Following the defeat of Germany in the Second World War, that nation was occupied by Great Britain, the United States, France and the Soviet Union. Each power occupied a different section of the nation. Berlin, Germany's capital, was within the Soviet sector, but was likewise split up into four occupation zones.

On 24 June 1948, the Soviets closed off the roads to Berlin This was seen as the other powers as attempting to assert control over the entire city. They responded with Operation Vittles, a major operation under the command of General Curtis Lemay, to supply the city. This short subject offers the background of the situation and discusses the response.

It offers itself as a dry recitation of the facts, a series of newsreel clips with a narrator explaining what each image means: the power stations that do not run because of lack of fuel; the people standing in line for milk; the burning crashed supply plane that did make a clean landing. The use of newsreel images offers film of a lower quality, arguing a sense of reality. The real art, such as it is, lies in the editing together of the images to tell a cogent story.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

This Oscar-nominated USAF film covers the Berlin Airlift from the initial closure of the city in 1948 through 1949. It explains how, what and why that supported the city.

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Paul Sawtell, Hans Conried, Marston Fay, Richard Fleischer, Dr. Seuss, Helen Geisel, Kent Smith, Theron Warth, and Elmo Williams in Design for Death (1947)

George O'Hanlon in So You Want to Be on the Radio (1948)

Operation Vittles

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