At the end of the Second World War, U.S., British, and Soviet military forces divided and occupied Germany and it's capital, Berlin. While The United States, United Kingdom, and France controlled the west, The Soviet Union controlled the east, the same set up took place in the city of Berlin. As tensions grew between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, the question arose of whether the western occupation zones in Berlin would remain under Allied control or whether the city would be absorbed into Soviet-controlled eastern Germany. This led to what was known as the first Berlin crisis of the Cold War. The crisis started on June 24, 1948, when Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The United States and United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany. The crisis ended on May 12, 1949, when Soviet forces lifted the blockade on land access to western Berlin.