The Berlin Airlift Introduction
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 The Berlin Airlift 
Introduction At the end of World War II, Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union each occupied a section of Germany. Each country also controlled a zone within the capital city of Berlin, which was located inside of the Soviet section (see maps on next page). Between 1947 and 1948, cooperation between the Western powers and the Soviet Union broke down and the Western Allies decided to create a separate government within their zones. In an effort to dissuade them, the angered Soviets blockaded the city of Berlin on June 24, 1948. In order to keep the city alive, Britain, France, and the United States worked together to airlift all necessary supplies into the city. Food, coal, and industrial supplies were flown into the city on a round-the-clock basis. Soldiers even parachuted chocolate bars into the city for Berlin children. It seemed like an impossible task to keep the entire city functioning using only air power, but President Truman made a momentous decision, stating that, “… we are going to stay-period." Despite bad weather, fatigue, and dangerous flying conditions, pilots managed to actually increase the amount of supplies brought into the city over time (leaders put crews into a healthy competition with one another in order to boost both morale and the quantity of supplies flown). On April 16, 1949, the Combined Airlift Task Force mounted its maximum effort in what came to be known as the “Easter Parade.” That day 1,398 flights brought 12,940 tons of supplies into Berlin. Finally realizing that the Western powers were not going to give up on the city, the Soviets lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949. Berlin Airlift Statistics
*A comparison with the recent multinational airlift into Sarajevo suggests how intense an effort the Berlin Airlift was. From July 1992 to January 1996, 179,910 tons of cargo was airlifted into Sarajevo. In contrast, the Berlin Airlift delivered more than that amount in March 1949 alone, using smaller aircraft and less sophisticated technology. The Berlin AirliftStudent ActivityUsing the introduction information, answer the following questions. Round all of your answers to the nearest whole number and be sure to show your work.
Berlin Airlift Maps 
Berlin Airlift Flight Corridors Partitioning of the city of Berlin The Berlin AirliftAnswer Key
24/1,398 = approximately 58 flights per hour and 58/60 = 1 flight per minute
1,398/12,940 = approximately 9 tons and 9 x 2,000 = 18,000 pounds of cargo on each plane
U.S. – 189,963/278,228 = 68% of flights and 1,783,573/2,326,406 = 77% of cargo Britain – 87,841/278,228 = 32% of flights and 541,937/2,326,406 = 23% of cargo France – less and 1% of each flights and cargo
179,910/2,326,406 - the effort in Sarajevo lifted about 8% of what the Berlin effort lifted
2,326,406 x 2,000 = 4,652,812,000 pounds of supplies were airlifted Directory: educ -> presidentialyears educ -> Scenes from the Headlines: Lessons and Ideas for Discussion Timeline educ -> Describe the scenes which show the marines landing are they being opposed? educ -> 1948 Lesson Plan Teacher Name: Valerie Schrag Grade Level: 11 Course educ -> Visualizing Devotion Student Handout Edward Curtis and Native American History presidentialyears -> Post War America Introduction presidentialyears -> Presidential Decision-Making: The Atomic Bomb presidentialyears -> The General The President Versus Introduction presidentialyears -> Jackie Robinson: Baseball Player Civil Rights Advocate Download 15.13 Kb. Share with your friends:
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