In the final years of 1940s, the Soviets enacted a blockade on Western vehicles and trains coming in and out of Berlin. To continue delivering necessities to Berliners, the Allies decided to airlift supplies needed by the residents. The Berlin Airlift became one of the largest humanitarian missions in history, but one pilot went out of his way to make special deliveries for the children of the city.
Colonel Gail Halvorsen regularly flew in and out of Berlin during the blockade, sometimes to drop supplies and sometimes for leisure to film movies. During one of his many stops at Tempelhof Airport he was surrounded by a group of local children who wanted to know more about his plane. After talking to them he gave them a few sticks of gum and he noticed how happy they were to receive candy. So he told him to look out for his plane on his next trip, because he’s going to start dropping loads of the stuff.
- Colonel Halvorsen on the 40th anniversary
Supplies were in such high demand that planes were flying into the city at a rate of one every three minutes. The children asked how they would know which plane was his so he told them he’d wiggle his wings. They quickly named him Onkel Wackelflügel and eagerly awaited his daily drops. The first drop consisted of a few chocolate bars wrapped in handkerchief parachutes. But as other pilots began to hear about his operation, they started to donate candy and even drop some on their own.
- I hope you like Sour Patch Kids
Col. Halvorsen’s mission was soon picked up by the press, General William H Tunner formally approved of the plan and dubbed it Operation Little Vittles. The Air Force even began to produce the mini parachutes Halvorsen designed. When the news was reported Stateside, children all over the country began to send candy to Col. Halvorsen, and his stock really increased when some of the major candy manufacturers jumped on board and donated hundreds of pounds of their products.
- He thought up the least-creepy way to offer candy to children
By the end of the Berlin Blockade, Halvorsen and his pilots had dropped an estimated 150,000 packets of candy; nearly 23 tons of sugary treats for the German children. It’s marked as one of the highest points in US-German relations and Halvorsen was even invited to march with the German Winter Olympic team in 2002 in his hometown of Salt Lake City.
- Uh oh. That plane looks Russian.
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Pictures and Information courtesy of: Maam and Wiki.
As always, if YOU have an idea for a Historical Thursday, let me know at thereifixedit@gmail.com
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Dear Historical Thursday authors,
you are doing a great job!
Keep it on!
sign
another upstanding Mormon . . . I’m starting to think maybe they’re not all that weird after all!
Please don’t just a person based on their religion or lack thereof.
Please don’t judge me on my spelling ability or lack thereof.
Too late.
My the flying spagetti monster touch you with his noodliness. Ramen
reason you brought religion into this?
i didn’t see anything there stating what religion he is and if you assume everyone in Utah is a Mormon then you’re a moron.
So… instead of being usefull he just give away sugar.
Agree. I’ve heard it before, but this one really is a great story.
Another +1 for Historical Thursday, I always find these very interesting.
Keep it up.
The Russians were allies and joined WW2 long before america did.
Therefore we should just allow them to do whatever they want? Great thinking Ratz.
This falls under the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Thus I love Apple!
The enemy of my enemy is my enemy’s enemy, nothing more.
The enemy of my enemy may or may not be my friend, but he’s probably a good place to look for a temporary alliance.
Allies is an iffy word.
Germany attacked Russia through Operation Barbarossa.
The US and the West was still unsure about Russia.
Lots of the final battles in Germany were to race Russia to German strongholds, technology and scientists.
The Soviets were attacked by Germany and were forced to defend themselves against the fascists before America was. The USSR did not just choose to join the Great Patriotic War on a whim.
*Note: Referring to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as Russia is insulting to those citizens of the USSR who were not ethnic Russians. Not all who contributed to the war effort were from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. There are long standing ethnic divisions that exist between those who were citizens of the different republics and calling them all Russians is culturally insensitive. After all, it was these ethnic tensions being allowed to boil over under Gorbachev’s Glasnost policy which ultimately helped lead to the union being dissolved in 1991.
Actually, the Soviets and Nazis JOINTLY invaded Poland and carved it up between themselves. The Soviets only fought the Nazis and joined the Allies after Hitler betrayed the Soviets and launched Operation Barbarossa (which as a massive strategic error on his part.) I suppose you never heard of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, eh?
The USSR chose to attack Finland and collaborate with Germany to divide-up Poland and to annex Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, though. Whether that was “on a whim” I can’t say, but it was certainly not self-defense.
World War II started with the attack on Poland, and the USSR entered the war on the German side.
World War II started may 10th 1940, when Germany invaded France, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium. No one gave a rat’s ass about Poland. The Allies who were bound by treaty to defend Poland from the German and Soviet invasions did nothing to help Poland. The early phase of WWII is refered to as the “phoney war” for that reason. If Germany hadn’t tried to expand to the west, the “Allies” would’ve stayed out of it. Furthermore, the Spanish Civil War, the invasion of China by Japan and the invasion of Ethiopia by Italy happened before the invasion of Poland, and then again, no one cared. People only started caring when France fell to Germany and Italy, in only twelve days. That’s when they understood that if they didn’t stop the Axis then, no one ever would.
On 1 September 1939, Germany and Slovakia—a client state in 1939—attacked Poland. On 3 September 1939 France and Britain, followed by the countries of the Commonwealth, declared war on Germany but provided little support to Poland other than a small French attack into the Saarland.
History begs to differ.
