The Berlin Blockade

1. June 1948-May 1949 The Berlin Blockade

2. The Potsdam Agreement(AKA- The Three Power Conference of Berlin) • July 17- August 2, 1945 • US, UK, France & USSR agree on what to do with Germany • De-Nazification • Demilitarization • Democratization • Results in German territory divided amongst the 4 countries. • Berlin was also divided

5. Soviet Plans • Stalin wanted to remove other countries from Germany. • In 1946 he stated that “Germany must be both Soviet and communist.” • No official agreement granted rail & road access to UK, US & France through Soviet territory • The Soviets began by limiting the Allies to ten trains per day.

6. The Marshall Plan • The US determined that economic stability in Germany was essential to security • US Secretary of State Gen. George Marshall held talks with Soviet leaders to plan for Germany's economic success. • Stalin showed little interest in a prosperous Germany and talks ceased after six weeks • On June 5, 1947 Marshall announced the “European Recovery Programme” which offered US$ to all European countries that wished to build their economies. This became known as “The Marshall Plan” • It included Eastern Europe and the USSR

7. Stalin was against the Marshall Plan • The USSR had the “Eastern Bloc” which was a “buffer zone” between Russia and Western Europe • He also preferred a weakened Germany, dependent on the USSR. • The Soviets described the Marshall Plan as “dollar imperialism,” (USA inserting its economic, political and cultural dominance) • Despite Stalin's resistance the Allied powers decided to apply the Marshall Plan to Germany in March 1948

8. The April Crisis • The USSR increased restrictions on transportation between allied zones in Berlin. • All trains had to be searched and approved by a Soviet commander. • The US temporarily supplied zones by air • The Soviets believed that air supply would be too expensive for the allies to continue for a long time

9. The Currency Crisis • Both the USSR and the USA had plans to implement their own currency in Germany (Ostmark & Deutsche Mark) • In June, the USA swent forward and implemented the Deutsche Mark. • The Deutshe mark had the financial backing of the Marshall plan and was bound to be successful • This was the final straw. Stalin wanted the allies out of Germany for good.

10. The Blockade Begins • All supply trains were halted on June 21, 1948. • On June 22, the Soviets implemented their own currency the Ostmark • June 24- All communications between areas in Berlin were cut and barge traffic halted • UK, USA and France argued that they had a right to use roads in Soviet territory, but there were no official agreements

11. Much needed supplies • At the time Berlin had only 36 days worth of food and 45 days worth of fuel • USA and UK had pulled most of their soldiers from Germany after WWII, but there were still 1.5 million USSR troops • USA military strategy relied on atomic bombs. (Won't help save Berlin) • Stalin was certain he could starve the allied areas into submission

12. Airlift • Although land routes had not been negotiated, air routes had. • Nov. 30, 1945 the four countries agreed on 3 air routes that could be used • Also, cargo planes were clearly non-military so the Soviets could not shoot them down and claim they thought it was a threat.

14. We Can Haul Anything! • The big question was: Is it possible to supply 2 million people by air alone? • They would need 1534 tons of food and another 3475 tons of fuel DAILY!!! • Each aircraft could carry approx. 3.5 tons • The total aircraft in Germany could carry 900 tons/day • The UK and USA had to provide more planes • Additional support from France, Canada and Australia made the plan feasible.

15. Success? • Due to maintenance and loading times the airlift got off to a slow start. • The first week they moved only 90 tons/day • The next week they reached 1000 tons daily • This encouraged the Soviets

16. Lt. Gen. William Tunner

17. Tunner took command of the operation on July 28, 1948 • He had successfully organized the supply of China from India during WWII • After some initial failures (Black Friday) he reorganized everything: • Instrument flight only • Replace 3.5 ton C47s with 10 ton C54s • Mobile snack bars for pilots • Reorganized the landing procedures to allow 1440 landings/day • Central control point for all air traffic in and out • By the end of Aug. they were doing 1500 landings/day and offloading 4500 tons

18. Winter • The airlift was successful, but was only supposed to work for a couple months at most • The Soviets kept the blockade into the late fall of 1948 and showed no signs of letting up • Plans had to be made to keep the Berliners alive over the winter. • Food supplies would be the same, but an additional 6000 tons of coal daily would be needed to provide heat • More planes were supplied, airports were upgraded and new runways were built

19. The Blockade Ends • By the following spring, the operation was running so smoothly, that more supplies were being brought in by air than had ever been brought by land • By May, the Soviets and allies came to an agreement and the blockade was ended. • In total the allies flew: • 2,326,406 tons on 278,228 flights • Over 92 million miles flown • 101 fatalities • Total cost was US$224 million (2.2 billion today)