[September 30, 2016] One of the greatest military strategists and philosophers on war, Sun Tzu, wrote that “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” 1 As a strategist he recognized that by positioning military forces in such a way that the enemy knew that defeat was certain, he would surrender. One of the few recent historical examples of this comes from the lessons taught to us by the Berlin Airlift.
Sun Tzu was experienced in war and the devastation it brought to both the winner and loser. The world has just finished the most destructive wars ever in humankind and saw suffering and horror beyond the human imagination. Immediately after World War II, the suffering continued as nations struggled to lift themselves out of the damage.
Yet the world saw the Soviet Union making aggressive moves in Eastern Europe that worried everyone, especially those in Europe who were on the receiving end of the most horrific destruction of the recent war. Senior leaders in the United States, Europe, and many of the key Allied countries drew up plans to block further Soviet moves but were caught by surprise when in June 1948 the Soviet Union blocked all ground traffic into West Berlin (which was entirely within the Russian zone of occupation).
The blockage by the Soviets was to presumably force the Western Allies to withdraw the newly introduced Deutsche Mark from West Berlin.2 In reality the blockade highlighted the competing Communist and Capitalist ideological and economic visions for postwar Europe. Those living in West Berlin were left without food, clothing, medical supplies, etc. and effectively hostages to Soviet aggression. The dilemma was how to stop the blockade without going to war.
After much debate it was decided to plan for an airlift of supplies into West Berlin; a daunting task and a huge undertaking. For the next 15 months more than 250,000 aircraft landed to bring over 2 million tons of supplies. This was to be one of the greatest logistical feats in modern history and crucial as a victory for Western Allies in the early days of the Cold War.3
On this date, September 30, 1949 the last plane landed in West Berlin to help those caught in the vice of a dominating Communist empire.
[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]
————————–
- See this blog’s profile on Sun Tzu at: https://www.theleadermaker.com/profile-sun-tzu-on-leadership/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade
- http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/berlin-airlift-ends