As It Happened

The Berlin Airlift: The First Battle of the Cold War (2 Parts)

After the end of World War II, political differences between the United States and the Soviet Union intensified. Recent allies on the battlefields of Europe, the two super powers were now embroiled in a strategic war of different ideologies-the Cold War. These divisions were especially evident in the division of Berlin. In 1948, following controversies over German currency reform, the Soviet Union closed off all rail and highway access to Berlin, hoping to starve the Allies from the city. The United States, and later Great Britain, responded with the largest airlift in history. “Operation Vittles” delivered food and coal for over four hundred days, breaking the Soviet blockade and resolve. The Berlin Airlift would be useful for classes on American History, European History, Soviet History, Political Science and Aviation History. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

Discussion Questions

  1. The Berlin Airlift has been called a bloodless victory. What does this phrase mean?

  2. The Berlin Airlift was the first major battle of the Cold war. What was the Cold War? How is a

  3. How and when did the Cold War start?

  4. Bombs nearly destroyed Berlin at the end of World War II. Why did the allied forces bomb Berlin so heavily?

  5. The Russian Army raped the women of Berlin at the end of the World War II? Why do armies rape the women of a defeated nation, country, or state?

  6. Why did the allied forces divide Berlin into four areas after the war? Who were the

  7. How did the negotiations at Potsdam secure the air routes that became the lifeline for the Berlin airlift?

  8. In a speech at a Missouri college in 1946, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated

  9. In 1948, American President Harry S. Truman issued a doctrine that bore his name. What was the Truman Doctrine? How did this doctrine influence American foreign policy for the second half of the twentieth century?

  10. How did the airlift start? Discuss some of the logistic problems of the airlift.

  11. What is the

  12. How did the Allies incorporate the efforts of the German people in the airlift? What were the benefits of this, both short term and long term?

  13. Discuss the role of women in the airlift.

  14. How did the German winter hamper the airlift? How did the pilots and ground crews overcome these limitations?

  15. What did the
Extended Activities

  1. Research the Marshall Plan of the postwar era. What did this plan do? How did it shape American economic and foreign policy in the postwar years

  2. Draw a map of Berlin that illustrates how the city was divided after the war.

  3. Imagine that you are an airlift pilot or a citizen of Berlin during the airlift. Write diary or journal entries in which you express your feelings, experiences and reactions about and to the airlift.

  4. Design a monument or memorial for the pilots who lost their lives in the airlift.
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