Skip to main content

The Berlin airlift : the relief operation that defined the Cold War

Turner, Barry, 1937-2017
Book
Acclaimed historian Barry Turner presents a new history of the Cold War's defining episode. Berlin, 1948 - a divided city in a divided country in a divided Europe. The ruined German capital lay 120 miles inside Soviet-controlled eastern Germany. Stalin wanted the Allies out; the Allies were determined to stay, but had only three narrow air corridors linking the city to the West. Stalin was confident he could crush Berlin's resolve by cutting off food and fuel. In the USA, despite some voices still urging 'America first', it was believed that a rebuilt Germany was the best insurance against the spread of communism across Europe. And so over 11 months from June 1948 to May 1949, British and American aircraft carried out the most ambitious airborne relief operation ever mounted, flying over 2 million tons of supplies on almost 300,000 flights to save a beleaguered Berlin.
Author:
Imprint:
London : Icon, 2017.
Collation:
viii, 292 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cm
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9781785782404 (hbk)
Dewey class:
943.15540874
Language:
English
BRN:
2567832
Clear current selections
items currently selected
View my active Wish list
0Items in my active Wish list