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Berlin in the Balance, 1945-1949: The Blockade, the Airlift, the First Major Battle of the Cold War
Berlin in the Balance 19451949 The Blockade the Airlift the First Major Battle of the Cold War Author:Thomas Parrish The battle of wills that started forty years of Cold War, told for the first time using sources from all sides Over fifty years ago, the Soviet army blockaded West Berlin. The U.S. and Britain responded with an airlift, packing WWII troop planes with coal, potatoes, and flour. Not even air commanders believed that the fleet could supply the cit... more »y for long, yet "Operation Vittles" won the opening battle of the Cold War. Flying in weather so bad "the birds walked," harassed by Soviet fighters, Allied airmen kept West Berlin fed, fueled, and free. Berlin in the Balance tells the full, gripping story of this crucial conflict. We see the crisis develop through the eyes of Harry Truman, the airlift pilots, and the Berlin civilians who cheered the "raisin bombers." And, through newly available documents, we learn how Soviet leaders imposed the blockade and then backed down.« less