The Study of Berlin Blockade and Cuban missile Crisis

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The Study of Berlin Blockade and Cuban missile Crisis

The USSR never wanted a well-built Germany. They had been invaded

twice by Germany, and the thought of building up her strength alarmed

the Soviets.

When the Deutschmark was introduced as legal tender throughout Western

Germany and Western Berlin, the Soviets drew the line. The USSR cut

off all road and rail routes that led to allied controlled sectors of

Berlin. The allies were unsure as to how to respond to this. If they

left West Berlin, the Soviets would invade without doubt. They had to

decide carefully, having just come out of a world war, they had no

intention of dragging themselves into a serious situation. There was a

tiny air corridor that led from the Western sectors of Germany, into

the heart of Western Berlin. The allies decided to use this air

corridor to transport rations by plane. This was risky for both sides;

the allies could not determine the USSR’s response. However, the only

way for the Soviets to stop this transportation of food was to shoot

the plane down. As the air corridor was not restricted air space, this

would be an act of war. Whether the Soviets wanted war or not, was

uncertain.

The airlift operation was called “Operation Vittles.” Massive ten ton

capacity C-54s began to supply the 2,500,000 civilians in western

Berlin with food. Soon enough, planes were flying into Berlin every 3

minutes delivering 5,000 tons of food, a day! In May 1949, Stalin had

little choice but to lift the blockade.

However shocking this may seem, I think personally, it doesn’t even

come into the same league as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On October 22nd, 1962, a U2 spy plane photographed evidence that

showed the Soviet Union building secret missile bases on Cuba, just 90

miles away from the coast of Florida. Kennedy was produced with a

number of solutions, each one with its practicalities, and severe

risks. It was down to Kennedy to weigh out his options, and decide

between an armed invasion, an air strike on all missile bases or a

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