Berlin airlift

Cultural  

1. A military operation in the late 1940s that brought food and other needed goods into West Berlin by air after the government of East Germany, which at that time surrounded West Berlin (see Berlin wall) (see also Berlin wall), had cut off its supply routes. The United States joined with western European nations in flying the supplies in. The airlift was one of the early events of the cold war.

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Example Sentences

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Berlin airlift

By comparison, the undertaking in Kabul does not exactly resemble the Berlin airlift, in which food was flown into West Berlin, rather than people being flown out.

From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2021

The request fell under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, which was born in the wake of the Berlin airlift and can add to the military’s capabilities during crises.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 23, 2021

The voluntary program, born in the wake of the Berlin airlift, adds to the military’s capabilities during crises.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2021

And in 1948-49, the American-led Berlin airlift was a vital lifeline for a besieged city, with planes touching down around the clock, defying the Soviet blockade of West Berlin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2020

Clay had previously orchestrated the massive Berlin airlift in the late 1940s.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2018