The Berlin Blockade (June 24, 1948 – May 11, 1949) 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 three Western powers' railroad and street access to the western sectors of Berlin that they had been controlling. The crisis abated after the Western powers bypassed the blockade by establishing the Berlin Airlift.
Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift
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Dear Zoe,
I had not realized until I heard on the radio what day it was (yesterday). Probably one of the US's best responses to a major confrontation between us and the "Ruskies", it demonstrated ingunity with the use of compassion and technology.
Interestingly, and though I'm still reseraching this story, apparently "Uncle Wiggly Wings" (the pilot who started the entire practice of dropping candy), though much appreciated by the thousands of children who received candy from him (and later other US pilots). The young boy never seemed to get any candy, and stated [insert German child accent] "how is it you could win the war, if you can't drop candy on a house? Here are the directions to my house - please drop candy soon!" Stories like these are humourous, but add depth to such an event. For more on this, one can visit:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91906449
http://www.konnections.com/airlift/candy.htm
http://www.konnections.com/airlift/candy.htm
(of course, on this one, they gloss over the fact they tried to court-martial him (unsuccessfully) for his airdrops...)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,556027,00.html
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