Student Activity

Berlin Airlift Internet Search

Name _______________________
Hour ___ Due ______________

You are to go to the Berlin Airlift section of Truman Library's web site for your information. Be accurate and descriptive. You will be viewing historical photos, documents, cartoons, etc. Your grade will be based on your number of correct answers as compared to your peers.

Directions: Using your browser, go to The Berlin Airlift

Read the historians' summary of this Cold War crisis in the middle column of the page to answer these:

1. Post WWII Germany was split into ___ sections and the city of Berlin was split into ___ sections.
2. The Soviets cut off what in June 1948? ___________________________________________
3. What was their motive in doing this? ____________________________________________
4. How did the U.S. respond to this action? _________________________________________
5. Name the two airfields used ____________________ _____________________________
6. By early July of 1948 U.S. and allied pilots were making ____ daily flights to allow Berliners to survive the Soviet blockade.
7. List three serious problems faced during this airlift operation:

______________________    _________________________    __________________________

Go back to the top of your web page and click on "Airbridge to Berlin Photos" go
button and then click on "Pilots". Now click the right hand buttons to find these photos.

Provide well-written descriptions for these primary photographs:
8. "Fueled by doughnuts…" _____________________________________________________
9. "Parachutes in hand…" _____________________________________________________
10. "Fresh milk…" _____________________________________________________
11. "Thousands of tires…" _____________________________________________________
12. "A resident of the Neukoeln District…" _________________________________________________________________________
13. "A controlled approach…" ____________________________________________________

Click on "Chocolate Flier" photo collection

14. Who was Lt. Gail Halverson? __________________________________________________
15. The operation was called "O__________________ V_______________"
16. What are the German kids doing? _______________________________________________
17. From the photos explain what he was dropping from his low flying plane _______________
18. How did they come down to earth? _____________________________________________
19. What is the little girl holding in her hands? _______________________________________

Click on "Lighter Side" (Cartoons) and describe these cartoons. You will need to enlarge the cartoon for greater detail.

20. "Chocolate parachute??" ______________________________________________________
21. "Passenger plane" ___________________________________________________________
22. "To wake Sgt. Hogan" _______________________________________________________
23. "Yup Sonny" _______________________________________________________________

Go back to the "Berlin Airlift" page; go down the left side of the page, and click on "Messages from General Clay Folder" and read the two-page telegram to answer these:
24. What is this primary document? ________________________________________________
25. T/F It was classified "Top Secret" at one time.
26. He is accusing the Russian fighter pilot of doing what to the British passenger plane?
__________________________________________________________________________
27. How many died from the British plane going down _____
28. He warns that the U.S. will now do what for passenger planes over
Germany? ________________________________________________________________
29. This document was "declassified" or made public in April of 19 _____
30. List three "primary sources" you used to complete this research project:
____________________    ____________________    ____________________