Thirty years ago, the military presence of the US, Great Britain, France and the former Soviet Union came to an end in Germany. Their legacies remain.
The Western Allies bade farewell to Berlin with a joint military parade in 1994Image: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa/picture-alliance
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Troops from the anti-Hitler coalition of nations were stationed in Germany for nearly 50 years. This period began on May 8, 1945, with the unconditional surrender of the German Reich. With it also came the end of World War II, a war started by the National Socialists that, after six years, had claimed the lives of at least 60 million people.
Germany would be divided into four occupation zones by the victorious powers: the US, Great Britain and France took over large parts of the West, while the Soviet Union had the East.
What took place on a larger scale across the country was also seen on a small scale in Berlin, the one-time capital city of the German Empire. Both Berlin and Germany were divided into four sectors by the Allies, but the agreement was not without tensions between the victorious powers, even at this early stage.
Today, two tanks from the 1945 Battle of Berlin stand in front of a Soviet war memorial, within sight of the Brandenburg GateImage: Carsten Koall/dpa/picture alliance
Out of a military alliance of shared aims emerged two hostile camps, and these tensions were felt most acutely in Berlin. June 1948 saw the beginning of the Soviet blockade of the Western sectors. Their aim was to secure their control over the entire city.
An airlift to save West Berlin
The legendary response of the US, Great Britain and France was the Berlin airlift. To help the 2.2 million people living in their sectors survive, planes took off and landed nonstop until the end of the blockade in May 1949, delivering all the supplies they needed: food, medicine, gasoline and coal.
Berlin Airlift remembered 75 years on
In 1948 and 1949, Western allies flew vital supplies into West Berlin during the monthslong Soviet blockade of the city. Today, many sites across Berlin serve as a reminder of this major achievement.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka
Iconic Douglas C-47
An American C-47 aircraft hangs off the facade of the German Museum of Technology in central Berlin. It has become a symbol of a dramatic chapter in Berlin's history and an unprecedented relief operation. From June 1948, the Allies flew vital supplies into West Berlin after it was blockaded by the Soviets.
After World War II, the victorious Soviet Union, the US, Britain and France divided Germany into four zones that each country would occupy. As the capital situated within the Soviet zone, Berlin was divided into four sectors. On June 24, 1948, the Soviets closed all land and water routes leading into West Berlin, cutting its power supply.
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives/WHA
Tempelhof airport
On June 25, 1948, US military governor Lucius Clay gave orders to launch an airlift to supply West Berlin with key needs. A day later, the first transport plane touched down at Tempelhof airport. The airfield, located in the American sector, became the city's most important transport hub during this difficult time. Today, visitors can take guided tours of the disused airport.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Fischer
Around-the-clock operation
The Western Allies flew key supplies into West Berlin, saving its population from starvation. During this time, the Allies designated three air corridors: two for outbound flights and one for return flights. This allowed huge numbers of transport aircraft to bring in vital goods. In total, 2.3 million tons of freight were flown into West Berlin over 14 months.
Image: picture-alliance/Everett Collection
Gatow airfield
Gatow airfield became the second-most important airport during the Berlin blockade. It was located in what was then the British sector. The British used it to fly in fuel and supplies and airlift sick people and children out. Today, the disused hangars house an exhibition on military aviation in Germany.
Image: akg-images/picture alliance
Tegel airport
Until its closure in 2019, Tegel airport served as the main gateway into the city for international visitors. Yet few know just how connected it was to the Berlin airlift. After all, construction on Tegel only began in 1948.
Image: Britta Pedersen/dpa/picture alliance
Berlin's third airlift hub
In the fall of 1948, after the Soviet blockade began, the French completed what was then Europe's longest taxiway in just three months. They were supported by 19,000 West Berliners. On November 5 that year, Tegel airport, Berlin's third airlift hub, went into operation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/UPI
Raisin bombers
Allied transport planes were colloquially known as "raisin bombers" in German. This was because US pilots would drop packages attached to homemade parachutes containing chocolate, chewing gum and sometimes raisins before landing — much to the delight of West Berlin children.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Allied Museum
Visitors can learn a lot about the history of the airlift and life in Berlin during the Cold War at the Allied Museum in Berlin's Dahlem district, located in what was then the American sector. The exhibition also shows how, during the airlift, former wartime enemies became allies.
