World War II

During World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States were allies. As it wound down, they sought to devise a peaceful way to govern the future of Europe.

Division of Germany

At the Potsdam Conference, it was agreed that the Soviets would control East Germany while the West would control West Germany. Berlin, located in East Germany, would be divided into sectors controlled by the British, French, United States, and USSR.

Blockade

The Western powers combined their sectors of Berlin and initiated the process of making West Germany an independent country. The Soviet Union was threatened by the prospect of a newly resurgent Germany and closed railroads from West Germany into Berlin in 1948, blocking supplies of food and fuel to Berlin residents.

Airlift

Operation Vittles, commanded by U.S. Air Force General Curtis LeMay, used cargo aircraft to ferry supplies into the Western-controlled zones of the city, providing enough food and other needed items to sustain the residents. Within several months, residents were receiving 5,000 tons of supplies each day.

Aftermath

The blockade was lifted after roughly 11 months, when the Soviet Union found that it was ineffective. The Allies used the event as the impetus behind the creation of an independent state in Western Germany.

Source:

PBS Primer on Berlin Blockade

State Department Timeline of the Potsdam Conference

State Department Timeline of Berlin Crises