The Berlin Airlift began in 1948 when the Soviet Union blocked all land routes into West Berlin, attempting to starve the city into surrender. In response, the United States and its allies launched a nonstop air-supply mission that became one of the greatest humanitarian efforts in history. At its peak, a plane landed in West Berlin every 30 seconds, delivering food, coal, and medicine to more than two million people. The success of this massive operation proved that an entire city could be sust