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.......
LIFE FOR THE BERLINERS


Life for the Berliners was hard. In the beginning, there was about a month's worth of supplies to be had, but stockpiles were dwindling. The airlift had not reached its predicted consumption rate yet, and starvation was near. In addition, when the winter of 1948-49 hit, there was little fuel to run the remaining industry, let alone heat the homes. Berliners soon found themselves chopping down all of the trees in the city for fuel, and learning what grasses could be eaten for food. In addition, people rummaged through garbage cans for food, but soon found that there was very little of that to go around. It was a dire circumstance, but still they knew that their suffering in this manner would be better than succumbing to Soviet control. They had seen the treatment the Soviet soldiers had given them when they arrived. They were stealing everyone's valuables, systematically stripping the industry and all of the necessary equipment and shipping it back to Moscow. In addition, German wives and daughters were being raped and abused all of the time. German scientists and engineers were forcibly sent to Moscow and forced to reveal all of the German technological secrets. Starvation was far better than that treatment. When it was decided that an airlift would be attempted, Berlin's Lord Mayor Ernst Reuter held a public rally in support of the effort. Germans would suffer and sacrifice to make it work. The German resolve was strong, even in such a desperate situation.



GERMAN VOLUNTEERS


One of the biggest problems during the airlift was the lack of manpower. It was decided to use the very people who the airlift was helping, the Berliners themselves. There was no lack of supply as they were eager to help because it was all for them anyway. In addition those who helped got an extra ration. This was very important to them, as the allotted ration was very small. It also gave the people a great sense of pride that they were helping the effort. So, soon German volunteers were used for unloading crews at Tempelhof. They would board the aircraft as soon as it stopped and commence unloading. If the crews did an especially good job, they might get a reward, such as a pack of cigarettes or an extra ration. This became quite the incentive, as the record for unloading 10-tons of coal was set at 10 minutes.



Another large problem was the lack of skilled mechanics. There just weren't enough mechanics to keep a fleet of C-54's maintained so that there could be no disruption in the conveyor belt of supplies to Berlin. They needed people to perform inspections, repairs, engine replacements, cleaning and servicing these aircraft. General Tunner had a solution to that problem, too. There were a large number of skilled former Luftwaffe mechanics available right in Berlin. It was decided to create crews comprised of these men, an American Maintenance supervisor and an interpreter. Soon the manpower was there. Soon, any aircraft that wasn't being fixed, inspected, or overhauled was flying the corridors. A far cry from the beginnings.

THE AIRLIFT'S LEGACY


The most obvious was the 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union, which ebbed with the construction of the Berlin Wall, and the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts. We also forged a newfound friendship with Germany, our former foe, and established the Federal Republic of Germany as a result. In addition, the North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO) was formed as a result of the crisis.

Less politically, our aircraft and airway system we enjoy today was developed and perfected as a result of the Berlin Airlift. Ground Controlled Approach or GCA was greatly improved as a necessity for the aircraft to land in Berlin, and our air traffic control system is a direct development of that technology. Loading procedures and maintenance procedures are greatly improved as a result, too.

More importantly, The Berlin Airlift demonstrated the military need for Air Transport in addition to Bombers and Fighters. A result is the Air Mobility Command and aircraft like the C-141 Starlifter, the C-130 Hercules, the C-5 Galaxy, and our newest transport, the C-17 Globemaster III.

All of these political and logistical ideas came as a result of the resolve of the US, Great Britain, France, and Germany to resist totalitarian tactics and wage a battle of air transport. This battle saved over 2.5 million people without firing a single shot. In a matter of fifteen months in 1948-49, world history was changed by the greatest humanitarian aviation event in history, the Berlin Airlift.

