Gail Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber, Dropped Candy and Hope Over Berlin

Over 70 years ago, after the end of the Second World War and the crumbling of Germany’s Third Reich, the children of Berlin were starving. With the Germans’ surrender in 1945, the Allies divided what was left of conquered Germany. The French, British and American forces claimed the western half of the country, spreading the Western ideals of democracy with them.

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Source: Shutterstock / Photo by Everett Collection, Shutterstock / Source: Twitter

Meanwhile, Communist Russia occupied the eastern half. The city of Berlin itself was divided into regions between the allies, however, it was surrounded by the Soviet-ruled part of Germany. About three years after World War II, on June 24, 1948, Russian forces blocked the Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. Thus, all access to food, coal and medicine was shut down to two million German citizens.

Luckily, an American pilot named Gail Halvorsen showed up…

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