On June 26, 1948 the largest airlift began as the American and British forces began the Berlin Airlift. To understand how the airlift came to be, we have to look all the way back to the Yalta Conference. The Yalta Conference began in February 1945 in which the three superpowers, America, Russia and Britain, met to discuss the future of post war Europe. America and Russia were emerging as the two superpowers, and their deteriorating relationship would soon lead to many problems that would develop in post war Europe. Yalta saw the beginning of this deteriorating relationship. First, Stalin put a communist overnment in place in Poland.
Poland had been the route that enemies had used to invade Russia on three separate occasions and Stalin felt he needed a friendly government in power. Stalin had agreed to hold elections in liberated countries following the war which he broke when he established a communist government in Poland. Although the U. S. and Britain had done the same thing when they put their own government in Italy following their defeat, Stalins move in Poland still upset the other two superpowers. U. S. still needed Russias help to fight the war in Japan so President Roosevelt had to be areful not to upset Stalin.
The communist government was allowed to stay in Poland but the government was extended to include the Poles living in London that were suppose to form the government. Stalin made sure that the communists always had the majority. Also in an attempt to keep good relations with Russia, Roosevelt agreed to allow Russia to remove ten billion dollars from defeated Germany. Also at Yalta, it was agreed that post war Germany be divided into four occupational zones, which would become one of the main problems leading to the Berlin Airlift.
Russia was given the north east, the U. S. was given the south east, Britain the north west, and France the south west. Berlin, Germanys capital, was also divided into four occupational zones but Berlin was located Soon following the war in the Pacific, the relationship between the superpowers would soon begin to deteriorate further leading up to the Berlin Blockade. Soon Russia and France began removing items from their zones in Germany to help rebuild their homeland that Germany had demolished. Germans living in these zones began to move into the U. S. nd Britain zones where life was much better.
Before long the U. S. and Britain could not afford to feed all the mouths moving in. Russia and France used their hatred for Germany as their excuse for what they were doing but it soured the relationship between the great powers. In the attempt of the U. S. and Britain to help rebuild the economy of Germany they introduced a new currency, the Deutchmark, in U. S. , Britain and French zones. They got France to agree by supporting their reclaiming effort of French-Indo China. Knowing that Russia would not agree with the new currency, they ere not consulted.
This broke the rule that was set that anything that affected all of Germany must be agreed upon by all zones. News also began to come out about the formation of Bizonia, the joining of the U. S. and British zones. Stalin, upset over not being consulted over the currency issue and the news of a Bizonia, saw this as a good time to get the allies out of Berlin. The Soviets halted first auto, then barge, finally all railroad traffic into the city, sealing off the western portion of Berlin controlled by American, British, and French forces. (www. germanyinfo. org)
President Truman, who took over from Roosevelt after he passed away, had one of the most important decisions he would face as President. By moving into Russias zone and trying to break the blockade using ground forces Truman would risk the possibility of starting World War III. It was also an election year for Truman, the first he had faced, and all eyes were watching him on this one. Trumans decision would eventually help him win the election. Truman, lacking the ground forces to punch through a blockade and worried about starting World War III opted to go with the airlift to get into Berlin.
For the next 322 day, beginning June 26 1948, U. S. and Britain launched the largest aerial resupply operation the world has ever seen. Major General Curtis E. LeMay was commander of the Air Forces in Europe. At his disposal he had 102 C-47s, each with a cargo capacity of three tons and two of the larger C-54s that could haul ten tons a trip. The first day thirty-two flights by the C-47s were flown carrying eighty tons of cargo, mainly powdered milk, flour, and medicine. (www. fas. org. )
Soon efforts were stepped up as the U. S. increased their use by the C-47s and reinforcement arrived as new C-54s were delivered to help. American officials soon realized that they would not only have to deliver food but also coal to heat the Germans homes in the winter. Sine the bags of coal would take up so much more room the airlift had to be stepped up and it was too much for U. S. Air Forces in Europe. June 1 1948 the Military Air Transport Service was formed and would become responsible for the airlift. The military Air Transport Service was created by the merger of Air Force and Navy transport units.
Selected to command the Berlin Airlift was Major General William H. Turner, a veteran of arial supply lines from India to China during World War II. General Turner did not arrive in Germany until late July 1948 and his first goal was to speed up the delivery of the cargo. His attempts to speed up the delivery would earn him the nickname of Willie the Whip. General Turner had set a goal to land a plane every minute day or night, which some crew members came close to touching down a plane every three minutes. Supply delivers grew from 500-700 tons a day in June 1948 to 12, 940 tons by April 1949. (www. germany-info. g)
It was Easter Sunday, April 1949, that the system delivered nearly 13,000 tons which set a record for a days tonnage and came to be known as the Easter Parade. During the Easter Parade the equivalent of 600 railroad cars of coal was delivered by the airlift. (www. fas. org. ) The effort to deliver the amount of tonnage they required teamwork by everyone involved. First, fuel and bulk cargo were sent by ships across the Atlantic from U. S. to Germany. Once in Germany the cargo was shipped to one of the U. S. Air Force airfields: two were in the American zone and two in the British zone.
Cargo from the American zone went to the Templehof Airfield and in the British zone cargo went to Gatow Airport. The cargo was then loaded and flown into Berlin by the U. S. Air Force, U. S. Navy, and Royal Air Force. The Berlin Airlift was only successful because of the efforts of all parties involved. One of the most eagerly anticipated items brought in was candy for the cities children. Operation Little Villies began when American flier, Lt. Gail S. Halverson had promised the children he would bring them more candy on his next trip.
Halverson told the children to watch for as he ould wiggle the wing of his plane to let them know it was him. Lt. Halverson kept his promise by wiggling the wing of his plane and dropping candy attached to parachutes for the eagerly anticipating children. His kindness earned him the nickname Uncle Wiggle Wing and word soon caught on as school children in the U. S. began candy collections The Americans and British were well in their rights in using the airways into Berlin so there was not much Stalin could do about it. Soviet forces harassed but did not attack the cargo planes of the Anglo-American alliance.
By the spring of 1949 it had become obvious that the harassment tactics of the Soviets did not deter the American and British efforts of bringing supplies into Berlin. Soon After the Soviet Union entered into negotiations that would lead to an agreement signed on May5 1949 which would see the blockade lifted. Diplomatic historian John Gaddis of Yale University said, It seems to me its the first clear Soviet defeat in the Cold War. Its the only thing that the Soviets started and failed to finish. (www. nandonet. com)
The airlift would continue until September 30 1949 as the U. S. and Britain built up a mass reserve of supplies in the event that the Soviets reimposed the blockade. Between June 26, 1948 and September 30 1949 more than 2. 3 million tons of cargo was delivered to Berlin. American pilots flew over 92 million miles in more than 189,000 flights before the 322 day ordeal would come to an end. Throughout the blockade all eyes were on the superpowers and their leaders but when all was said and done it was Stalin and the Soviets that blinked first. The Berlin Airlift is still remembered today as one of the greatest feats in aviation history.