# Canonical recap data for Berlin Blockade & Airlift (1948)
# Source: https://recap.at/1948/berlin-airlift
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: berlin-airlift
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1948/berlin-airlift"
title: Berlin Blockade & Airlift
subtitle: The Soviet blockade of West Berlin and the Western airlift response became the first major Cold War crisis, demonstrating resolve and technological capability under pressure.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1948-06-24
endDate: 1949-05-12
datePrecision: day
year: 1948
decade: 1940
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: "The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. 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. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if "
summaryLong: The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. 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. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche Mark from West Berlin.
lede: In 1948, Stalin sealed off West Berlin from the outside world, betting the Western Allies would fold. Instead of backing down, the U.S. and Britain mounted a massive airlift—flying in coal, food, and medicine for nearly a year—and won a Cold War standoff that proved the Soviets could be defied.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/C-54_landing_at_Tempelhof.jpg/1280px-C-54_landing_at_Tempelhof.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Berlin Blockade"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade"
  title: Berlin Blockade and Airlift
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260605060419/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-05
  label: Berlin Blockade and Airlift
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade"
categories:
- war
metaDescription: Stalin blockaded Berlin in 1948. The U.S. and Britain airlifted supplies for 15 months. A defining Cold War moment.
wikidataQid: Q151349
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: regional
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
