The heartbreaking dream of German children and the “raisin bombing” that changed the world
Before that in my article Blockade of West Berlin by the USSR, USA and Great Britain weather I wrote about the supply. The most emotional story of those events was the “raisin bombings”.
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Weather one of those who participated in the supply was Lieutenant Gale Halvorsen, a 28-year-old American pilot of the Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport plane. He had a portable movie camera and when he had free time (there weren’t many flights in the early days of the blockade) he filmed footage of Berlin. On July 17, Tempelhof weather It photographed the planes landing and taking off in the port, and the surrounding areas. At that moment, his attention was drawn to about thirty 8- to 14-year-olds gathered on the other side of the barbed-wire fence. child attracted.
The pilot approaches them and starts a conversation. Older children try to explain their ideas in the English they remember from school. Halvorsen describes the conversation: “They expressed their gratitude for the food and coal we brought. They said that the time will come when we will have plenty of food, but if we lose our freedom, we will never get it back, just don’t throw us away now.”
Chatting with children is so addictive to the lieutenant that when he looks at his watch, he sees that up to 1 hour has passed. To children “don’t worry, we won’t throw you away” saying goodbye. After walking 5-6 steps, he comes back and searches his pockets to find something to give to the children, but there was nothing in his pocket except two tablets of “Wrigley’s Doublemint” chewing gum.
Halvorsen gives the gum to the children, who break it into small pieces and share it among themselves. However, it is still not enough for everyone, some have to be satisfied with just smelling the paper of the gum. This generous behavior of children makes a deep impression on the pilot: “I stood there looking shocked. That moment changed me.”. He says he’ll bring them more on his flight tomorrow and jump off the plane. Your children “how will we recognize your plane?” pilot to the question “I’ll flap my wings for you” gives the answer.
Returning to West Germany that day, Halvorsen explains the situation to the other members of his crew – John Pickering and Herschel Elkins – to take their daily ration of sweets to the children of Berlin. offer does. They also agree. After the bundle is ready, the aviators think that they can seriously injure children when thrown from the air, so they make mini-parachutes out of handkerchiefs.
Halvorsen’s the next day plane He carries out the first “bombing” while flying to Berlin. Since they have to wait for a certain supply of sweets to be collected, they can only carry out this bombing once a week. Every time they see more and more children gathering near Tempelhof.
Halverson, who returned to West Germany after the third such bombing, was called by his commander, Colonel Hou. You know, a German photojournalist took a picture of a candy-dropping plane, and that picture has already been published in a newspaper. The colonel says to the pilot who thinks he will be punished: “General’s (general William Tanner) liked it. You may continue”.
Halvorsen’s initiative caused wide resonance after it was covered in the newspaper. First, other flight attendants start allocating their daily allowance of sweets for the children of Berlin. And then the enthusiasm across the ocean, USAjumps into himself. Collecting sweets and making parachutes for Berlin children is widespread. The American Confectioners Association is getting in on the act.
Now the children of Berlin were showered with sweets from the sky every day. Gail Halvorsen’s name also became quite famous. 6-year-old Mercedes Wilde wrote a letter asking her to drop candy when she flew over their house: “We have chickens in the yard, throw the parachute as soon as you see them. It’s okay if they’re scared.”. Halvorsen doesn’t see the chickens, but now the parcels were dropped not only around Tempelhof, but also elsewhere in West Berlin.
The packages contained chocolate, candy, chewing gum, raisins and other sweets. Therefore, their planes are called “raisin bombers.”they started to call them “dmans”. Action plays a significant role in the formation of a positive image of Americans in German public opinion. When child As someone who was will tell Gail Halvorsen much later: “It wasn’t just chocolate. He was hope”.
Gale Halvorsen in January 1949 USAAlthough sent to action The Berlin Blockade lasted until May 13, 1949, when it officially ended. More than 250,000 parachutes dropped 23 tons of sweets to West Berlin.
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Gale Halvorsen married a few months after returning to her country and had five children. He retired in 1974 with the rank of colonel. “For services to the Federal Republic of Germany” and was awarded the “Legion of Honor” order of the USA.
He repeated the “raisin bombing” by participating in several events dedicated to the jubilee anniversaries of the Berlin blockade and the airlift. 20In 2002, when the Winter Olympic Games were held in Halvorsen’s hometown of Salt Lake City, Halvorsen carried the “Germany” sign at the opening ceremony at the request of the German representatives.
In 2013, one of the schools in Berlin was named after him. Gayle Halvorsen, who belongs to the Mormon Church, was one of six Mormons featured in the 2014 documentary Meet: The Mormons.
He died in February 2022 at the age of 101.
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