The Berlin Airlift
June 26, 1948, was the first day of what would become known as the Berlin Airlift. The Soviets had been harassing the French, British and American authorities in Berlin for weeks, trying to force them from the city. Finally, when all surface routes to the city were blockaded, it became clear that an airlift through the Allied sectors was the only way to re-supply the 2 million West Berliners. In spite of the enormous human and financial cost, the Berlin Airlift supplied food, fuel and hope to beleaguered citizens until the Soviet barricades were finally lifted on May 12, 1949.
Image: National Archives
