Berlin Airlift

Berlin Airlift

Through out our nations history we have been involved in various conflicts both foreign and domestic. As a result of these conflicts countless men and women have had to risk their lives in order to defend the freedom of our great nation. One instance in specific, in which the deployment of the courageous men and women of our United States Armed Forces has been required, was the Berlin Airlift of 1948. At the time, our nation was involved in a complex diplomatic war with the Soviet Union. As problems arose, we were eventually forced into a position where we had no choice but to act with force. Overall, there were several events leading up to this conflict, various people were involved, and many were left questioning the decisions that had been made.

On June 26, 1948 the Berlin Airlift was underway as both American and British forces began to deliver food and supplies by airplane to the city of Berlin. To understand how this came to be, we must consider why America had been involved with Berlin in the first place. It all began when the four major Allies -- the United States, France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union -- established the Potsdam agreement. In accordance to the agreement, the Allies divided the defeated Germany into four separate occupation zones, as well as the countries capital, Berlin. Soon after, in an attempt to do some much needed improvement to Germany's dilapidated economy, the United States and Great Britain decided to establish a unified West German currency. The Soviet Union, however, felt that this new arrangement between the United States and Great Britain went against the Allies' wartime agreements. Despite the now crumbling relationship between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies, the Allies decided to continue on with their plan and replace the old Reich Mark form of currency with the new Deutsche Mark. As expected, Soviet premier Joseph Stalin opposed the new currency replacement and cut off all land based the food and supplies routes into Berlin. This blockade caused a major problem for the Western Allies and left them with a decision that would have to be made immediately.

Harry S. Truman, the President at the time of the blockade, was debating between three choices on how to deal with this problem. The three choices included: retreat from Berlin and watch as its people slowly starved, drive an armed faction through the Soviet zone and risk war, or attempt to supply Berlin by air. Although some, including the American military governor of Germany, General Lucius Clay, favored to force through with troops, Truman ultimately decided that an airlift was the best option. The two most important supplies included food and coal, both of which could easily be delivered to Berlin by airplanes. After agreeing that this was the best possible choice, Great Britain and the United States began gather supplies and deliver them to