After World War II, the East German city of Berlin was divided into four zones ruled by the victorious former Allies. In June 1948, the Cold War began to heat up when Soviet Premier Josef Stalin decided to cut the road and rail supply routes to West Berlin, leaving a city of two million with only a 36-day supply of food, coal, and other necessities. With characteristic resolve, President Harry Truman rejected direct military confrontation in favor of an airlift to transport provisions into the beleaguered city. Narrated by Joe Morton, this PBS-aired documentary from the American Experience series tells the story of how the West won the first salvo in the Cold War. America quickly pressed former WWII pilots into service to bring supplies of milk, powdered eggs, flour, and coal to a cold and hungry city still suffering in the aftermath of war. The airlift quickly became a war for the hearts and minds of Berliners (fortunately, Russian propaganda proved no match for American radio shows featuring jazz and country music), and produced some strange and ironic alliances, as former Luftwaffe pilots worked alongside American wartime fighter aces. The documentary features interviews with aging airlift pilots and grown up children who fondly remember how their fear was transformed into gratitude and affection toward the pilot-benefactors. Nearly a year later, the Soviets lifted the blockade, but Berlin would remain a flashpoint for tensions until the end of the Cold War. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
The Berlin Airlift
(2006) 60 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.95 w/PPR). PBS Video. Closed captioned. ISBN: 0-7936-9330-6. Volume 22, Issue 4
The Berlin Airlift
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