History is Fun!
Book VII: Conflicts of the Cold War
Unit 1: Roots of the Cold War
Lesson 1: Berlin Airlift
Topic Overview:
In 1945 during the Potsdam Agreement the major allies of World War II (US,
France, Great Britain, and the USSR) agreed to split Germany and Berlin into 4 zones.
By 1948, the reunification of Germany seemed impossible, and the US, France and
Great Britain decided to unify their occupied parts into W Germany and W Berlin. To
counter this policy the Soviet Union turned E Germany and E Berlin into a communist
state. On June 24, 1948, in an attempt to consolidate W Berlin into E Germany, Stalin
closed off all ground transportation routes into W Berlin. To lessen the confrontation,
Truman ordered a massive airlift to supply West Berlin. For over a year, W Berlin was
supplied by western aircraft that at one point were taking off and landing every minute.
By September 30, 1949, when the airlift officially ended, over 2 million pounds of
supplies had been delivered to W Berlin.
Activity Overview:
In this simulation game students will be recreating the Berlin Airlift with paper
airplanes. They will work with a partner to fly them back and forth between W Germany
and W Berlin. At the same time, the student in W Germany will be given a list of items
that was sent from W Germany to W Berlin. Using only pictures, W Berliners will have
to guess all the supplies correctly.
West Germany
Teacher Lesson Plan Warehouse©
East Germany
East Berlin
#1
#1
#2
#2
#3
#3
#4
#4
#5
#5
#6
#6
#7
#7
#8
#8
Berlin Airlift, Page 1
History is Fun!
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to define the Berlin Airlift.
2. Students will be able to identify the types of supplies used in the Airlift.
3. Students will be to evaluate why the Berlin Airlift was a success.
Setup:
1. Make 2 columns of desks approximately 10’ apart from each other.
2. On the wall, tape the signs for Germany Signs according to the setup diagram.
3. Cut up the Berlin Airlift Supply Sheets.
Materials:
1. Paper
2. Berlin Airlift Supply Sheets (p.5)
3. Germany Signs (p.6)
Activity in Detail:
1. Give background information to students regarding the Allies’ partitioning of
Germany after WW II.
2. Tell students: “Today you will be recreating the Berlin Airlift. You each need
something to write with and a piece of paper. You each have 2 minutes to create a
paper airplane.” Students can help each other.
3. Tell students: “Choose a partner and decide who will play West Germany and who
will play West Berlin. Move to those areas and face each other. West Germans
should hold both airplanes facing your partner in West Berlin.”
4. Ask 1 student to be in East Germany. He/she cannot “shoot down” the planes as
they fly, but if planes “crash” there, he/she can hold them for 10 seconds before
giving them back to the West.
5. Handout the Berlin Airlift Supply Sheets only to the students who are in West
Germany.
Teacher Lesson Plan Warehouse©
Berlin Airlift, Page 2
History is Fun!
6. Tell students: “West Germans must draw the supplies 1 at a time on your airplanes
and then sail them across. West Berliners have to write in letters what you think the
drawing is when you receive it, and then send it back. If you are correct, the West
Germans can draw another supply on the airplane and send it back across until all
supplies have been used. You may not talk to each other about the items on the
list.”
7. Begin play. The activity should only take about 10 minutes. Play until most teams
have finished. After students have cleaned up the room, ask the following
questions:
a. “Were you successful in airlifting supplies? Yes.”
b. “Why? It was not a long distance. The USSR could not shoot down the planes
without starting WW III.”
c. “What were the supplies that were airlifted into West Berlin? Gas, Food,
Clothes, Chocolate, and Medicine.”
d. “Why would chocolate be important? To boost morale.”
Debriefing:
The Berlin Airlift
I. Causes of the Berlin Airlift
A. Germany was divided into East and West after WWII
1. West Germany / West Berlin: controlled by France, Great Britain and the US
2. East Germany / East Berlin: controlled by the USSR
B. Reconciliation of Germany was deemed impossible
1. The USSR tried to cut off West Berlin
2. The USSR wanted West Berlin to be part of East Germany
II. The Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949
A. Ground transportation was cut off by the Red Army
B. President Truman sends planes to supply westerners in Berlin
1. They took off and landed at the peak once a minute
2. Two million pounds of supplies were delivered.
Teacher Lesson Plan Warehouse©
Berlin Airlift, Page 3
History is Fun!
III. End of Berlin Airlift
A. Stalin lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949
B. The Allies continued supplying Berlin until September in case Stalin reordered
the blockade.
Assessment:
1. Airplanes with drawings
2. Essay Question: Why was the Berlin Airlift successful?
Teacher Lesson Plan Warehouse©
Berlin Airlift, Page 4
History is Fun!
Berlin Airlift Supply Sheets
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Teacher Lesson Plan Warehouse©
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift Supplies
1. Medicine
2. Chocolate
3. Clothes
4. Gas
5. Food
Berlin Airlift, Page 5
History is Fun!
Germany Signs
West
Germany
East Berlin
West Berlin
Teacher Lesson Plan Warehouse©
Berlin Airlift, Page 6