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FReeper Canteen ~ The Berlin Airlift ~ Part 3: Operation Little Vittles ~ 21 December 2020
Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

Posted on 12/20/2020 5:01:39 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!
 
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The Berlin Airlift
Part 3:  Operation Little Vittles

All info and photos from
this website.

Link to Part 1
Link to Part 2

ArmyPatch small   NavySeal small   Air Force Seal   Marines Seal small   Coast Guard Seal small (better)

"DER SCHOKOLADEN FLIEGER"
 

OPERATION LITTLE VITTLES
 


40K JPEG
General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force is shown presenting the 1948 Cheney Award to 1st Lieutenant Gail S. Halvorsen, USAF, former Berlin Airlift pilot and originator of Operation Little Vittles while his wife, second from left, looks on.
U.S. Air Force Photograph Negative Number A-35720 AC
National Air and Space Archives Videodisc Number 3B-38771


One of the most poignant stories of the Berlin Airlift was that of one 1st Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen.  Halvorsen was somewhat of an ammeter moviemaker, and on July 17, he decided that on one of his off days, he would hitch a ride as a passenger on a C-54 and visit the City he was saving.  Once at Tempelhof, Halvorsen walked to the end of the runway to film some aircraft landings when he noticed a group of children near the fence watching the planes, too.  He went over to them.  They asked questions about the aircraft, the cargo, how fast it was going and things like that.  During this conversation he noticed that these children, unlike others he had encountered in Europe as a Ferry command Pilot during the War, did not ask him for any candy or gum, like others always had.  This struck him funny, and he knew that they were too proud to beg for such things.  Some having been born during wartime had not even heard of treats like that.  He made a fateful decision at that moment which was to become one of the symbols of the airlift.  He reached into his pocket and found that he had only two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum.  He remarked that if they did not fight over it, he would drop some candy to them if they were there the next day.  They agreed, took the sticks of gum and divided it amongst themselves, some happy to get only a piece of the wrapper.  Before he left them, a child asked him how they would know it was him flying over.  He replied, "I'll wiggle my wings." 
True to his word, the very next day, on approach to Berlin, he rocked the airplane and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below.  Every day, the number of children would increase and he made several more drops.  Soon there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings', "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier". 
Halvorsen didn't tell anyone about what he was doing for fear he'd get in trouble.  Then, he was called into his commander and asked what he was doing.  He replied 'Flying, Sir."  His commander asked again, and received the same response.  He then pulled out a newspaper with a picture of Halvorsen's plane and tiny parachutes trailing behind.  Apparently, a newspaper reporter narrowly escaped being hit on the head with a chocolate bar.  His commander wasn't happy about it, but General Tunner though it was just the kind of gesture that the operation needed.  It was dubbed "Operation Little Vittles".  It continued, and many C-54 pilots participated.  Candy and parachutes were assembled and sent from Chicopee Falls, MA to assist in the gesture.  In the end, over three tons of candy was dropped over Berlin, some even in the Soviet sector.  For this simple kindhearted gesture, Halvorsen became the most recognized pilot of the Berlin Airlift. 

THE EASTER PARADE
 


By April 1949, airlift operations were going rather smoothly, and General Tunner wanted to break up the monotony.  He liked the idea of a big event that would show the capabilities of his command, as well as give everyone a big morale boost.  He wanted to set a record.  In order to do that, much planning was necessary, and it was decided that on Easter Sunday, the only cargo was to be coal.  In fact general Tunner wanted to shatter all previous tonnage records set so far.  Secretly, coal was stockpiled for the event.  Maintenance schedules were altered so that the maximum number of planes was available.  Everyone put in extra effort for this special event.  From 12:00PM April 15, to 12:00PM April 16, 1949, crews worked overtime to deliver more tonnage than had ever been delivered in a 24 hour period.  When it was over, 12,941 tons of coal had been delivered as a result of 1,383 flights without a single accident.  As a matter of fact, as a result, the daily tonnage also increased from 6,729 tons a day before the Easter Parade, to 8,893 tons per day, an unexpected benefit.  This was the straw that broke the camel's back.
 

THE END OF THE BLOCKADE
 

On May 12, 1949, the Soviets capitulated.  The blockade was over.  It was decided to continue supplying Berlin by air in addition to the land routes in order to build up a sufficient supply of goods.  The Airlift officially ended on Sept. 30, 1949, fifteen months after its meager beginnings in June of '48.  In total, the US delivered 1,783,572.7 tons, while 541,936.9 tons were delivered by the British totaling 2.3 Million tons from 277, 569 total flights to Berlin.  C-47's and C-54's alone traveled over 92 million miles in order to do so.  These were astounding figures, considering that in the beginning it seemed impossible to even try.  Nevertheless, even the greatest operation is not without risk.  A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 31 Americans, mostly due to crashes. 

The end of the blockade was unexpected; however, as bigger plans were made and bigger planes were set to replace the existing fleet of C-54's.  The USAF had already used a C-74 "Globemaster" and one Boeing YC-97A "Stratofreighter" in the airlift, testing the feasibility of heavy-lift transports and their use in a continued operation.  The Douglas C-124 "Globemaster II" was coming and the plan was to use C-97's and 124's to continue the operation without as many flights.  Fortunately, that was not necessary. 

Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter" owned by the Foundation         Fairchild C-82 "Packet"                          Douglas C-74 "Globemaster"       

 

...continued and concluded next week....

 

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!





TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Free Republic
KEYWORDS: berlinairlift; canteen; military; troopsupport
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1 posted on 12/20/2020 5:01:39 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska
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To: Kathy in Alaska





2 posted on 12/20/2020 5:03:11 PM PST by Fiddlstix (Warning! This Is A Subliminal Tagline! Read it at your own risk!(Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: Kathy in Alaska

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list


December 21

What to Name the Baby

Bible in a Year:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

Here’s one conversation Mary didn’t have to have with Joseph as they awaited the birth of the baby she was carrying: “Joseph, what should we name the baby?” Unlike most people awaiting a birth, they had no question about what they would call this child.

The angels who visited Mary and then Joseph told them both that the baby’s name would be Jesus (Matthew 1:20–21; Luke 1:30–31). The angel that appeared to Joseph explained that this name indicated that the baby would “save his people from their sins.”

He would also be called “Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), which means “God is with us,” because He would be God in human form—deity wrapped in swaddling clothes. The prophet Isaiah revealed additional titles of “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6), because He would be all of those things.

It’s always exciting to name a new baby. But no other baby had such a powerful, exciting, world-changing name as the one who was “Jesus who is called the Messiah” (Matthew 1:16). What a thrill for us to be able to “call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2)! There’s no other name that saves (Acts 4:12).

Let’s praise Jesus and contemplate everything He means to us this Christmas season!

Reflect & Pray

How does reflecting on the name of Jesus encourage you? Which of His titles from Isaiah 9:6 means the most to you this season? Why?

Thank You, heavenly Father, for sending us One who is our Savior, our Counselor, our Prince of Peace, and our Messiah. I celebrate His birth because I know that His life and death and resurrection purchased eternal life for me.


3 posted on 12/20/2020 5:03:55 PM PST by The Mayor (I am outraged at your outrage toward the outrage!)
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To: Kathy in Alaska
~ Good Evening ~

Music-Notes~ Hai Kathy! I'm Home For The Holiday Until 6 Jan - More To Come ~

dog thankyou 1

Hugs2 You 1 zps9409c58b

Hai_Kathy-vi_zps57be83d2
~ Good Evening ~

funny picdump 491 640 40

airbus frontier 321
~ Welcome To My World ~

My_World

dancingfrog

No Friday

I’m Down There Somewhere

Frontier_Flights_All

4 posted on 12/20/2020 5:06:48 PM PST by SkyDancer
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To: MoJo2001; 007; 1 FELLOW FREEPER; 11B3; 1FreeAmerican; 1stbn27; 2111USMC; 2LT Radix jr; 300winmag; ..

~ The Berlin Airlift ~ Part 3: Operation Little Vittles ~

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT

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To every service man or woman reading this thread.
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5 posted on 12/20/2020 5:10:28 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Fiddlstix

Good evening, Fiddlstix, and thanks for the Christmas tunes.

Have a great week. Stay warm and safe.


6 posted on 12/20/2020 5:19:26 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: The Mayor

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Ready to take on a new week? Did you stay warm today? And keep up the good work with resting! 😊


7 posted on 12/20/2020 5:25:34 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: SkyDancer

Good evening, Janey...((HUGS))...home for the holidays! Enjoy your time with family before heading off to work.

Have you finished your latest schooling?


8 posted on 12/20/2020 5:36:37 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: The Mayor; PROCON; mylife; mountainlion; Publius; Jet Jaguar; ConorMacNessa; ...

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!


9 posted on 12/20/2020 5:40:15 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: All

10 posted on 12/20/2020 5:44:03 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Kathy in Alaska

Berlin Airlift plans included extensions from WW-II medical ferry flight plans -— between the European Theatre and the USA, and between Japan and the USA.

700 wounded were expected to arrive along the west coast, every day, in the event of our invading Japan.


11 posted on 12/20/2020 5:52:03 PM PST by linMcHlp
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To: Fiddlstix
Fiddlstix - 1st!!


12 posted on 12/20/2020 5:58:00 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: The Mayor
The Mayor - 2nd!!


13 posted on 12/20/2020 6:07:32 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: SkyDancer
Janey - 3rd!!


14 posted on 12/20/2020 6:09:35 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Kathy in Alaska

Thanks Kathy for this great part of American history.!


15 posted on 12/20/2020 6:19:43 PM PST by PROCON (Molon Labe)
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To: Kathy in Alaska

West Berlin could only be accessed by ONE highway, ONE air corridor and ONE rail line. I used all three.

Soviets controlled land and rail and every time one traveled to West Berlin one had to go through a Soviet checkpoint.

It was quite the experience.


16 posted on 12/20/2020 6:37:15 PM PST by VeniVidiVici ( )
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To: linMcHlp

Welcome to the Canteen, linMcHlp, and thanks for adding more information.


17 posted on 12/20/2020 6:46:34 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska ((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Kathy in Alaska


18 posted on 12/20/2020 6:53:53 PM PST by Fiddlstix (Warning! This Is A Subliminal Tagline! Read it at your own risk!(Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: Kathy in Alaska

Woo hoo ....!!!


19 posted on 12/20/2020 6:55:27 PM PST by SkyDancer
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To: Kathy in Alaska

Hai Kathy! (((HUGS))) Yeppers, finished up; now comes the logistics - I either go on as a reserve captain or stay as an F/O and a line pilot. If reserve I have to wait for an opening and if there is one I have to sit and wait to be called; as a line pilot I can pick and choose which routes I want to fly and am assured of working.


20 posted on 12/20/2020 6:58:34 PM PST by SkyDancer
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