31 Americans lost their lives during the Berlin Airlift
28 U.S. Air Force, 1 US Navy, 1 US Army, 1 Army civilian



1st Lt George B. Smith        1st Lt Leland V. Williams

Tuscaloosa, Alabama           Abilene, Texas 



Mr Karl V. Hagen              1st Lt Charles H. King

New York, New York            Britton, South Dakota 



1st Lt Robert W. Stuber       Major Edwin C. Diltz

Arlington, California         Fayetteville, Texas 



Captain Willian R. Howard     Captain Joel M. DeVolentine

Gunnison, Mississippi         Miami, Florida 



1st Lt William T. Lucas       PFC Johnny T. Orms 

Wilson, North Carolina        Rhein-Main Air Base 

 

Captain James A. Vaughan      1st Lt Eugene S. Erickson 

New Haven, Connecticut        Collinsville, Illinois  



Sgt Richard Winter            Captain Billy E. Phelps 

Seattle, Washington           Long Beach, California 



1st Lt Willis F. Hargis       TSgt Lloyd C. Wells 

Nacogdoches, Texas            San Antonio, Texas 



AD/3 Harry R. Crites, Jr.     1st Lt Richard M. Wurgel 

Lafayette, Indiana            Union City, New Jersey 



1st Lt Lowell A. Wheaton, Jr. Captain William A. Rathgeber

Corpus Christi, Texas         Portland, Oregon



Sgt Bernard J. Watkins        Cpl Norbert H. Theis 

Lafayette, Indiana            Cunningham, Kansas 



PFC Ronald E. Stone           1st Lt Ralph H. Boyd 

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky        Fort Worth, Texas 



1st Lt Craig B. Ladd          TSgt Charles L. Putnam 

Minneapolis, Minnesota        Colorado Springs, Colorado 



1st Lt Robert P. Weaver       1st Lt Royce C. Stephens

Fort Wayne, Indiana           San Antonio, Texas 



1st Lt Robert C. von Luehrte  2nd Lt Donald J. Leemon 

Covington, Kentucky           Green Bay, Wisconsin 



TSgt Herbert F. Heinig 

Fort Wayne, Indiana



Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:
www.avialantic.com/bahf.html
http://www.usafe.af.mil/berlin/photos.htm
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Berlin Airlift - Jan 5th, 2003
Gail S. Halvorsen, The Berlin Candy Bomber
"To Save A City", Roger G. Miller, United States Air Force History and museums Program, 1998.
"MAC and the Berlin Airlift" by Roger D. Launius and Coy F. Cross III Military Airlift Command, 1998
"Over The Hump" William H. Tunner, 1964 Duell, Sloan and Pearce. New York.

1 posted on 01/27/2005 9:54:04 PM PST by snippy_about_it
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To: All
............

TEGEL


Berlin had only 2 airports at the outset of the airlift, Tempelhof and Gatow. Soon, it became obvious that a third was needed. Heavy equipment was needed, but there were no aircraft large enough to carry bulky items like that. So, it was cut into smaller pieces, loaded onto one of 5 Fairchild C-82 Packet aircraft, flown into Berlin, and welded back together again. Incidentally, a new power plant for Berlin was constructed this way also. Nevertheless, an area in the French Sector was chosen to become Tegel Airfield. American, French, and German volunteers broke ground on august 5th, 1948. Through dedication, hard work and extreme organization, the first c-54 landed with its 10-ton cargo only a mere three months later. Quite a feat. Tegel, incidentally, is Berlin's main airport today.

There was an obstacle in the way on the approach to Tegel, however. A Soviet controlled radio tower caused problems with its proximity to the airfield. Pleas to remove it went unheard. Finally, on November 20, French General Jean Ganeval made a decision. If they would not take it down, he would simply blow it up. So, on December 16, the dynamite was used. The tower fell, and the obstacle was gone.

"DER SCHOKOLADEN FLIEGER"
OPERATION LITTLE VITTLES


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. The 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 twosticks 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 will 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.

BERLIN AIRLIFT QUICK FACTS

2 posted on 01/27/2005 9:55:16 PM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: snippy_about_it

Anyone notice the two chunks of French controlled West Germany were at convenient "retreat/backstab" positions?

