Berlin on the Brink

The Blockade, the Airlift, and the Early Cold War

By: Daniel F. Harrington

Narrated by: John Sipple

The Berlin blockade brought former allies to the brink of war. Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union defeated and began their occupation of Germany in 1945. Within a few years, the Soviets and their Western partners were jockeying for control of their former foe.

Attempting to thwart the Allied powers' plans to create a unified West German government, the Soviets blocked rail and road access to the western sectors of Berlin in June 1948. With no other means of delivering food and supplies to the German people under their protection, the Allies organized the Berlin airlift.

In Berlin on the Brink: The Blockade, the Airlift, and the Cold War, Daniel F. Harrington examines the "Berlin question" from its origin in wartime plans for the occupation of Germany through the Paris Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in 1949. Harrington draws on previously untapped archival sources to challenge standard accounts of the postwar division of Germany, the origins of the blockade, the original purpose of the airlift, and the leadership of President Harry S. Truman.

While thoroughly examining four-power diplomacy, Harrington demonstrates how the ingenuity and hard work of the people at the bottom - pilots, mechanics, and Berliners - were more vital to the airlift's success than decisions from the top.

Harrington also explores the effects of the crisis on the 1948 presidential election and on debates about the custody and use of atomic weapons. Berlin on the Brink is a fresh, comprehensive analysis that reshapes our understanding of a critical event of cold war history.

The book is published by University Press of Kentucky.

©2012 The University Press of Kentucky (P)2013 Redwood Audiobooks

Incredible history on blocking Soviet takeover.

Incredible hidden history of how close we came to Soviet takeover of all of Germany and World War III. We were on a knife's edge and the majority of people didn't even know it. I now feel very sorry for Generals and how they get backed into corners.

An epilogue would have helped

Perhaps I am too accustomed to authors and directors tying up stories with a neat bow; however, as much as I enjoyed "Berlin on the Brink" I found myself wanting a better ending to help connect the dots from the end of the blockade to the creation of the Berlin Wall. I understand it was years before those two historic events took place but it would have been nice to hear from the author a high-level summary of how those two events are connected.

Also, I often found myself lost in the morass of abbreviations and acronyms. I know this is the language of government and bureaucracies, nonetheless, the alphabet soup was quite confusing at times.

But I am glad of having learned about the true history of the Berlin blockade and airlift. I had only known the mythology previously.

Potential to be great but performance a let down

Well researched & interesting account but the bland & monotonous performance made it very difficult to stay interested. And seriously, "Kway Dorsay"?

Awesome book. Expertly written and read.

Not that much drama here. I am used to reading military history books with lots of action. Nevertheless, this book kept me interested throughout. Lots of stuff I never knew before.