On 18 June 1948, the Western authorities decide to bring in monetary reform, introducing the Deutschmark in their three occupation zones with the aim of reviving the post-war economy.

On 19 June 1948, the German periodical Kölnische Rundschau leads with the introduction of the Deutschmark and comments on the monetary reform introduced in West Germany.

On 19 June 1948, commenting on the introduction of the Deutschmark, the German daily newspaper Kölnische Rundschau analyses the implications of the monetary reform introduced in West Germany.

On 20 June 1948, the first law on currency reform in the US, British and French occupation zones specifies the conditions for the introduction of the new German currency, the Deutschmark.

On 20 and 21 June 1948, a law on monetary reform in the US, British and French occupation zones leads to the new German currency, the Deutschmark.

On 24 June 1948, the United States, France and the United Kingdom announce the extension of the monetary reform and the introduction of the German mark to the Western sectors of Berlin.

On 3 October 1948, the Soviet Government sends a note to the United States, France and the United Kingdom condemning the monetary reform undertaken by the Western Allies in the zone of Berlin under their control.

In June 1948, the Soviet authorities announce a raft of measures seeking to block the supply of provisions to the Western zones of Berlin in reaction to the monetary reform introduced in Germany by the Western Allies.

In June 1948, Marshal Vassili Sokolovski, commander-in-chief of the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany, condemns the monetary reform introduced by the Western Allies in their zone of occupation and announces a series of restrictive measures with regard to the new Deutschmark.

On 26 September 1948, in a note from the United States, France and the United Kingdom to the Soviet Union, the three Western Allies express their annoyance following the Berlin Blockade and reveal their intention to bring the matter before the United Nations Security Council.

On 22 June 1948, Marshal Vassili Sokolovski, commander-in-chief of the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany, informs his US counterpart, General Lucius Clay, of the negative reaction of the Soviet Government towards the monetary reform introduced in the Western zone of occupation in Germany.

In June 1948, in a message to the people of Berlin, the Soviet Military Administration in Germany condemns the monetary reform undertaken by the Western Allies in their respective zones of occupation.

On 1 July 1948, the publication Soviet News attacks the monetary reform undertaken by the Western authorities who aim to introduce a new unit of account, the Deutschmark, into their three respective zones of occupation.

The Luxembourg newspaper Luxemburger Wort considers what the Soviet Union hoped to gain by its blockade of access routes into West Berlin on 24 June 1948.

Dans ses Mémoires, l'ancien diplomate américain Robert Murphy se souvient de la décision prise le 24 juin 1948 par l'URSS de couper les voies d'accès à Berlin-Ouest et évoque l'ambiance dans la ville pendant cette période.

On 20 March 1948, in London, Vassili Sokolovsky, Soviet Marshal, announces the breakdown in relations between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies on the issue of Germany and confirms his refusal to attend future meetings of the Allied Control Council.

On 2 April 1948, the British daily newspaper Daily Mail condemns the decision of the Soviet Union to bring to an end its participation in meetings of the Allied Control Council and expresses concern over the risks of confrontation between the Western Allies and Moscow in the event of the Soviets’ blocking the means of access to Berlin.

On 2 April 1948, the Soviets begin to interfere with land communications between the Western zones and West Berlin, stepping up checks, slowing down traffic and imposing occasional blockades. In response to this initial pressure on Berlin, the cartoonist Woop highlights the threat that communism and Stalin’s attitude pose to world peace.

On 5 April 1948, in the light of the deterioration of the international situation in Berlin, British cartoonist Leslie Gilbert Illingworth emphasises the growing opposition between the Western and Eastern blocs and evokes the risks of a major conflict between the two great superpowers that are the United States and the Soviet Union. From left to right, US President Harry Truman and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Map showing the sectors of Berlin cut off by the Soviet Union from 24 June 1948 onwards and the routes taken by the Western airlift until 12 May 1949.

