At the end of World War II, the Americans and their allies divided Berlin, the capital of Germany, into four sectors, with the Russians taking one of the sectors. The problem was that the Western (American) sector of Berlin was surrounded by the Russian sector of Germany, which was also divided. In June of 1948, Joseph Stalin stopped all road and rail traffic coming into and out of the Allied Sector of Berlin. He simultaneously cut off all electricity to the city, leaving only a twenty-mile-wide sector of air corridors and one way to get supplies to desperate, starving people.
The United States, using the only method they could, led Allies to mobilize an unprecedented airlift of thousands of tons of supplies each day. By September 1948, the airlift was transporting food, coal, medical supplies, and other necessities into West Berlin as aid for the residents. At the same time, Russian military threatened to strike down any aircraft caught flying outside of the corridor. Finally, by April of 1949, Russia announced their intent to end the blockade, and in August of the same year, the United States airlift operation was terminated.
With an unparalleled attention to detail, Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell, relay the intricacies and maneuverings of the Berlin airlift. This amazing true story is set against the backdrop of 1948 Germany, the post-World War II world, and the beginning of the Cold War.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Inside Flap
In the early hours of June 24, 1948, an order from Joseph Stalin halted all road and rail traffic into and out of the Allied sector of Berlin. Stalin also cut off all electricity to the city. Western Berlin was now comparable to an island surrounded by a sea of red, which was the Russian-occupied zone of Germany. The only route into Berlin was by means of three twenty-mile-wide air corridors across the Soviet zone of Germany. Thus the wartime allies of Britain, France, and the USA realized that the only option open to them was to supply the beleaguered West Berlin by air transport and so started one of the most dramatic events of the twentieth century.
The airlift started immediately. At the beginning there were three loading airfields: Rhein Main and Wiesbaden in the American zone and Weinstorf in the British zone. By September of 1948, the airlift was transporting a massive tonnage of supplies into Berlin, including coal, food, medical supplies, and all the other necessities of life. A mixed fleet of aircraft plodded their endless path to and from the city. DC-3s, Avro Yorks, and many ex-World War II bombers were dragged out of retirement to save the city--as were the pilots who flew them.
In November 1948, the Russian military authorities threatened to force down western aircraft if they flew out-side the twenty-mile-wide corridors, but by March 1949, a total of 45,683 tons of supplies per week were being flown into Berlin. The following month Russia finally announced her intention to end the blockade after 328 days. A massive total of 2,325,509 tons of vital supplies had saved what became known as West Berlin.
Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell have written extensively on military history and warfare. Their previous works have focused on both World War I and World War II. Their other books include The RAF Air Sea Rescue Service 1918-1986, Battle of Britain 1917, and The Battle of Jutland.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Back Cover
In the early hours of June 24, 1948, an order from Joseph Stalin halted all road and rail traffic into and out of the Allied sector of Berlin. Stalin also cut off all electricity to the city. Western Berlin was now comparable to an island surrounded by a sea of red, which was the Russian-occupied zone of Germany. The only route into Berlin was by means of three twenty-mile-wide air corridors across the Soviet zone of Germany. Thus the wartime allies of Britain, France, and the USA realized that the only option open to them was to supply the beleaguered West Berlin by air transport and so started one of the most dramatic events of the twentieth century.
The airlift started immediately. At the beginning there were three loading airfields: Rhein Main and Wiesbaden in the American zone and Weinstorf in the British zone. By September of 1948, the airlift was transporting a massive tonnage of supplies into Berlin, including coal, food, medical supplies, and all the other necessities of life. A mixed fleet of aircraft plodded their endless path to and from the city. DC-3s, Avro Yorks, and many ex-World War II bombers were dragged out of retirement to save the city--as were the pilots who flew them.
In November 1948, the Russian military authorities threatened to force down western aircraft if they flew out-side the twenty-mile-wide corridors, but by March 1949, a total of 45,683 tons of supplies per week were being flown into Berlin. The following month Russia finally announced her intention to end the blockade after 328 days. A massive total of 2,325,509 tons of vital supplies had saved what became known as West Berlin.
Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell have written extensively on military history and warfare. Their previous works have focused on both World War I and World War II. Their other books include The RAF Air Sea Rescue Service 1918-1986, Battle of Britain 1917, and The Battle of Jutland.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. 
