On June 26, 1948, American and British pilots began airlifting food and supplies to Berlin after the city was blockaded by the Soviet Union.
When World War II ended in 1945, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet, American, British, and French occupation zones. The city of Berlin, although located in the Soviet occupation zone, was also divided into four sectors, with the Allies taking the western part of the city and the Soviets taking the eastern part. In June 1948, Joseph Stalin's government attempted to consolidate control of the city by cutting off all land and sea routes to West Berlin in order to pressure the Allies to evacuate. As a result, by June 24, West Berlin and its 2 million people were starved of food, heating oil, and other essential supplies.
Although some in the administration of U.S. President Harry S. Truman called for a direct military response to this aggressive Soviet move, Truman was concerned that such a response would trigger a new world war. Instead, he authorized a large-scale air operation under the control of General Lucius D. Clay, the American-appointed military governor of Germany. The first planes took off from England and West Germany on June 26, loaded with food, clothing, water, medicine, and fuel.
At the beginning of the operation, the planes delivered about 5,000 tons of supplies to West Berlin each day, and this was later increased to about 8,000 tons of supplies per day. The Allies transported about 2.3 million tons of cargo during the airlift.
The Soviets lifted the blockade in May 1949, having earned the scorn of the international community for subjecting innocent men, women, and children to deprivation and starvation. The airlift - called die Luftbrucke or “the air bridge” in German - continued until September 1949 at a total cost of over $224 million. Thus, the eastern part of Berlin was absorbed into Soviet East Germany, while West Berlin remained a separate territory with its own government and close ties to West Germany.