Berlin Blockade and Airlift
- Date
- 24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- Central Europe (Germany / Berlin)
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
On 24 June 1948 the Soviet Union blockaded all rail, road and water routes into the Western-controlled sectors of Berlin, which lay deep inside the Soviet occupation zone of Germany.
The blockade, a response to Western moves toward a separate West German state and currency reform, aimed to force the Western Allies out of the city or abandon plans for a unified western Germany. Rather than withdraw or use force, the United States and Britain organised a massive airlift, beginning 26 June 1948, that supplied West Berlin's roughly two million inhabitants with food, fuel and other essentials. At its peak, aircraft landed at intervals of a few minutes around the clock. The Soviets lifted the blockade on 12 May 1949, though flights continued into September to build reserves. The episode was the first major confrontation of the Cold War, demonstrated Western resolve, accelerated the founding of NATO and the Federal Republic of Germany, and cemented Berlin as a symbol of East-West division.
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Empires active in 24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- French Colonial Empire (Second)1830 CE – 1962 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
Related military & conflict events
- Creation of Israel and the 1948 Arab–Israeli War14 May 1948 (war May 1948 – July 1949)
- Korean War25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953
- Cuban Missile Crisis16–28 October 1962
- Fall of Saigon and reunification of Vietnam30 April 1975 (reunified 1976)
- Khmer Rouge Seize Cambodia and Declare Year Zero1975
- The Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi7 April – 19 July 1994
Also relevant
Further reading
The wider story
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
Fast-paced narrative of Portugal's seaborne empire.
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