The Berlin Blockade, imposed by the Soviet Union on 24 June 1948, causes a food shortage, forcing Berliners to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

A few days after the start of the Berlin Blockade on 24 June 1948, the French newspaper Le Monde analyses the possible consequences of the blockade on the continuing talks between the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom on the quadripartite occupation of the city.

On 1 and 12 July 1948, Albert Wehrer, Head of the Luxembourg mission to the Allied Control Council in Berlin, sends several letters to Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, in which he describes the state of tension in Berlin after the access routes to the former German capital were blocked by the Soviets.

Two weeks after the start of the Berlin Blockade by the Soviet Union on 24 June 1948, the United States sends a note to the Soviet Government expressing its resolve not to abandon the people of Berlin in the face of Soviet pressure.

On 14 July 1948, in a letter addressed to the US and British Governments, the Soviet authorities accuse the Western Allies of having breached the four-power agreements on the control of Berlin.

On 30 July 1948, in a memorandum addressed to the Soviet authorities in Berlin, the British, French and US representatives reject the reasons put forward by Moscow for closing the access routes to Berlin.

‘Over the lime (Linden) trees’. In July 1948 the German satirical magazine Der Tintenfisch portrays the hegemonic policy of the Soviet Union in Berlin and Moscow’s overt desire to see the Western Allies leave the former German capital.

On 3 August 1948, the British, French and US Governments deliver to Joseph Stalin a note in which they call on the Soviet Union to put an end to the military blockade of Berlin.

On 1 July 1948, the Italian newspaper Il nuovo Corriere della Sera explains how the Berlin Blockade fits into the scheme of the Cold War and considers the fate of Germany.

‘Trial of strength.' On 1 July 1948, after the imposition of the Berlin Blockade by the Soviets, cartoonist Mirko Szewczuk illustrates the ‘trial of strength' between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies (the United States, the United Kingdom and France) over the city's status.

On 7 July 1948, the cartoonist Woop illustrates a significant diplomatic event: the simultaneous delivery, by the governments of the United States, France and the United Kingdom, of an official note of protest to the representatives of the Soviet Union in their respective capitals. This coordinated move was directed at the Soviet ambassadors Alexander Bogomolov, posted in Paris, Georgy Zarubin, in Washington, and Alexander Paniushkin, in London. Through this joint action, the Western powers express their opposition to the Berlin blockade imposed by the USSR and demand its immediate lifting.

‘Note after note — Fear not! We shall feed him so many strongly worded notes that he will no longer have any appetite for you …’ On 17 July 1948, some weeks after the start of the Berlin Blockade, the German cartoonist Lang comments ironically on the Western Allies’ response to the real threat posed by the Soviet Union to the city of Berlin.

In July 1948, British cartoonist Ernest Howard Shepard emphasises the Western Allies’ determination to present a united front against the decision taken by the Soviet Allies to block access to the Western zones of Berlin.

On 20 September 1948, Alexandre Parodi, permanent French delegate to the United Nations Security Council, expresses to Trygve Lie, first Secretary-General of the UN, France’s wish that the Security Council will intervene on the issue of the Berlin Blockade.

In October 1948, Joseph Stalin gives an interview to the Soviet Communist daily newspaper Pravda in which he outlines his position on the Berlin Blockade and deplores the aggressive policy of the Western bloc towards the USSR.

On 5 October 1948, in response to questions from East German journalists, Marshal Vasily Sokolovsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany, outlines the causes of the Berlin Crisis.

On 27 October 1948, André François-Poncet, former French Ambassador to Germany, condemns in the French Conservative daily newspaper Le Figaro the Soviet policy on Berlin and calls for an end to the Blockade.

On 30 April 1949, the West German news magazine Der Spiegel analyses US–USSR diplomatic relations at the time of the Berlin Blockade, from May 1948 to June 1949.

In 1948, Vincent Auriol, the first President of the Fourth French Republic, expresses his concern about the consequences of the Berlin Blockade. In favour of an agreement with the Soviet Union in order to defuse the situation, he refuses to lend his support to the American policy.

