Berlin Airlift
Lifelong Learning | Registration opens 8/20/2026 9:00 AM EDT
The Soviet blockade of land access to Berlin from June 1948 to May 1949 was the West's first major challenge of the "Cold War." The Berlin Airlift was the response, an incredible effort by the western allies that kept the city alive during the winter of 1948 and signaled western resolve to the Soviet attempt to control all of Berlin. This presentation looks at the events and decisions leading up to the airlift, the airlift itself, life in Berlin during the airlift, and the results of one of the most challenging and successful feats in the history of airpower.
David Albert
David Albert is a retired Air Force officer. As part of his 30 year active-duty career he spent almost 3 years in Berlin at Tempelhof Air Base, the terminus of the Berlin Airlift. As Deputy Commander for Support, he was one of the last of the American military to leave Tempelhof when it was returned to the German government in 1993. David also teaches various Civil War courses for the OSHER Lifetime Learning Institute (OLLI) program at Pitt and CMU and the Center for Lifetime Learning here at LaRoche.