Transcript File
Events and Ideas #3 Berlin Airlift and Korean War US History Unit 6 Contains two short videos • Answer the questions from PPT on your paper Essential Questions: 1. What did the Soviets hope to achieve with the Berlin blockade? 2. What things did the United States reaction to the blockade show the world at the beginning of the Cold War? 3. What was the North Koreans reason for invading South Korea? 4. What was the United States reason for joining the war? Essential Questions: West Germany • 1948 – the West believes that the Soviets were deliberately undermining Germanys economy • The West merges the French, British and American zones of Germany • The West gives Germany their own government that includes Soviet Blockade • Soviets retaliates with the blockade of supplies to West Berlin • Should the Allies just give up on West Berlin? Berlin Airlift • June 27, 1948 • Soviets prohibit all surface traffic to Berlin. • Truman approves air traffic to deliver needed supplies and food to Western zones of Berlin. Berlin Airlift • 2 ½ million residents in West Berlin • 4,500 tons of food, coal, and other material needed daily to maintain a minimum level of existence The Berlin airlift becomes a symbol of American determination Cross-sectional View of Flight into Berlin C-47s unloading at Tempelhof • This arrangement allowed for landing at the rate of one plane every 3 minutes. • Later, two levels were used with spacing that allowed for landing at the same rate • Lt. Halvorsen dropping candy • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXegtQYhE Airlift Statistics • USA delivered 1,783,573 tons • British delivered 541,937 tons • Australian Air Force delivered 7,968 tons – nearly two-thirds of which was coal • Total flights to Berlin: 278,228 • Killed during the airlift operation • 39 British and 31 U.S. people killed • 17 American and 8 British aircraft crashed • Total of 101 fatalities (many non-flight deaths) Airlift Ends • Soviets lifted the blockade May 12, 1949 • The Berlin Airlift officially ended on 30 September 1949, after fifteen months. • Estimated costs range from approximately 224 million to over 500 million (equivalent to approximately $2.22 billion to $4.96 billion now). The Korean War The Korean War • End of WWII, Soviet and US forces disarmed Japanese troops in Korea. • The United Nations sent armed forces to South Korea to prevent a communist takeover. • US and UN forces fight a “back and forth” war with North Koreans and then Chinese forces. Advance, Retreat, Advance Again! Answer these questions while you watch the video: • How did the war start? • How many troops did China put on the border of Korea? • At what parallel did most of the fighting occur? • How many Korean casualties? • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7nbwFxGRU Korean War • The war was fought to contain communism • The objective was met • 54,000 U.S. lives lost Korean War • Cease-fire in the Korean War • The war itself still hasn’t ended. North Korea and South Korea have remained in a tense state of armed truce ever since, with open warfare just a hair-trigger away. Uneasy Peace • The strip of land 2 kilometers to either side of the military demarcation line and running approximately 151 miles from east to west is the demilitarized zone – still in place today Answer the Essential Questions with a minimum of 5 sentences: 1. What did the Soviets hope to achieve with the Berlin blockade? 2. What things did the United States reaction to the blockade show the world at the beginning of the Cold War? 3. What was the North Koreans reason for invading South Korea? 4. What was the United States reason for joining the war?