The Berlin Candy Bomber, By Gail Halvorsen
The Berlin Candy Bomber is a love story-how two sticks of gum and one man's kindness to the children of a vanquished enemy grew into an epic of goodwill spanning the globe-touching the hearts of millions in both Germany and America.In June 1948, Russia laid siege to Berlin, cutting off the flow of food and supplies over highways into the city. More than two million people faced economic collapse and starvation. The Americans, English, and French began a massive airlift to bring sustenance to the city and to thwart the Russian siege. Gail Halvorsen was one of hundreds of U.S. pilots involved in the airlift. While in Berlin, he met a group of children standing by the airport watching the incoming planes. Though they hadn't asked for candy, he was impressed to share with them the two sticks of gum he had in his possession. Seeing how thrilled they were by this gesture, he promised to drop more candy to them the next time he flew to the area. True to his word, as he flew in the next day, he wiggled the wings of his plane to identify himself, then dropped several small bundles of candy using parachutes crafted from handkerchiefs to slow their fall. Local newspapers picked up the story. Suddenly, letters addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings" began to arrive as the children requested candy drops in other areas of the city. Enthusiasm spread to America, and candy contributions came from all across the country. Within weeks candy manufacturers began donating candy by the boxcar. In May 1949, the highway blockade ended, and the airlift ended in September. But the story of Uncle Wiggly Wings and the candy-filled parachutes lives on-a symbol of human charity. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour, by Andrei Cherny
On the sixtieth anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, The Candy Bombers is a remarkable story with profound implications for our time. Bringing together newly unclassified documents, unpublished letters and diaries, and fresh primary interviews, Andrei Cherny tells the tale of the ill-assorted group of castoffs and second-stringers who not only saved millions of desperate people from a dire threat, but changed how the world viewed the United States – setting in motion the chain of events that would ultimately lead to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and America’s victory in the Cold War. In the tradition of the best nonfiction narratives, The Candy Bombers takes readers along as American pilots, with only a few small rickety planes, manage to feed and supply west Berlin completely by air for nearly a year, as as Harry Truman exploits the very real threat of war to win an upset reelection campaign, as America’s first secretary of defense descends into madness in the midst of a dangerous military crisis, and as an ordinary American pilot shows that acts of basic human kindness can send powerful ripples through the course of history. The Candy Bombers is the forgotten foundation tale of America in the modern world, the story of when Americans learned, for the first time, how to act at the summit of world power – a powerful and exciting work of historical narrative, and one with strong resonance for the world today. See more on Andrei Cherny's blog ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot", by Michael O. Tunnell
A true story of chocolate, bubble gum, and hope. After World War II the United States and Britain airlifted food and supplies into Russian-blockaded West Berlin. US Air Force Lieutenant Gail S. Halvorsen knew the children of the city were suffering. To lift their spirits, he began dropping chocolate and gum by parachute. Michael O. Tunnell tells an inspiring tale of candy and courage, illustrated with Lt. Halvorsen's personal photographs, as well as letters and drawings from the children of Berlin to their beloved "Uncle Wiggly Wings." Back matter includes a biographical note, a historical note, a source list, an index, and a note from the author.. The author also references this video. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot, by Margot Theis Raven
Life was grim in 1948 West Berlin, Germany. Josef Stalin blockaded all ground routes coming in and out of Berlin to cut off West Berliners from all food and essential supplies. Without outside help, over 2.2 million people would die.Thus began the Berlin Airlift, a humanitarian rescue mission that utilized British and American airplanes and pilots to fly in needed supplies. As one of the American pilots participating in the Airlift mission, Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen helped to provide not only nourishment to the children but also gave them a reason to hope for a better world. From one thoughtful, generous act came a lifelong relationship between Lt. Gail and the children of Berlin. This is the true story of a seven-year-old girl named Mercedes who lived in West Berlin during the Airlift and of the American who came to be known as the Chocolate Pilot. Artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen's evocative paintings illuminate Margot Theis Raven's powerful story of hope, friendship and remembrance. Click here for a resource on using this book in the classroom. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Christmas From Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber, By Tom Brokaw
“From little things come big things,” Gail Halvorsen remembered his father saying. As a twenty-seven-year-old American pilot, Halvorsen’s job was to airdrop much-needed food and supplies to the people of West Berlin in the aftermath of World War II. But it was his simple gift of two sticks of gum that launched an extraordinary humanitarian endeavor and earned him the nickname “The Candy Bomber.” Each day hundreds of small white parachutes delivered treats to the children of West Germany, bringing the spirit of Christmas to a world in need of peace and hope. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
The Candy Bomber-Meet the Mormons, part of a full length documentary
Meet the Mormons examines the very diverse lives of six devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Filmed on location and across the globe, Meet the Mormons takes viewers on a journey into the day-to-day realities of individuals living in the U.S., Costa Rica, Nepal and beyond. From their individual passions to their daily struggles, each story paints a picture as rich and unique as the next while challenging the stereotypes that surround the Mormon faith. Known as “The Candy Bomber” during the 1940s Berlin Airlift, Gail Halvorsen sparked a movement when he started dropping candy tied to parachutes out of his airplane window to children below. This small act of kindness quickly became a life-saving boost to the morale of the people of West Berlin and soon caught worldwide attention and support. Detail from the creators of the film can be found at http://meetthemormons.com ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
The Berlin Airlift, produced by PBS and the American Experience series
It could have been the start of World War III. Instead, it became the largest humanitarian campaign the world had ever seen. On June 24, 1948, one of the first major crises of the Cold War occurred when the Soviet Union blocked railroad and street access to West Berlin. For nearly a year two million civilians and twenty thousand allied soldiers in the city's western sector were fed and fueled entirely from the air. Former German soldiers built airfields and repaired engines for the enemies they had been shooting out of the sky just three years before. British and American pilots, so recently delivering death, were now angels of mercy, supplying coal and flour, coffee and chocolate to the beleaguered city. Through lavish re-enactments and the personal stories of those who lived through the airlift, this American Experience production provides a dramatic and striking portrait of the first battle of the Cold War. Learn more by going to the PBS American Experience website located here. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |