June 26, 1948
The Berlin Airlift, also known as “Operation Vittles” and die Luftbrucke, “the air bridge,” began. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. Although some in U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s administration called for a direct military response to this aggressive Soviet move, Truman worried this would trigger another world war. Instead, he authorized a massive airlift operation. The first planes took off from England and western Germany on June 26, loaded with food, clothing, water, medicine and fuel. By July 15, an average of 2,500 tons of supplies was being flown into the city every day. The airlift continued until September, 1949. The Soviets earned the scorn of the international community for subjecting two million men, women and children to hardship and starvation.
