The first major confrontation of the Cold War was the Berlin Blockade, a Soviet attempt to cut off all access to West Berlin. The Soviets hoped to force the Western Allies to give up their rights to West Berlin and hand it over to the communist East German regime.
The Allies responded with the famous Berlin Airlift, a massive effort to supply West Berlin by air. The airlift lasted for nearly a year and was a major success, forcing the Soviets to lift the blockade.