In the year 1945, Germany had been divided up into 2 primary zones. West Germany was controlled by the countries of Britain, France, and the United States. East Germany was controlled by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union. But, the two zones were not in complete peace with each other. Berlin, the capital of Germany, was deep in the Soviet's territory, but not completely controlled by them.
The western half of Berlin was controlled by the western powers. After tensions grew between the two sides over Berlin, Stalin finally decided it was time to get the western powers out of Berlin's hands. So, he ordered men to stand guard and block the entrance and exit to the west of Berlin.
Many citizens of West Berlin were American, British, or French, and were not very pleased with Stalin's ideas. The United States was in the same mental position as these citizens, in saying that what Stalin did was offensive against the countries of France, Britain, and the U.S. So, United States president Harry S. Truman took action, and ordered cargo planes to fly from the British border to West Berlin to aid the citizens there.
The leader of this operation was General Curtis Lemay. According to Lemay, when asked if this mission would really work, his only response was, “we can haul anything.” At this, the citizens of Western Berlin were thrilled with pride and joy. After seeing his plan to blockade Berlin was a bust, Stalin cleared the blockade, and ground routes in and out of the city were opened again.
