handkerchief parachute. General Tunner formalised and expanded it after the story spread, resulting in over three tons of candy dropped on Berlin.
How many people died during the Berlin Airlift?
A total of 101 fatalities were recorded during the airlift operation. Forty were British, thirty-one were American, and others came from Commonwealth air forces. Seventeen American and eight British aircraft crashed during the operation. One Royal Australian Air Force member was killed in a crash at Lübeck.
What was the long-term political impact of the Berlin Blockade?
The blockade accelerated West Germany's integration into the Western alliance; West Germany joined NATO in 1955. It also helped push Portugal, Iceland, Italy, Denmark, and Norway toward NATO membership by increasing European perceptions that the Soviet Union posed a direct danger. The Allied Control Council for all of Germany, set up at the Potsdam Conference, was rendered permanently inoperative when the Soviets refused to return to it.