How a massive aerial supply chain saved a city from starvation

Cultures · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When the Soviet Union severed all land and water access to West Berlin in 1948, the Western Allies faced a choice: retreat or innovate. What followed was a breathtaking logistical feat, delivering millions of tons of essential supplies via the skies to an isolated population.

The Berlin Blockade, lasting from 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949, emerged as a primary crisis of the early Cold War. Following the introduction of the Deutsche Mark in West Berlin, the Soviet Union blocked all railway, road, and canal access to the Western-controlled sectors of the city. This move was a response to the Western Allies' unilateral currency reform, which the Soviets opposed, preferring their own currency to circulate.

In response, the Western Allies launched the Berlin Airlift, or 'Berliner Luftbrücke.' Between 26 June 1948 and 30 September 1949, American and British air forces conducted over 200,000 landings. The scale of the operation was immense: at its peak, a plane reached West Berlin every thirty seconds. The mission delivered a staggering 2,334,374 tons of supplies—nearly two-thirds of which was coal—to sustain the city's population.

The operation was not without cost. The US Air Force alone delivered approximately 1,783,576 tons, while the RAF delivered 541,937 tons. However, the mission was perilous; 17 American and 8 British aircraft crashed, resulting in 101 fatalities. Beyond the logistics, the airlift left a lasting cultural legacy, notably through 'Operation Little Vittles,' where aircraft dropped candy to German children, earning the pilots the nickname 'raisin bombers.'

The blockade finally ended on 12 May 1949, due to economic difficulties in East Berlin. While the Soviet Union lifted the restrictions, the Western Allies continued flying supplies for several months to ensure the city's stability, eventually ending the airlift in late September 1949.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a successful airlift in 1942 doomed the German army at Stalingrad later
• The massive Berlin landmark designed to look like an eagle in flight
• Why the Berlin Wall was built to stop a massive economic brain drain
• The final collapse of Berlin was a desperate, multi-front Soviet strategic offensive operation.
• Why the Western Allies refused to recognize East Berlin as a sovereign capital city
• How a marshy Illinois outpost became the nation's capital of the Chicago-style bungalow.
• The rifle that moves its piston twice as far as rivals
• How a local zoning dispute launched a career in the U.S. House of Representatives
• From orphaned Zapotec shepherd to the first Indigenous president of Mexico
• The shifting meaning of a name: from fertility gods to house of bread
• The Mediterranean skyscraper city that escaped the mass tourism protests
• A legendary beggar, a silk-weaving riot, and the 'Barmy' park

More in Festivals & celebrations · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics