1. Berlin Airlift and Korean War US History Unit 6
Events and Ideas #3
Berlin Airlift and Korean War
US History
Unit 6

2. Contains two short videos
Answer the questions from PPT on your paper

3. Essential Questions:
What did the Soviets hope to achieve with the Berlin blockade?
What things did the United States reaction to the blockade show the world at the beginning of the Cold War?
What was the North Koreans reason for invading South Korea?
What was the United States reason for joining the war?

4. Essential Questions:

5. West Germany
1948 – the West believes that the Soviets were deliberately undermining Germanys economy
The West merges the French, British and American zones of Germany
The West gives Germany their own government that includes West Berlin angering the Soviets
The Soviets are upset that they will never get the reparations that they wanted.

6. Soviet Blockade
Soviets retaliates with the blockade of supplies to West Berlin
Should the Allies just give up on West Berlin?

7. Berlin Airlift
June 27, 1948
Soviets prohibit all surface traffic to Berlin.
Truman approves air traffic to deliver needed supplies and food to Western zones of Berlin.

8. Berlin Airlift 2 ½ million residents in West Berlin
4,500 tons of food, coal, and other material needed daily to maintain a minimum level of existence
Although, the “Cold War” lasted for decades, the first major test of the Free World's will to resist Soviet aggression came in June 1948 when Soviet authorities, claiming "Technical difficulties," halted all traffic by land and by water into or out of the western-controlled section of Berlin. 
The only remaining access routes into the city were three 20 mile-wide air corridors across the Russian zone of Germany.
Faced with the choice of abandoning the city or attempting to supply its inhabitants with the necessities of life by air, the Western Powers chose the latter course and for the next 11 months sustained the city's 2 1/2 million residents in one of the greatest feats in aviation history.

10. The Berlin airlift becomes a symbol of American determination
Beginning on June 26 USAF C-47s carried 80 tons of food into Berlin, far less than the estimated 4,500 tons of food, coal, and other material needed daily to maintain a minimum level of existence for the 2 ½ million residents.

11. Cross-sectional View of Flight into Berlin
C-47s unloading at Tempelhof
This arrangement allowed for landing at the rate of one plane every 3 minutes. 
Later, two levels were used with spacing that allowed for landing at the same rate

12. Lt. Halvorsen dropping candy
Gail Halvorsen, an Airlift pilots, used his off time to fly into Berlin and make movies with his handheld camera. During a trip he walked over to a crowd of children who had gathered at the end of the runway to watch the planes coming in.
He introduced himself and they started to ask him questions about the aircraft and their flights. As a goodwill gesture, he handed out his only two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum, and promised that if they did not fight over them, the next time he returned he would drop off more.
The children quickly divided up the pieces as best they could. Before he left them, a child asked him how they would know it was him flying over, and he replied, "I'll wiggle my wings.“ The very next day, on approach to Berlin, he rocked the airplane and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below.
Every day after that the number of children would increase and he made several more drops. Soon there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings", "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier". His commanding officer was upset when the story appeared in the news, but when Lt. General William Tunner – in charge of the airlift – heard about it he thought it was great and immediately christened it "Operation Little Vittles".
Other pilots joined the fun, and when news reached the U.S., children all over the country sent in their own candy to help out. Soon the major candy companies joined in as well. In the end, over three tons of candy was dropped over Berlin, and the "operation" became a major propaganda success.
Stalin, eventually realizing that the blockade is now working against the Soviets, lifted the blockade. Though the containment of communism in Europe is going ok, Asia is another matter entirely…

13. Airlift Statistics USA delivered 1,783,573 tons
British delivered 541,937 tons
Australian Air Force delivered 7,968 tons
nearly two-thirds of which was coal
Total flights to Berlin: 278,228
Killed during the airlift operation
39 British and 31 U.S. people killed
17 American and 8 British aircraft crashed
Total of 101 fatalities (many non-flight deaths)
The Berlin Airlift officially ended on 30 September 1949, after fifteen months. In total the USA delivered 1,783,573 tons and the RAF 541,937 tons, totaling 2,326,406 tons, nearly two-thirds of which was coal, on 278,228 flights to Berlin.
The Royal Australian Air Force delivered 7,968 tons of freight and 6,964 passengers during 2,062 sorties. The C-47s and C-54s together flew over 92 million miles in the process, almost the distance from Earth to the Sun.
At the height of the Airlift, one plane reached West Berlin every thirty seconds.
Pilots came from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.
A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 40 Britons and 31 Americans, mostly due to non-flying accidents. Seventeen American and eight British aircraft crashed during the operation.
The cost of the Airlift was shared between the USA, UK, and Germany. Estimated costs range from approximately US$224 million to over US$500 million (equivalent to approximately $2.22 billion to $4.96 billion now).

14. Airlift Ends Soviets lifted the blockade May 12, 1949
The Berlin Airlift officially ended on 30 September 1949, after fifteen months.
Estimated costs range from approximately 224 million to over 500 million (equivalent to approximately $2.22 billion to $4.96 billion now).
By 24 July 1949 three months' worth of supplies had been amassed, ensuring that there was ample time to restart the Airlift if needed.
The border between East and West Germany was closed in the 1950’s and a barbed-wire fence erected. The border between East and West Berlin, however, remained open, although traffic between the Eastern and the Western sectors was somewhat restricted.
The Berlin wall was not constructed until 1961

15. The Korean War

16. Advance, Retreat, Advance Again!
The Korean War
End of WWII, Soviet and US forces disarmed Japanese troops in Korea.
The United Nations sent armed forces to South Korea to prevent a communist takeover.
US and UN forces fight a “back and forth” war with North Koreans and then Chinese forces.
38th parallel becomes dividing line.
The Korean War, page
End of WWII, Soviet and US forces disarmed Japanese troops in Korea.
i. Soviets provided an extensive military buildup of North Korean forces.
ii. Communist government was set up in the north with an American-backed government in the South.
The United Nations sent armed forces to South Korea to prevent a communist takeover.
i. June 25th, 1950: Ok by Stalin, North Korean forces invade South Korea, rapidly driving the poorly equipped South Korean forces.
ii. Truman saw the war in Korea as a test of containment policy and ordered US naval and air power into action.
iii. UN supported the action as the Soviets boycotted the UN.
US and UN forces fight a “back and forth” war with Korean and then Chinese forces.
i. From the “Pusan Perimeter” to the border of China and then back down to the 38th parallel, US and UN forces fought North Korean and then Chinese forces.
Advance, Retreat, Advance Again!

17. Answer these questions while you watch the video:
How did the war start?
How many troops did China put on the border of Korea?
At what parallel did most of the fighting occur?
How many Korean casualties?

18. Korean War The war was fought to contain communism
The objective was met
54,000 U.S. lives lost
The Korean War, page
End of WWII, Soviet and US forces disarmed Japanese troops in Korea.
i. Soviets provided an extensive military buildup of North Korean forces.
ii. Communist government was set up in the north with an American-backed government in the South.
The United Nations sent armed forces to South Korea to prevent a communist takeover.
i. June 25th, 1950: Ok by Stalin, North Korean forces invade South Korea, rapidly driving the poorly equipped South Korean forces.
ii. Truman saw the war in Korea as a test of containment policy and ordered US naval and air power into action.
iii. UN supported the action as the Soviets boycotted the UN.
US and UN forces fight a “back and forth” war with Korean and then Chinese forces.
i. From the “Pusan Perimeter” to the border of China and then back down to the 38th parallel, US and UN forces fought North Korean and then Chinese forces.

19. Korean War Cease-fire in the Korean War
The war itself still hasn’t ended. North Korea and South Korea have remained in a tense state of armed truce ever since, with open warfare just a hair-trigger away.

20. Uneasy Peace
The strip of land 2 kilometers to either side of the military demarcation line and running approximately 151 miles from east to west is the demilitarized zone – still in place today
Why?
A strip of land 2 kilometers to either side of the military demarcation line and running approximately 151 miles from east to west is the demilitarized zone ...

21. Answer the Essential Questions with a minimum of 5 sentences:
What did the Soviets hope to achieve with the Berlin blockade?
What things did the United States reaction to the blockade show the world at the beginning of the Cold War?
What was the North Koreans reason for invading South Korea?
What was the United States reason for joining the war?