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Operation Santa Claus – A Forgotten Moment in History

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 Nowadays, "Operation Santa Claus" is associated with a USPS program to match letters to Santa with donors of gifts for kids. During the Russian blockade of Berlin 1948-1949, the children of Berlin didn't dream of writing to Santa Claus. The situation was too grim.  Santa came anyways.   December 1948 was a bleak time for the children of Berlin. The city was under siege. No food, clothing, medicines or coal could reach the city by land and everything from flour and milk to toilet paper and detergent had to be flown in on the small propeller planes of the day.  The coal to run the power plants, factories and heat the ovens of the city also had to be flown in, as did diesel, gasoline and kerosene to run busses, lorries and cooking, lighting and heating. As a result, public transport worked just twelve hours a day, and there was no gasoline or diesel to run private vehicles. The civilian population received electricity just two hours out of every twenty-fou...

The Berlin Airlift: What it all Meant

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 Impressive as the logistical achievements of the Berlin Airlift were, they were only the bi-product and not the objectives of the entire operation. The Berlin Airlift was from its inception a political rather than a military response. Logically, the perceptions of the Airlift and its significance have changed over time in accordance with the political situation in Europe. At a time when some experts suggest that a Chinese move against Taiwan might take the shape of a blockade or siege rather than an invasion, it is useful to reflect on what the Berlin Airlift has meant and what lessons it still holds -- despite the altered political environment.   In the immediate aftermath of the Airlift, as the U.S. and the Soviet Union confronted one another more and more openly around the globe, the Airlift was seen first and foremost as a Western Victory in the Cold War. Even though nothing had really been achieved but the status-quo ante, the Soviet advance had been halted and this s...