This â detailed dramatic narrativeâ recounts the Allies kept the population of West Berlin alive in the face of a Russian blockade after WWII (Times Literary Supplement, UK). Â In the summer of1948, the Russians occupied all of Eastern Europe. The Allied portion of Berlin stood as the lone Western outpost in a sea of Communist control. Then the Soviets closed all Allied traffic through their zone, sealing off vital supply routes. Â A vast air armada streamed from Western airfields to supply the hard-pressed Berliners with food and necessities. For over a year the Americans led a giganticâand successfulâeffort to keep an entire city alive in the face of Soviet hostility. Â With deep insight into the characters who made it happen, The Berlin Airlift recounts this story of individual heroism and high brinkmanship politics, of daily life under appalling circumstances, and great achievements against all odds. Â This edition includes a foreword by former British minister to Berlin Sir Michael Burton.