Berlin airlift

The Berlin Blockade or Berlin Airlift of 1 April 1948 to 12 May 1949 was a defining moment in European history and one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. Both sides had grown to resent each other since victory over the Nazis in 1945 due to idalogical and ecanomic diferances.

It was during the dysfunction multinational post–World War II occupation of Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the western sectors of Berlin under allied (UK, USA and France) control. Neither side wanted a war to happen, so the Soviets only encircled and cut off W. Berlin, but did not disrupt the airlift one it had started. 338 air-crews flew over 200,000 flights in 1 year to provide up to 8,893 tons of supplies on a daily basis to the encircled West Berliners.

Participant nations
Aircrews from the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, French Armée de l'Air, a few West German volunteers, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force were involved in the airlift.