Gail Halvorsen
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Gail Halvorsen (born October 10, 1920 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is a former American pilot of C-47s and C-54s during the Berlin airlift ("Operation Vittles") 1948–1949.
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[edit] Operation Little Vittles
(Photo: US Air Force)
Shortly before landing at the Tempelhof airport in the American sector of Berlin, Halvorsen would drop candy attached to parachutes to children below. This action, which was dubbed Operation Little Vittles and sparked similar efforts by other crews, was the source of the popular name for the pilots: the candy bombers. Halvorsen had wanted to help raise the morale of the children during the time of uncertainty and privation.
Halvorsen says he had the idea after giving a few sticks of chewing gum to some children watching the planes from outside the Tempelhof base. Wanting to give more, he promised to drop more candy from his plane the next day. Because the planes would arrive every 90 seconds, the children naturally couldn't distinguish his from the others. However, Halvorsen promised to wiggle the wings to identify himself, which led to his nickname "Uncle Wiggly Wings".
His actions were soon noticed by the press and gained widespread attention. A wave of public support led to donations which enabled Halvorsen and his crew to drop 850 pounds of candy. By the end of the airlift, around 25 plane crews had dropped 23 tons of chocolate, chewing gum, and other candies over various places in Berlin. The Confectioners Association of America donated large amounts to the effort, and American school children cooperated in attaching the candies to parachutes.
[edit] Military Career
Halvorsen would go on to fill several domestic assignments, but would return to Germany in the early 1970s, this time as the commander of the Tempelhof Airbase in West Berlin. In this role Halvorsen was required to host official parties at his house. Being a devout Mormon, Halvorsen became famous for his non-alcoholic concoctions served at these parties
[edit] German-American relations
Halvorsen's actions as the original candy bomber may have had a substantial impact on the postwar perception of Americans in Germany, and it is still pointed to as a symbol of German-American relations. He has appeared many times on German TV over the years, often paired with some of the children, now grown adults, who received his candy parachutes. During the opening march for the 2002 Winter Olympics on February 8, Halvorsen carried the German team's national placard into Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium.
In 1989, Halvorsen engaged in a reenactment of the actions in Berlin for the fortieth anniversary of the airlift. During Operation Provide Promise in Bosnia-Herzegovina, he dropped candy from a C-130. Halvorsen also participated in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the airlift. The United States military has modeled some of Halvorsen's actions in Iraq dropping toys, teddy bears, and soccer balls to Iraqi children.[1] In 2004 Halvorsen hoped to launch a similar action for the children of Iraq.
[edit] Legacy
The US Air Force has helped cement Colonel Halvorsen's airlift legacy by naming its next-generation, 25,000-pound capacity aircraft loading vehicle in his honor.
[edit] References
- The Berlin Candy Bomber. – Bountiful, UT: Horizon Publishers, 1990. – ISBN 0-88290-361-6 (3rd edition, 2002. ISBN 0-88290-616-X)
- "Candy Bomber shares sweet memories." Staff Sgt. Jennifer Redente. Capital Flight: Andrews Air Force Base, http://www.capflyer.com/issues/4_39/news/1464-1.html, Retrieved December 3, 2005.
- Miller, Roger G. [1998] (2002). To Save a City: The Berlin Airlift 1948-1949. Honolulu, Hawaii: University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 0-89875-805-X.
