Today in History, June 24: Berlin Blockade

byericpierre

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7 years ago

1948, on June 24, the Soviet Union blocks all road and rail traffic to and from West Berlin leading to one of the most dramatic standoffs in the history of the Cold War.

Following World War II, Germany was divided into occupation zones. The United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and, eventually, France, were given specific zones to occupy. The Soviet Union occupied most of eastern Germany, while the other Allied nations occupied western Germany. The German capital of Berlin was similarly divided into four zones of occupation. Almost immediately, differences between the Soviets Union and the other Allies surfaced. The Soviets sought huge reparations from Germany in the form of money, industrial equipment, and resources. They also made it clear that they desired a neutral and disarmed Germany. The United States and Great Britain saw things in quite a different way. They believed that the economic recovery of Western Europe was dependent on a strong, reunified Germany. They also felt that only a rearmed Germany could stand as a bulwark against Soviet expansion into Western Europe.

These mounting tensions led the Soviets on March 25, 1948, to issue orders restricting Western military and passenger traffic between the American, British and French occupation zones and Berlin. These new measures began on April 1. Along with an announcement that no cargo could leave Berlin by rail without the permission of the Soviet commander. Each train and truck was to be searched by the Soviet authorities. On April 2, American General Clay ordered a halt to all military trains and required that supplies to the military garrison be transported by air, in what was dubbed the "Little Lift". At the same time, Soviet military aircraft began to violate West Berlin airspace and would harass flights in and out of West Berlin. On April 5, a Soviet Air Force fighter collided with a British European Airways airliner near RAF Gatow airfield, killing all aboard both aircraft. The Gatow air disaster exacerbated tensions between the Soviets and the other allied powers.

Creation of an economically stable western Germany required reform of the unstable German Reichsmark currency. The Soviets had debased the Reichsmark by excessive printing. Resulting in Germans using cigarettes as a de facto currency or for bartering. On June 20, 1948, a Sunday a new currency was introduced in western Germany. The Soviets responded by introducing their own new currency. The Americans and the British had already transported 250,000,000 Deutsche Marks of the new currency into the city and it quickly became the standard currency in all four sectors.

The day after the new currency introduction in western Germany, Soviet guards began to halt all passenger trains and traffic on the autobahn to Berlin, thus delaying freight shipments. On June 22, the Soviet military halted a United States military supply train to Berlin and sent it back to western Germany, leading to a breakdown of all diplomatic negotiations with the Soviets.

On 24 June, the Soviets severed land and water connections between the non-Soviet zones of Germany and Berlin. Therefore starting a blockade of Berlin. On 25 June, the Soviets stopped supplying food to the civilian population in the non-Soviet sectors of Berlin. They also cut off the electricity, using their control over the electricity plants in the Soviet zone.

Meanwhile in West Berlin, panic began to set in as its population worried about shortages of food, water, and medical aid. In response to the blockade by the Soviets the American and the British decided to increase the air lift of goods. Just two days after the Soviets began their blockade the American and the British started with a massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin in what was to become one of the greatest logistical efforts in history. The Soviet, not having the air supremacy, did not disrupt the airlift. As the blockade turned out to be a terrible diplomatic move by the Soviets, they officially ended the blockade one minute after midnight on May 12, 1949.