World War II wasn't even over before it was clear that the Allies weren't really allies at all. The deal that was brokered between Truman and Stalin was twisted by the Soviets to gain them domination of Eastern Europe including half of Germany. By 1948, Berlin had become a symbol of what the Cold War was to become. Berlin was in the Soviet dominated part of Germany and the allies were by treaty allowed access to half of that city. The Soviets made that access very difficult and, after a currency dispute in 1948, laid a blockade on all land routes to Berlin. The allies began an Airlift, which supplied the western part of the city which remained under allied control. It looked for a time as if WW II was about to break out again, this time between the Soviets and the Americans. Tempers cooled and the blockade was lifted. To solidify and emphasize western political commitment to West Berlin, the German government began issuing stamps for Berlin proper separate from the issues that were made for Germany. These stamps continued to be issued until final reunification. Today they are a bit of a sidelight to German philately, but 60 years ago they were a palpable symbol of the United States guarantee of sovereignty for West Berlin and our pledge to defend that territory with full use of American military force.