The blockade imposed by the Soviet Union around the Western sectors of Berlin from 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949 forces the Western Allies to organise an airlift along air corridors specifically allocated to aircraft supplying the cut-off city.

Diagram of the Berlin Airlift showing the flight paths and altitudes of Allied aircraft.

In 1948, U.S. Navy and Air Force flight crews gather at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, for a joint briefing on the day’s missions and flight routes during the Berlin Airlift.

In 1948, US Air Force transport planes line up at Tempelhof Airfield in West Berlin to be unloaded in succession as part of Operation Vittles during the Soviet blockade of Berlin.

At Tempelhof Airport in West Berlin in 1948, cargo aircraft are unloaded in rapid succession during the Berlin Blockade. The scene captures the intense pace of the Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles), a massive Allied effort to supply the city after the Soviet Union cut off all ground access. Day and night, American and British transport planes—primarily C-47s and C-54s—delivered thousands of tons of food, coal, and medicine, keeping West Berlin alive and symbolizing the determination of the Western Allies to resist Soviet pressure.

Captain W. R. A. Bateman of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) instructs Aircraftsman Jenkins using a scale model to demonstrate the positioning of tanker aircraft on the Gatow Airfield, in the British Sector of Berlin. Captain Bateman designed this model to improve the efficiency of unloading operations at Gatow, ensuring aircraft could be serviced and turned around as quickly as possible. The RASC, a British Army logistics unit, played a crucial role in the Berlin Airlift, coordinating the delivery and distribution of supplies to sustain West Berlin during the Soviet blockade that began in June 1948. The picture reflects the meticulous planning and teamwork that made the Airlift one of the greatest logistical achievements of the postwar era.

During the Berlin Airlift, British and American Air Force officers review an operations plan detailing the flight routes and altitudes of all aircraft entering and leaving the Berlin area. Squadron Leader F. B. Moss, of Operations Control of the Royal Air Force, confers with Captain J. R. Markey of the United States Air Force at Lüneburg, The city located in the British sector of Germany was a key location for British military operations supporting the airlift to Berlin.

At RAF Gatow in 1948, German civilians assist in unloading supplies from a Douglas Dakota of the Royal Air Force Transport Command during the Berlin Airlift, helping to keep West Berlin supplied throughout the blockade. Royal Air Force Gatow, was a British Royal Air Force station (military airbase) in the district of Gatow in south-western Berlin and played a key role in the Berlin airlift.

The blockade imposed by the Soviet Union around the western sectors of Berlin from 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949 forced the Western Allies to establish an airlift along air corridors specifically allocated to aircraft supplying the cut-off city. In July 1948, the cartoonist of the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau points out the implications of the airlift, whose initial objective is to supply Berlin while, above all, symbolically protecting Europe against the Soviet threat.

In July 1948, as the Soviet authorities impose the Berlin Blockade, British cartoonist Ernest Howard Shepard takes an ironic look at the vain attempts by Moscow to put an end to the airlift organised by the Western Allies in order to bring supplies to West Berlin.

‘General Rokossovsky’. In a cartoon dated 20 July 1948, Woop depicts the Soviet response in the Berlin Blockade by suggesting that Konstantin Rokossovsky would arrive in Berlin to take command of operations. A Marshall of the Soviet Union and a key figure of the Second World War, he distinguished himself in decisive battles such as Stalingrad, Kursk and the final offensive on Berlin in 1945.

On 4 August 1948, Lieutenant-General Hugh Gray Martin, military correspondent of the British daily newspaper The Daily Telegraph, gives a personal account of the various stages in the organisation and the workings of the airlift to the western zones of Berlin.

On 18 August 1948, C-47 airplanes loaded with food and supplies for the people of the Russian blockaded city of West Berlin lined up and waiting to take-off.

On 15 September 1948, commenting on the airlift organised by the Western Allies to bring supplies to West Berlin, British cartoonist Leslie Gilbert Illingworth takes an ironic look at the new mission of the British pilots of the Royal Air Force, heroes of the Battle of Britain, who, three years after the end of the Second World War, have to fly to Berlin to transport food.

