Nazism and war had devastated Berlin. The city was divided into different zones under Allied administration, but cooperation soon broke down. While the Soviets retained control over the central and eastern districts, the western sectors were administered by the Americans, British, and French. Following the Berlin blockade and airlift of 1948–49, the division of Berlin was effected with the foundation of the Federal Republic (FRG) in the west and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the east. The two halves of the city began to diverge, with rebuilding under different ideological auspices in the 1950s. Growing discontent with an economically constrained and politically repressive system under communism meant that many East Germans were using crossing points that were still open within Berlin in order to escape via West Berlin to West Germany. The erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961 sealed both the division of the city and the division between West and East Germany.

When Soviet forces blockaded West Berlin in 1948, many Germans still considered Americans as enemies. They viewed the occupying troops with suspicion, even hostility. But Stalin’s ill-considered gambit of cutting off food, medicine, and coal cast the Soviets in a much harsher light. It enabled America to assume the role of savior. This chapter considers how America transformed its image in the eyes of average Germans as well as those around the world, thanks to its heroism during the Berlin Airlift.