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Berlin blockade
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Berlin blockade and airlift Cold War
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Berlin blockade: Facts & Related Content

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Facts

Date June 24, 1948 - May 12, 1949
Location Berlin • Germany
Participants France • Soviet Union • United Kingdom • United States
Context Cold War

Did You Know?

  • Western Allies provided West Berlin with over 1.9 million tons of supplies.
  • At least every 45 seconds, Allied aircraft would land in West Berlin with supplies.
  • The Soviet Union unsuccessfully attempted to sabotage airlift attempts by shining searchlights at night to blind pilots.
  • The Allies delivered as much as 6,000 tons of supplies each day.

Photos and Videos

Berlin blockade and airlift
Cold War
Berlin airlift: How “candy bombers” saved West Berlin
Understanding the Berlin blockade and airlift
Impact of the deutsche mark in Germany
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Timeline

Consider President Truman's reasoning for using atomic bombs against Japan and issuing the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
March 12, 1947
George C. Marshall
Marshall Plan
April 1948 - December 1951
Berlin blockade and airlift
Berlin blockade
June 24, 1948 - May 12, 1949
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
May 14, 1955 - July 1, 1991
Francis Gary Powers
U-2 Incident
May 5, 1960 - May 17, 1960
Bay of Pigs invasion
Bay of Pigs invasion
April 17, 1961
Brandenburg Gate
Berlin crisis of 1961
August 1961
Kennedy announces U.S. naval blockade of Cuba
Cuban missile crisis
October 22, 1962 - November 20, 1962
John F. Kennedy: Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
August 5, 1963
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
1969 - 1979
Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions
October 1973 - February 9, 1989
Korean Air Lines flight 007
September 1, 1983
Reagan, Ronald; Gorbachev, Mikhail
Reykjavík summit of 1986
October 11, 1986 - October 12, 1986
Boris Yeltsin and the collapse of the Soviet Union
collapse of the Soviet Union
August 18, 1991 - December 31, 1991

Key People

Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
president of United States
Gen. Lucius D. Clay, 1947
Lucius D. Clay
American general
Ernst Reuter, 1951
Ernst Reuter
German politician

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