The Blockade Breakers

The Berlin Airlift

Helena P Schrader

• Publisher: Sutton
• Year: 2008
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9780752468044
• Subtopic: World War II
• Index: History

The Berlin Airlift represents one of the most dramatic humanitarian efforts of the postwar era and was a strikingly successful example of British and American cooperation. It was also an event that made a major contribution towards turning a wartime enemy into a Cold War ally. Helena Schrader commemorates the "Blockade Breakers" of the Berlin Airlift and the impact they had on Allied-German relations in this thoroughly-researched study. The book recreates the excitement and tension of the period by reminding the reader that the success of the Airlift was by no means a foregone conclusion. At the core of the book are two themes: the enormous logistical challenges posed by the Airlift, and the complicated relationship between Berliners and the Western Allies. It focuses on the human, political, economic, and technological perspectives and includes a wealth of first-hand accounts from British, American, German, and Russian sources.

Table of contents

• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Maps
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• 1. Crisis in Berlin
• 2. The Long, Difficult Road to a Dangerous Dead End
• 3. So What Do We Do Now?
• 4. Humble Expectations
• 5. Berliners, East and West
• 6. The Airlift Begins
• 7. Dedication without Glory
• 8. An Army of Worker Ants
• 9. ‘Is Anyone in Charge Here?’
• 10. Political Prisoners
• 11. The Airlift Falters
• 12. General Winter versus Father Christmas
• 13. Winning the First Confrontation in the Cold War
• 14. ‘Hurrah! We’re Still Alive’
• 15. Conclusion
• Appendix I: Timeline
• Appendix II: Contributions to the Berlin Airlift
• Appendix III: Monthly Flights and Tonnages
• Appendix IV: Casualties
• Notes and Sources
• Bibliography