The airlift sounds pretty amazing in terms of equipment at the time.
Nowadays, it sounds paltry compared to what the C5's and C141's can do.
Too easy these days to forget the accomplishments of the previous generations.


27 posted on 01/28/2005 7:31:12 AM PST by Darksheare (Trolls beware, the icy hands of the forum wraith are behind you!)
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To: snippy_about_it

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on January 28:
1457 Henry VII Pembroke Castle, 1st Tudor king of England (1485-1509)
1600 Clement IX [Giulio Rospigliosi], Pistoia, Italy, 238th pope (1667-69)
1608 Giovanni Alfonso Borelli Naples Italy, mathematician/astronomer/physiologist
1611 Johannes Hevelius Danzig, astronomer (star cataloger)
1706 John Baskerville English printer (typeface inventor)
1717 Mustapha III Sultan of Turkey (1757-74)
1815 Andrew Jackson Hamilton Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1875
1822 Alexander MacKenzie (L) 2nd PM of Canada (1873-78)
1825 George Edward Pickett Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1875
1828 Thomas Carmichael Hindman Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1868
1831 Henry Brevard Davidson Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1899
1833 Charles George Gordon London England, military hero/general (China, Khartoum)
1841 Henry Stanley England, journalist/explorer (found Livingston in Africa)
1853 José Martí y Perez Cuba, poet/essayist/politician
1855 William Seward Burroughs New York, inventor (recording adding machine)
1884 Auguste Piccard Switzerland, scientist/explorer (balloonist)
1910 John Banner Vienna Austria, actor (Sergeant Hans Schultz-Hogan's Heroes)
1912 Jackson Pollock Cody WY, abstract artist (Lavender Mist)
1924 Frank R Lautenberg (Senator-D-NJ)
1928 Slade Gorton (Senator-R-WA, 1981-96 )
1929 Acker Bilk clarinetist (Stranger on the Shore)
1933 Susan Sontag New York City NY, essayist/novelist/film director (The Benefactor, 1966 Pol Award)
1936 Alan Alda [Alphonso D'Abruzzo], New York City NY, actor (Hawkeye Pierce-M*AS*H)
1948 Mamoru Mohri Yoichi-machi Hokkaido Japan, astronaut (STS 47)
1950 Barbi Benton [Klein], California, Playboy model/actress (Hee Haw, Sugar Time!)
1950 David Carl Hilmer Iowa, Colonel USMC/astronaut (STS 51-J, 26, 36, 42)



Deaths which occurred on January 28:
0814 Charlemagne King of the Franks/ King of the Lombards (774-814), Holy Roman emperor, dies at 71
1119 Gelasius II [Giovannis Caetani], pope (1118-19), dies
1256 Willem II Earl of Holland/German emperor (1238, 47-56), dies at 22
1547 Henry VIII King of England (1509-47), dies at 55
1595 Sir Francis Drake English navigator/pirate (Porto Bello West Indies), dies at about 50
1621 Paulus V [Camillo Borghese], 233rd pope (1605-21), dies at 68
1725 Peter I "the Great" Romanov czar of Russia, dies at 52
1829 William Burke murderer/body snatcher, executed in Edinburgh
1939 William Butler Yeats Irish poet (Nobel), dies in France at 73
1963 Jean Felix Piccard swiss explorer, dies on his 79th birthday
1973 John Banner actor (Schultz-Hogan's Heroes), dies on 62nd birthday
1980 Jimmy Durante New York City NY, comedian (Jimmy Durante Show), dies at 86

1986 Christa McAuliffe astronaut/teacher, dies in Challenger disaster
1986 Ellison S Onizuka Hawaii, Major USAF/astronaut, dies in Challenger disaster
1986 Francis R Scobee Washington, USAF/astronaut, dies in Challenger disaster
1986 Gregory B. Jarvis Detroit Michigan, payload specialist/astronaut, dies in Challenger disaster
1986 Dr Judith Arlene Resnik Akron OH, astronaut, dies in Challenger disaster
1986 Michael J Smith Beaufort NC, Commander USN, astronaut, dies in Challenger
1986 Ronald E McNair Lake City SC, astronaut, dies in Challenger disaster

