Berlin Airlift

The Berlin Airlift was one of the greatest aviation feats of the 20th century committed by the U.S., U.K., and French governments. Its beginnings started in post-WWII Germany, in which Germany was divvied up into four sections: UK, US, France, and USSR. Berlin, however, the capital of Germany and most important city in Germany, was located within USSR territory, so it too was divvied up into four separate regions between the four nation. As the Cold War progressed, however, the USSR attempted to blockade off the other three nations' land access to Berlin. This made it so West Berlin was incapable of receiving supplies, and they were in dire need of help from their respective nations. To avoid all-out war, the U.S., U.K., and France all began working together to fly in supplies in what is known as the Berlin Airlift. It began on June 24, 1948, when Germany began the blockade, and ended May 12, 1949, when Germany finally lifted the blockade. At its peak, the three countries were managing to lift in over 25,000 tons of necessary supplies. A point of notable interest was Colonel Gail Seymour "Hal" Halvorsen who was also known as the "Candy Bomber," for his dropping of tiny parachutes of candy on the German to raise morale. Watch this great animated video for more information!