What was the significance of the west Berlin blockade?

Answer 1

The Berlin Blockade and airlift were important for the development of the Cold war because it was one of the first crises which happened during the Cold War. The Berlin Blockade changed many people's lives in West Berlin as the Soviets had blocked food supplies, energy supplies and gas to West Berlin by closing all roads and railways. This lead to the USA and Britain having to supply West Berlin by sending airplanes filled with supplies to West Berlin. In order for West Berlin to survive, they needed 4000 tonnes of food a day which meant that aeroplanes filled with supplies landed every 30 seconds. This was called the Berlin airlift. As a result of this, 79 American and British pilots lost their lives. In May 1949 Stalin called off the Berlin Blockade as the Soviets realised that the people of West Berlin were managing fine with the help of the USA and the UK.

Answer 2

The Berlin Blockade was the Soviets' attempt to annex West Berlin. They closed all the roads and rail lines leading into West Berlin, then offered to sell West Berlin all the things they would need. The idea was, the West Berliners would see the US and Britain were doing nothing to help them in their plight and would happily become Communists. (Apparently, the West Berliners were supposed to forget the Communists caused the plight in the first place.)

The true significance of the blockade came in General Lucius Clay's response to it: he engineered Operation Vittles, which was the aerial resupply of West Berlin. (This is better known as the Berlin Airlift.) The Communists didn't think West Berlin could be resupplied by air; General Clay proved it could. The resupply mission broke the blockade and proved to the world America stands by its allies.

I must tell you about Operation Little Vittles. There was an American pilot named Gail Halvorsen. He loved children and started giving candy to the kids around Tempelhof Central Airport, where the US was flying missions into. Eventually he started dropping candy, tied to little parachutes, out of his plane. Other pilots found he was doing it and started doing the same thing. Then the general in charge of the main airlift found out about it, approved it, named it Operation Little Vittles and leaked it to the press. Next thing you know, American candy companies were donating candy, which they shipped to American grade schools so kids could tie the little parachutes on it before it was sent to England to be loaded onto airplanes.