1994 Hal Smith actor (Otis Campbell-Andy Griffith Show), dies at 77
1996 Dan Duva boxing promoter, dies at 44
1996 Jerry Siegel comic book writer (Superman), dies at 81
2004 Jack Parr Pioneered tv talkshow format (Tonight Show)



Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 MC PHERSON FRED LAWER---OAKLAND CA.
1967 BIEDIGER LARRY W.---LA COSTE TX.
[REMAINS RETURNED 06/03/83]
1967 THORNTON WILLIAM D.---TERRYTOWN NY.
1968 BENGE MICHAEL
[03/05/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98]
1968 SINGSON WILFREDO D.
1970 ANDERSON GREGORY L.---WHEATON IL.
["MIG HIT, EXPLODED"]
1970 BELL HOLLY G.---BEAUMONT TX.
[REMAINS RETURNED 05/89]
1970 LEESER LEONARD C.---FLORAL PARK NY.
1970 MALLON RICHARD J.---PORTLAND OR.
[REMAINS RETURNED 05/89]
1970 PANEK ROBERT J. SR.---CHICAGO IL.
[PROBABLY KIA, REMAINS RETURNED 04/89]
1970 PRUETT WILLIAM D.---BLUEFIELD VA.
1970 SHINN WILLIAM C.---WOODLAND CA.
1970 SUTTON WILLIAM C.---GOLDSBORO NC.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.


On this day...
0028 The Roman Emperor Nerva names Trajan, an army general, as his successor.
1077 Pope Gregory VII pardons German emperor Heinrich IV
1099 1st Crusaders begins siege of Hosn-el-Akrad Syria
1495 Pope gives his son Cesare Borgia as hostage to Charles VIII of France
1547 9-year-old Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII as king of England
1561 By Edict of Orleans persecution of French Huguenots is suspended
1581 James VI signs the 2nd Confession of Faith in Scotland
1613 Galileo may have unknowingly viewed undiscovered planet Neptune
1689 English parliament ends king Charles II reign
1787 Philadelphia's Free Africa Society organizes
1788 Lord Gordon found guilty of libel of queen of France
1807 London's Pall Mall is 1st street lit by gaslight
1821 Bellingshausen discovers Alexander Island off Antarctica
1851 Northwestern University (Chicago) chartered
1858 John Brown organized raid on Arsenal at Harper's Ferry
1864 Battle of New Bern, NC
1865 President Jefferson Davis names 3 peace commissioners
1871 Paris surrenders to Prussians ((SHOCK!)
1878 1st telephone exchange (New Haven CT)
1878 George W Coy hired as 1st full-time telephone operator
1878 Yale Daily News published, 1st college daily newspaper
1881 Battle at Laing's Neck Natal Boers beat superior powered British
1899 American Social Science Association incorporated by Congress
1902 Carnegie Institute founded in Washington DC
1904 1st college sports letters given to Seniors who played on University of Chicago's football team are awarded blankets with letter "C" on them
1909 US military forces leave Cuba for 2nd time
1914 Beverly Hills, California, is incorporated
1915 1st US ship lost in WWI, William P Frye (carrying wheat to UK)

