The Berlin Airlift lasted only fifteen months, from June 1948 to September 1949, yet it changed the course of modern history. It demonstrated that the Western Allies could resist Soviet expansion without firing a shot, sustained more than two million West Berliners through one of the Cold War’s first great crises, and laid the groundwork for the democratic and prosperous Europe that followed.
Yet, despite its significance, the Berlin Airlift is often little more than a footnote in history textbooks.
That’s something historian, writer, and speaker Edwin “Eddie” Ide hopes to change.
Ide is the founder of the Berlin Airlift Remembrance Alliance (BARA), a coalition of nineteen organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the Airlift long after its 75th anniversary observances. According to Ide, decades of speaking about the Airlift in more than 160 venues convinced him that many Americans know surprisingly little about one of the greatest humanitarian and logistical achievements in military history. The Korean War soon overshadowed the Airlift, and its success may have contributed to its fading from public memory.
The Alliance seeks to change that through education, public programming, and partnerships. Its website, berlinairlift.org, serves as a central hub for organizations, historical resources, interviews, lesson plans, and a calendar of Airlift-related events. BARA also hopes to work with schools and museums to ensure future generations understand why the Berlin Airlift mattered—not only to Berlin, but to the future of Europe and the Cold War.
Ide argues that the Airlift’s legacy extends far beyond the survival of West Berlin. He believes its success helped secure the democratic future of Western Europe and made possible institutions and partnerships, like NATO and the EU, that shaped the postwar world. It’s difficult to overstate the importance of the Airlift as one of history’s great examples of resolve, cooperation, and peaceful resistance.
On June 22, the Veterans Breakfast Club devoted an evening program to the Berlin Airlift featuring Ralph Dionne, Air Force veteran and former president of the Berlin Airlift Veterans Association; Bibi LeBlanc of Wings of Freedom, Dagmar Snodgrass, who experienced the Airlift as a child in Berlin; and Denise Williams, whose father was the famed Candy Bomber, Gail Halvorsen.
To learn more about the Berlin Airlift Remembrance Alliance, visit berlinairlift.org.
You can also watch the Veterans Breakfast Club’s June 22 Berlin Airlift program on YouTube, featuring Eddie Ide and our panel of guests.
