The Berlin Airlift, 75 years on

On June 24, 1948 the Soviets imposed the Berlin Blockade, barring Western Allies from using road, rail and waterways from western Germany to their occupation zones in Berlin. The crisis was born out of disagreements between Moscow and Washington over the future of Germany.

The Russians precipitated a currency crisis by inflating the reichsmark within their zone, effectively encouraging the creation of a new currency: the Deutsche mark for western Germany. The Soviets responded with the blockade, assuming that the West would give in. Stalin believed the Allies did not have the capability to supply West Berlin by air over a long period. The Allied effort would last for over a year.

The airlift was launched on June 25 and the logistical headache of supplying