1915 US Coast Guard created from Life Saving & Revenue Cutter services

1915 US President Wilson refuses to prohibit immigration of illiterates
1916 1st Jewish Supreme Court justice, Louis Brandeis, nominated
1922 American Pro Football Association renamed "National Football League"
1922 J E Clair turns Green Bay franchise back to NFL
1923 1st "Reichs Party" (NSDAP) forms in Munich
1925 -46ºF, Pittsburgh NH (state record)
1932 1st US state unemployment insurance act enacted-Wisconsin
1932 Japan occupies Shanghai
1933 French government of Paul Boncour falls
1933 German government of Von Schleicher falls
1934 1st US ski tow (rope) begins operation (Woodstock VT)
1935 Iceland becomes 1st country to legalize abortion
1936 Pravda criticizes Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth" opera
1942 General Timoshenko's troops move into Ukraine
1942 German troops occupy Benghazi Libya
1944 683 British bombers attack Berlin
1945 General "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell & truck convoy reopen Burma Road to China
1945 Swedish ships bring food to starving Netherlands
1949 UN Security council condemns Dutch aggression in Indonesia
1950 Preston Tucker, auto maker, found not guilty of mail fraud
1951 "La Vie Commence Demain", which depicted artificial insemination & is the 1st X-rated movie, opened in London
1956 Elvis Presley's 1st TV appearance (Dorsey Brothers Stage Show)
1958 Construction began on 1st private thorium-uranium nuclear reactor
1958 Dodger catcher Roy Campanella is paralyzed in an automobile wreck
1959 Soviet Union wins 62-37 for 1st international basketball loss by US
1960 1st photograph bounced off Moon, Washington DC
1960 NFL announces Dallas Cowboys (1960) & Minnesota Vikings (1961) franchises
1962 Johanne Relleke gets stung by bees 2,443 times in Rhodesia & survives
1963 -34ºF, Cynthiana KY (state record)
1965 The Who make their 1st appearance on British TV
1967 Rolling Stones release "Let's Spend the Night Together"
1968 Goose Goslin & Kiki Cuyler elected to baseball Hall of Fame
1969 Barbara Jo Rubin becomes 1st woman jockey to win in North America
1973 Ron Howard appears on M*AS*H in "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet"
1978 "Fantasy Island" starring Ricardo Montalban premieres on ABC TV
1978 Ted Nugent autographs a fan's arm with his knife
1981 Olympic Glory tanker at Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 1 million gallons of oil in a ship collision
1981 William J Casey becomes the 13th director of CIA (until 1987)
1982 US General Dozier freed from Red Brigade of Padua Italy
1984 Mr Glynn Wolfe marries for non-bigamous record 26th time, Las Vegas NV (AH! True Love!)
1984 Record 295,000 dominoes toppled, Fuerth, West Germany

1986 25th Space Shuttle (51L)-Challenger 10 explodes 73 seconds after liftoff

1986 Angolan Unity Leader Jonas Savimbi visits Washington, DC
1987 Wrestler Jim Neidhart indicted for assaulting a flight attendant
1988 Canada's Supreme court declares anti-abortion law unconstitutional
1991 Dictator Siad Barre flees Somalia ending 22 year rule
1997 Algeria union leader Abdelhak Benhamouda was killed by an assassin. Separately a bomb in the marketplace at Blida killed 15 people
1998 In Kenya it was reported that 77 people died in the month in attacks aimed at ethnic Kikuyus, who opposed Pres. Moi’s re-election.
2000 Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin, the Florida nun selected by Attorney General Janet Reno as a neutral party in the custody battle over Elian Gonzalez, sought unsuccessfully to persuade Reno to change her mind about returning the six-year-old to Cuba.
2001 In Algeria an armed group killed 2 dozen people in Oued Fares in the Chlef region. 16 of the dead were children.
2002 US forces and Afghan militiamen attacked and killed 6 al Qaeda gunmen, who had been holed up at the Mir Wais Hospital in Kandahar (Don't run, you'll just die tired)
2003 US and Afghan forces battled rebels aligned with renegade leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the largest-scale fighting in 10 months. 18 enemy fighters were killed in 2 days of fighting. Norwegian F-16s participated in bombing enemy targets


Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Rwanda : Democracy Day (1961)
US : Meat Week (Day 6)
US : School Nurse Day
US : National Kazoo Day
US : Popcorn Day
US : Spieling Day
National Be On-Purpose Month


Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Feast of St Valerius
Roman Catholic : Feast of St Charlemagne
old Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Peter Nolasco (now 1/31)
Anglican, Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas, priest, friar