Image: AlliiertenMuseum/Choda
Aid deliveries
The Western Allies airlifted canned goods, dried fruit, powdered milk, coffee and much more into West Berlin. Today examples of these items are on display at the Allied Museum. At the time, these goods helped many Berliners get through this period of hardship. During the blockade, private US organization Care even chartered its own planes, delivering humanitarian aid to the blockaded city.
Image: AlliiertenMuseum/Choda
Saplings airlifted into West Berlin
After the winter of 1948, large parts of Berlin's Tiergarten park had been cut down as Berliners were desperate for firewood. As of spring 1949, Allied transport aircraft also began flying saplings into the city to reforest the park.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Link
'Peoples of the world, look upon this city'
These famous words were spoken by Berlin Mayor Ernst Reuter during his speech on September 9, 1948, in front of the destroyed Reichstag building. He called on the world not to allow the Soviets to seize control of the city. At the same time, Reuter implored West Berliners to persevere.
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
Berlin airlift monument
Seventy-eight pilots died during the Berlin airlift when their planes crashed as they approached the city. The Berlin airlift monument, established in 1951, commemorates their deaths. Its three pillars also symbolize the three air corridors, though Berliners colloquially refer to the moment as the "hunger claw."
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images/Schoening
Liberty Bell
The Berlin airlift ended on May 12, 1949, when the Soviets realized their blockade had failed. One year later, the Americans gifted the Liberty Bell to West Berlin. It was inaugurated by the Lucius Clay, who's often called the "father of the airlift." It rings out every noon, commemorating the unprecedented humanitarian airlift of 1948 and 1949.
Around 100 people died as a result of plane crashes and other accidents, and they've been remembered by a memorial at the now-closed Tempelhof Airport. The history of this logistical marvel can be seen as part of the permanent exhibition at the Allied Museum in the former American sector.
The location of the museum itself is also historic, a reminder of the decadeslong presence of the Allies. Among other things, it was home to the US soldiers' cinema, Outpost. The street on which the museum is located is named after the organizer of the airlift, Lucius D. Clay.
Famous the world over is Checkpoint Charlie, the former border crossing that connected the two sides of a city that was divided on August 13, 1961, by the construction of the Berlin Wall. This is where Allied military personnel and diplomats could travel freely from West to East, or vice versa.
Today, the reconstructed control barracks at Checkpoint Charlie, in the former American sector, attracts plenty of touristsImage: Britta Pedersen/ZB/dpa/picture alliance
Only a few months after the final division of Berlin, this was the setting of a spectacular standoff between American and Soviet tanks.
Today, Checkpoint Charlie is a popular spot for tourists from all over the world. Many like to have their photos taken in front of a reconstruction of the former guard barracks. The original is in the Allied Museum.
Some of the tanks from that time can still be seen in Berlin. One of them sits in front of the Berlin-Karlshorst Museum in the former Soviet sector. At the heart of the permanent exhibition is the room where Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, sealing the end of World War II. Tanks also flank the a Soviet war memorial not far from the Brandenburg Gate. The memorial is also the final resting place for at least 2,000 fallen Red Army soldiers who lost their lives in the battle for Berlin in 1945.
The Airlift Memorial in front of the disused Tempelhof Airport commemorates the victims of the Soviet blockade of West BerlinImage: Georg Wenzel/dpa/picture alliance
The Gatow Airfield in the former British sector is also a reminder of the decadeslong presence of the Allies. This is where the Royal Air Force was stationed until its final withdrawal on September 8, 1994. Today, the listed site is home to the Bundeswehr Military History Museum.
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Planes no longer land at Tempelhof, Tegel
Gatow, as well as at Tempelhof and Tegel, the civilian airports in the American and French sectors, have all long since been shut down. But visitors to the sites can still learn about the eventful history of the Allies.
In November, a unique attraction will once again be on display in front of the Centre Français de Berlin, in the district of Wedding. A 13-meter-high (42.5-foot) replica of the Eiffel Tower made of wood, once in danger of collapsing, has now been restored. Opened in 1961, the cultural center remains dedicated to Franco-German friendship, long after the withdrawal of the Allies.
The replica of the Eiffel Tower in front of the French cultural center will soon be back after restorationImage: Soeren Stache/dpa/picture-alliance
Thirty years have passed since the remaining soldiers of the victorious nations of World War II withdrew from Berlin. But some of their barracks are still being used by the German army, the Bundeswehr, to this day.
This article was originally written in German.
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