Sixty years ago to the month Stalin's Russia began blocking all incoming traffic to West Berlin, choking the city's supplies of fuel and food. The act was an attempt to squeeze the Allied powers out of otherwise Soviet-controlled territory, an angry reaction to a German currency reform initiative that included West Berlin. The city, still smoldering from World War II less than three months prior, was thrust into what Der Spiegel calls The War After The War -- The Cold War.

Just two days after the blockade began, on June 26, 1948, the Allies began flying relief missions over West Berlin, dropping supplies by parachute. Over the course of 14 long months, nearly 2.4 million tonnes of food and fuel was flown into a hungry and desperate city. American and British pilots flew 300 aircraft on 277,000 missions over West Berlin. Though the Airlift ended in August 1948, Russia had already stopped the blockade four months earlier. Thanks to the Airlift and the sacrifice of 78 American, British and German lives, West Berlin was kept out of Russian control, changing the course of history in the process.

This month Germany celebrates its 60th year of post-airlift freedom.