Religious History
1581 Scotland's King James VI, who in 1603 would become England's James I, signed the Second Scottish Confession of Faith.
1822 Birth of William D. Longstaff, English philanthropist. A close acquaintance of Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey, Longstaff is better remembered today as author of the hymn, "Take Time to Be Holy."
1834 Birth of Sabine Baring-Gould, Anglican clergyman and author. A man of widely diverging interests, he published numerous books on history, biography, poetry and fiction. He also penned the enduring hymns, "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "Now the Day is Over."
1947 In NY City, a copy of the 1640 Bay Psalm Book was purchased at an auction at Parke-Bernet Galleries for $150,000 --the highest price ever paid to date for a single volume. (The original title of the book was: "The Whole Book of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre.")
1977 The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith published an 18-page document ruling out the admission of women to the Roman Catholic priesthood because women lacked a "natural resemblance which must exist between Christ and his ministers."

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.


Thought for the day :
"Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours."


29 posted on 01/28/2005 8:39:23 AM PST by Valin (Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windshield)
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To: snippy_about_it

Berlin "Candy Bomber"
http://www.hill.af.mil/museum/history/candy.htm

One of the many American pilots to fly the USAF C-54 Skymaster during the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49 ("Operation Vittles") was Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen of Provo, Utah. During the operation he became known as the "Candy Bomber" because he repeatedly dropped candy to German children from his aircraft on approach to the runways.

The idea grew out of a chance meeting between Halvorsen and several German school children at the perimeter fence of Tempelhof Airport. While waiting for his aircraft to be unloaded one day he decided to walk to the end of the runway and photograph other C-54s making their landing approach to the runway, a tricky descent over several buildings outside the Tempelhof grounds. While standing at the barbed wire fence he struck up a conversation with the German children gathered outside to watch the giant airplanes land. The hungry children asked if Halvorsen had any gum or candy, and he eagerly gave them two pieces of gum that he happened to be carrying in his pocket. He promised to bring them more gum and candy on his next flight into the airport, saying that he would drop it to them as he passed over them while landing. When asked how they would known which of the huge airplanes was his, he said he would "wiggle his wings" as he approached their position.

True to his word, on his next mission to Tempelhof Airport, on final approach to the runway Halvorsen "wiggled his wings" and had the Flight Engineer push three bundles of sweets through the flare chute on the C-54 flightdeck. (Halvorsen had gathered the candy by talking other pilots into donating their Candy Ration Cards to the effort.) The three small parcels floated down on tiny, homemade handkerchief parachutes, but Halvorsen could not see whether the children caught the packages due to the business of landing. Later, as he taxied the empty C-54 to the end of the runway to depart the airfield, he looked to the crowd of children at the fence. Three white handkerchiefs waved back at him enthusiastically!

Over the next few weeks Halvorsen repeated the airdrops to an ever-growing audience of German children at the fence. Soon he even began to receive letters at the airport, addressed simply to "Uncle Wiggly Wings -- Tempelhof," requesting special airdrops at other locations within the city! Local newspapers picked up the story and his fame began to spread. Back at his home base Halvorsen began to receive mail from other pilots who wanted to help. Candy was donated, handkerchief parachutes were made by volunteers, and the tiny parcels began to fall all over Berlin.

On a brief trip back to the United States Halvorsen was asked by an interviewer what he needed to continue his popular "Candy Bomber" operation. He jokingly remarked "boxcars full of candy!" Sure enough, shortly after his return to Germany a traincar loaded with 3,000 pounds of chocolate bars arrived for "Uncle Wiggly Wings." Thousands of pounds of candy continued to arrive from the United States to support the airdrops. Other pilots volunteered to drop the packages of sweets across the city. After several letters were received from East Berlin "Uncle Wiggly Wings" even made a few drops to school yards there, angering Soviet officials for the "attempted subversion of young minds." When asked about it Halvorsen commented "kids are kids everywhere." He even mailed packages of candy to disappointed children who wrote to say they had never been able to reach the "sweet gifts from the sky" before others got all the loot. No one was to be missed by Utah's "Candy Bomber."


