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

It is, in many ways, a more complex effort than the Berlin airlift three-quarters of a century ago.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 6, 2022

In a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Berlin airlift, he co-piloted a plane that made more sweets rain down over the by-then unified city.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2022

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 parachute brigade is like a rescue team arriving to save the day, a Berlin airlift for the beleaguered soul.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2018