On 25 September 1948, as the airlift enters its 100th day, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung considers the numerous difficulties involved in providing financial aid to the Western sectors of the City of Berlin, which have been cut off by the blockade imposed by Soviet forces since 24 June 1948.

Berlin youngsters who live near the Tempelhof Air Force Base, where the U.S. Air Force transport planes unload their airlift supplies, play at a game called "Luftbrucke" (air bridge). They use model American planes which are sold in German toy shops throughout the western sector of Berlin.

On 27 September 1948, British cartoonist Leslie Gilbert Illingworth emphasises the effectiveness of the airlift bringing supplies to the Western sectors of Berlin, temporarily isolated by the blockade imposed by the Soviet forces on 24 June 1948. From bottom to top: Joseph Stalin, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet Foreign Minister; and Andrey Vyshinsky, Permanent Representative of the Soviet Union on the United Nations Security Council, who are vainly trying to stop the intermittent flow of aircraft bringing supplies to West Berlin.

On 1 November 1948, Otto Grotewohl, Chairman of the Unified Socialist Party (SED), makes a speech in which he condemns the airlift organised by the Western powers and portrays the Soviet Union's blockade of Berlin as a Western invention.

In February 1949, the Western allies proudly display the millionth tonne of supplies to arrive in the Western sectors of Berlin, currently cut off by the blockade imposed by the Soviet forces on 24 June 1948.

In 1949, the cartoonist, Mirko Szewczuk, illustrates how Lucius D. Clay, US General and organiser of the airlift, circumvents the Soviet blockade of West Berlin.

Between 24 June 1948 and 12 May 1949, more than 270 000 flights are required to deliver supplies to the Western sectors in Berlin which the Soviet authorities have decided to blockade following a currency reform initiated by the USA, the United Kingdom and France.

Dans ses Mémoires, l'ancien président américain Harry S.Truman se souvient des conséquences du blocus soviétique des secteurs occidentaux de Berlin en juin 1948 et décrit le pont aérien mis en place par les Alliés occidentaux pour ravitailler Berlin-Ouest.

The success of the Allied airlift in May 1949 forced the Soviet Union to lift its blockade of the access routes to the Western sectors of the City of Berlin on 12 May 1949. The photo shows US pilots celebrating the success of the airlift and the announcement by Soviet forces that the blockade would be lifted.

In May 1949, West Berliners and the Western forces celebrate the return to normality and the success of the Airlift, which forced the Soviet Union to reopen access routes to the Western sectors of the city on 12 May 1949.

On 9 May 1949, the Soviet Military Administration in Germany specifies the measures concerning the lifting of the Berlin Blockade on 12 May 1949.

On 4 May 1949, after lengthy negotiations, the representatives of the Governments of the United States, France, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union adopt a joint communiqué announcing that the Berlin Blockade is to be lifted on 12 May 1949.

On 5 May 1949, a few days before the lifting of the Berlin Blockade by the Soviets, the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool looks at the consequences of the blockade for the Soviet Union and Western Europe.

On 12 May 1949, the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung comments on the lifting of the Berlin Blockade by the Soviet Union and considers the future of the quadripartite division of the city.

On 7 July 1949, the British left-wing daily newspaper The Manchester Guardian describes the economic consequences of the lifting of restrictions on Berlin and the influx of consumer products into the German capital.

In September 1949, at the Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Frankfurt, Germany, an Airlift crew from the 330th Troop Carrier Squadron exultantly reads news of the official lifting of the Berlin Blockade while their C-54 Skymaster is being loaded for another supply mission to Berlin. Despite the end of the blockade on May 12, 1949, airlift operations continued for several months to rebuild West Berlin’s supply reserves. Pictured (left to right) are S/Sgt. Claude Richeson of San Antonio, Texas, Flight Engineer with 62 “Vittles” missions; 1st Lt. James R. Davis of Los Angeles, California, veteran of 110 missions; and Capt. Alfred J. Rumburg, pilot, of Phoenix, Arizona, who has flown 90 missions to Berlin.