75 posted on 01/28/2005 9:44:23 PM PST by Valin (Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windshield)
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To: snippy_about_it

Candy Bomber still delivers
http://www.usafe.af.mil/berlin/uns99207.htm
Released: May 19, 1999

By Tech. Sgt. Joe Bela
USAFE News Service

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS)-- From the Berlin Airlift, 50 years ago, to Operation Shining Hope, the Candy Bomber still delivers.

One man's kind gesture at the end of World War II blossomed into a major operation with one mission -- to airdrop candy to the children of war-torn Berlin.

For the Candy Bomber, retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, the legacy continues.

Halvorsen, one of the Berlin Airlift's most famous figures and the impetus behind Operation "Little Vittles," visited Albania Tuesday to make yet another delivery to the Kosovar Albanian refugees fleeing Serb oppression in Kosovo.

The Candy Bomber made the 4 1/2-hour trek to Tirana aboard a C-130 transport plane from Ramstein's 37th Airlift Squadron. While there, he saw similarities between the nearly 600 U.S. servicemembers supporting humanitarian operations and the airmen who did the same for West Berlin in 1948.

"I saw the same spark in the folks here today. It's reflected in the crews and the ground folks," Halvorsen said. "I was impressed with their professionalism, how they went about their tasks and worked together as a team."

It's the same thing as the Berlin Airlift, he said in reference to Operation Shining Hope. "It's the spirit ... of helping people we don't even know and risking our lives to do it."

Halvorsen's trip included a 30-minute ride aboard a Navy CH-46 helicopter to Camp Hope where he delivered school supplies, toys and candy to the children. The U.S.-built facility is currently home for more than 2,000 refugees, and is expected to shelter up to 20,000 people upon completion.

Although no children had heard of the Candy Bomber, their curiosity alone was enough to draw a crowd. "They just ran out. It was the same in Berlin," said Halvorsen. "Kids naturally know GIs are a 'soft touch' for gum and candy.

"I was amazed to find these children -- who'd been sleeping out in the open just a few weeks before, deprived of their homes -- so upbeat. We have to take a lesson from that," he said.

"These children taught me a lot today. Your heart bleeds for them, but when you see them adapting like that, it renews your faith," he said. "If you have the right attitude, well then, the whole world is a different color. These kids have that attitude."

For Halvorsen, the visit was a great experience he'll never forget -- an experience like the one in Berlin 50 years ago.

The Berlin Airlift and Operation Shining Hope have one thing in common. These (the German and Kosovar) people sacrificed the comforts of life because they believed in the same principle and that's freedom," he said.

"They may not have had enough to eat, but they put aside the hunger for the principle of being free," he said. "We need to understand the trials of people like them and learn to have an appreciation for the little things in life."


76 posted on 01/28/2005 9:44:44 PM PST by Valin (Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windshield)
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To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf
Good Evening!

I am a new poster a this site, but I visited it several times...

In fact, being an enthusiastic admirer of the Berlin Airlift, I wrote a novel "Eagles Over Berlin" dedicated to the men and women who carried out this marvelous military victory, a victory of democracy and freedom on tyranny.

This site, among many others, was a great help for me and I would like at first to thank you for that. I would like to use the "Tempelhof" photo here-above in the article on my book cover and would like to obtain your permission for it.

I was born and grown up in Hungary during the Communist era, years after the Berlin blockade. America was presented as the enemy. In the shadows of the communism, my parents and elderly spoke about the Airlift and the secret mystery around it made the fantastic enterprise even more appealing in my eyes. I arrived four years ago to the United States and experienced that the Americans in the streets do not know about it.

If you would like to have more information about the book, you can visit the web site www.eaglesoverberlin.com

Thank you in advance for your permission.
86 posted on 05/04/2005 7:13:35 PM PDT by Kikelet
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