Halvorsen

Halvorsen was one of hundreds of pilots who flew missions in and out of Berlin, and immortalized the event in personal films taken during the operation, where the children became the star of his movies and his memories.

As the mission dragged on, Halvorsen decided to add something to the menu in a gesture that now defines the historic event.

Halvorsen spent his free time out of the cockpit tying candy to small, hand-made parachutes that could be dropped out of the window of his aircraft while coming in for a landing over the city of Berlin.

“Operation Little Vittles,” as Halvorsen’s candy drop came to be known, wasn’t exactly authorized.

Halvorsen’s superiors, recognizing the impact his candy drops were having on the morale of those in blockaded Berlin, eventually supported his initiative that ultimately delivered tons of candy and chocolate.

Though the airlift ended 70 years ago, many Germans remain grateful to all those who helped them survive the blockade, including “The Candy Bomber” Halvorsen, now 98 years old, who still visits with those in Germany he once reached out to across the Iron Curtain of the Cold War.