“Operation Vittles” also led to “Operation Little Vittles” for the dropping of chocolates and other treats to children. The pilots who did this became known as “Candy Bombers.” Appreciative German children called them “Die Schokoladen Flieger” – the chocolate pilots.
Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen, nicknamed "Wiggly Wings," came up with idea for candy drops to Berlin children
GAIL HALVORSEN: “They wanted to know which airplane I was in. I said, ‘you can tell my airplane – I’ll wiggle the wings and you’ll know it’s me – Watch just that airplane.’ They said ‘That’s good. Wunderbar [wonderful].’
“I came back the next day and I put little parachutes for the Kaugummi [chewing gum] and the Schokoladen [chocolates], so they could see it and so it wouldn’t hit them hard in the head, slow it down. And so I wiggled the wings and they waved their hands, and I pushed it out of the airplane. And that’s how it started.”
(Sound courtesy of Ralf Gruender)
It was the
idea of Gail Halvorsen, a pilot in the United States Air Force. Lieutenant Halvorsen became known as “Mister Wiggly Wings.” From his plane, he would drop chewing gum and chocolates attached to tiny parachutes made from handkerchiefs.
Soon, many of the Airlift pilots were dropping candy from their planes, including into Soviet-controlled areas that they flew over. Americans back home supplied the handkerchiefs and the US chocolate industry supplied the treats.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25