Berlin Airlift 1948-49: The opening battle of the Cold War

Richly illustrated throughout, this focused study reveals how the greatest airlift of the 20th century was sparked, organized, and flown, and why it succeeded.

The Berlin Airlift was the first battle of the Cold War, and arguably its most decisive operation. As the Iron Curtain descended across Europe, the USSR blockaded free West Berlin in an attempt to force its surrender. Its only chance was a Western airlift on a scale never before attempted, to supply and sustain a major capital city th...