That said with relevance to our Soviet discussion. The Soviet Union was an “ally” of Germany initially. The Soviet Union gained parts of Poland from Germany’s invasion. The reason I say “ally” was that Stalin’s plan was to let Germany soften up Europe and wear himself out and then he’d swoop in and take Europe. In fact he nearly did this by the end of the war. The allies US, Britain, and the commonwealth nation’s, among others were never really allies of the Soviet Union. It was merely that world political opinion viewed Communism as a lesser evil to Facism and that they’d need the Soviet Union to help win.
West Virginians are bad drivers. Just sayin’.
Do not feed the troll.
They didn’t join, they were invaded by a crazy mustache.
It wasn’t “Russians” who were allies. It was bloodthirsty Bolsheviks that we allied with, barbarians who by 1940 had slaughtered countless Slavic people in the most horrible ways. Ever heard of the 1932-33 Holodomor? And this is the government we became good buddies with.
How has no one mentioned that by the end of the 1940′s WW2 was over and so it’s irrelevant when Russia joined world war 2… this is referring to allies in the cold war, which Russia and the United States certainly were not.
This entry deserves a little wing wiggle – good job!
http://freelancethanks.com/
The historical Thursdays are always good, but this one was outstanding. Good job!
And the German dentists prospered!
This wonderful man has been to our little town for the past few years…..they bring the actual plane that was used in the Airlift…it’s a mobile museum now…..they even do a chocolate bar drop once a day…..the good col. is so gracious in answering questions…especially the younger kids that come…….thank you……..
This man is awesome.
Cool story bro; it’s even true, but get your dates right.
In 1940, germany was still the winning side of WW2.
The Berlin Airlift operation was in place from June 26, 1948, until August 27, 1949.
What part of “final years of 1940s” don’t you understand?
0_o
I really enjoy these Historical Thursdays. keep up the good work!
Onkel Wackelflügel = Uncle Wacky Wings or Uncle Wiggly Wings. Both sound funnier in English.
I respectfully disagree. Onkel Wackelflügel sounds way funnier when you say it out loud. But the downside is that now all my nearby coworkers are looking at me oddly… but whatever. Just saying Onkel Wackelflügel makes me laugh a little.
A salute to a great man and humanitarian.
Thanks, NSHA.
Western Germany and Western Berlin have never forgotten the Berlin Airlift, in fact I, born in 1976, was told by grandfather about it before I even entered school, though I never knew how “Operation Little Vittles” started. Thank you.
To make sure more people know how great this man is, a few corrections:
a) No one but his Co-Pilot & Crew Chief knew about the first few drops.
b) He could have been Court-Martialed (which was their main worry) for doing the drops
c) Gen. Turner found out after a reporter, who was wondering why all the kids started smiling at an aproaching airplane (C-54 military version of the 4 engine DC-4) and almost got hit by the candy drop.
d) Gen. Turner praised the man and told him to keep on doing it.
e) Halvorsen was the one who named it: “Little Vittles” (the main airlift was “Operation Vittles”).
f) The other pilots and crews started helping when they found out.
g). School children in one US city actually started to spend their evenings and weekends tying the candy to parachutes before it was shipped overseas.
Pretty nice article though. Keep up the good work, and please keep up the good news posts.
Excellent book to read: The Candy Bombers. (I donated my copy to my city’s Public Library).
G. Halvorsen was taking a big risk, so he only told his co-pilot and crew chief since he thought he could get Court-Martialed for doing the candy drops.
A reporter saw one happening and, wanting to talk to the flight crew, asked the USAF who was flying that plane (he gave the tail number). Gen. Turner told Halvorsen to continue this addition to “Operation Vittles” (the US part of the airlift). Then sent him to a press conference, where Halvorsen came up with the name “Little Vittles”.
Halvorsen got back to his base and found his matteress covered in candy bought by other flight and ground crews. He asked for help on dropping it, and the rest is pretty much history.
An US city’s children even spent their after school hours, and weekends putting hankerchef parachutes onto donated candy (they donated a lot of candy themselves in addition to candy being shipped to them), before it went onto transports going over to Europe.
Oh, I forgot….for younger readers there is: “Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot”.
The book I read is titled: “The Candy Bombers”; I just found out that Halvorsen has a book out: “The Berlin Candy Bomber”, which I haven’t read, Yet.
It is amazing how one person can start something big. Like how C.A.R.E. changed from Concerened Americans with Realitives in Europe (or something like that) to Concerned Americans for the Relief of Europe. Or how Toys for Tots got started due to just one U.S.M.C.(R.) officer.
2 people are total tools.
i can still bring candy to the masses. problem, soviets?
Kudos to you, may your karma continue to spread, thank you Sir!
Never forget our vets, and never forget the Greatest Generation.
<3
This story is very well-known in Germany, especially in Berlin. Even today we call the good ol’ C-47 and C-54 “Rosinenbomber”. There might be some tensions in the US/German relationship from time to time, but no one ever forgot the air lift!
Parachuting chocolates, how do they work? (awesome story)
I am german, yet not from Berlin, and born long after those events, but i grew up knowing about this story. people were very gratefull. try and imagine what happiness that must have brought.
I once had the great pleasure of meeting this man and recounting his tales as a berlin airlift pilot.
He really is the happy old man that the picture depicts him as.
When I lived in Germany, I actually went to Halvorsen-Tunner Elementary.
Awesome.