FReeper Canteen ~ The Berlin Airlift Part 3: Operation Little Vittles ~ December 22, 2008

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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The Berlin Airlift
Part 3:  Operation Little Vittles
All info and photos from this website.

Link to Part One
Link to Part Two

           

"DER SCHOKOLADEN FLIEGER"
 

OPERATION LITTLE VITTLES
 

40K JPEG	General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force is shown presenting the 1948 Cheney Award to 1st Lieutenant Gail S. Halvorsen, USAF, former Berlin Airlift pilot and originator of Operation Little Vittles while his wife, second from left, looks on.
U.S. Air Force Photograph Negative Number A-35720 AC National Air and Space Archives Videodisc Number 3B-38771

One of the most poignant stories of the Berlin Airlift was that of one 1^st Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen.  Halvorsen was somewhat of an ammeter moviemaker, and on July 17, he decided that on one of his off days, he would hitch a ride as a passenger on a C-54 and visit the City he was saving.  Once at Tempelhof, Halvorsen walked to the end of the runway to film some aircraft landings when he noticed a group of children near the fence watching the planes, too.  He went over to them.  They asked questions about the aircraft, the cargo, how fast it was going and things like that.  During this conversation he noticed that these children, unlike others he had encountered in Europe as a Ferry command Pilot during the War, did not ask him for any candy or gum, like others always had.  This struck him funny, and he knew that they were too proud to beg for such things.  Some having been born during wartime had not even heard of treats like that.  He made a fateful decision at that moment which was to become one of the symbols of the airlift.  He reached into his pocket and found that he had only two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum.  He remarked that if they did not fight over it, he would drop some candy to them if they were there the next day.  They agreed, took the sticks of gum and divided it amongst themselves, some happy to get only a piece of the wrapper.  Before he left them, a child asked him how they would know it was him flying over.  He replied, "I'll wiggle my wings." 
True to his word, the very next day, on approach to Berlin, he rocked the airplane and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below.  Every day, the number of children would increase and he made several more drops.  Soon there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings', "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier". 
Halvorsen didn't tell anyone about what he was doing for fear he'd get in trouble.  Then, he was called into his commander and asked what he was doing.  He replied 'Flying, Sir."  His commander asked again, and received the same response.  He then pulled out a newspaper with a picture of Halvorsen's plane and tiny parachutes trailing behind.  Apparently, a newspaper reporter narrowly escaped being hit on the head with a chocolate bar.  His commander wasn't happy about it, but General Tunner though it was just the kind of gesture that the operation needed.  It was dubbed "Operation Little Vittles".  It continued, and many C-54 pilots participated.  Candy and parachutes were assembled and sent from Chicopee Falls, MA to assist in the gesture.  In the end, over three tons of candy was dropped over Berlin, some even in the Soviet sector.  For this simple kindhearted gesture, Halvorsen became the most recognized pilot of the Berlin Airlift. 
 

THE EASTER PARADE
 

By April 1949, airlift operations were going rather smoothly, and General Tunner wanted to break up the monotony.  He liked the idea of a big event that would show the capabilities of his command, as well as give everyone a big morale boost.  He wanted to set a record.  In order to do that, much planning was necessary, and it was decided that on Easter Sunday, the only cargo was to be coal.  In fact general Tunner wanted to shatter all previous tonnage records set so far.  Secretly, coal was stockpiled for the event.  Maintenance schedules were altered so that the maximum number of planes was available.  Everyone put in extra effort for this special event.  From 12:00PM April 15, to 12:00PM April 16, 1949, crews worked overtime to deliver more tonnage than had ever been delivered in a 24 hour period.  When it was over, 12,941 tons of coal had been delivered as a result of 1,383 flights without a single accident.  As a matter of fact, as a result, the daily tonnage also increased from 6,729 tons a day before the Easter Parade, to 8,893 tons per day, an unexpected benefit.  This was the straw that broke the camel's back. 

THE END OF THE BLOCKADE
 

On May 12, 1949, the Soviets capitulated.  The blockade was over.  It was decided to continue supplying Berlin by air in addition to the land routes in order to build up a sufficient supply of goods.  The Airlift officially ended on Sept. 30, 1949, fifteen months after its meager beginnings in June of '48.  In total, the US delivered 1,783,572.7 tons, while 541,936.9 tons were delivered by the British totaling 2.3 Million tons from 277, 569 total flights to Berlin.  C-47's and C-54's alone traveled over 92 million miles in order to do so.  These were astounding figures, considering that in the beginning it seemed impossible to even try.  Nevertheless, even the greatest operation is not without risk.  A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 31 Americans, mostly due to crashes. 

The end of the blockade was unexpected; however, as bigger plans were made and bigger planes were set to replace the existing fleet of C-54's.  The USAF had already used a C-74 "Globemaster" and one Boeing YC-97A "Stratofreighter" in the airlift, testing the feasibility of heavy-lift transports and their use in a continued operation.  The Douglas C-124 "Globemaster II" was coming and the plan was to use C-97's and 124's to continue the operation without as many flights.  Fortunately, that was not necessary. 

Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter" owned by the Foundation         Fairchild C-82 "Packet"                          Douglas C-74 "Globemaster"       

 

 

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[AZamericonnie]

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[Old Sarge]

FIRST???

[AZamericonnie]

Thank you Star & Ma for this evening’s thread! *Hugs*

I’ve lost the blue frame on my post....gonna have to remember to fix that!:)

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

Thanks for posting this! Very interesting read.

[AZamericonnie]

Good evening Sarge....Merry Christmas to you & the family! *Hugs*

[Kathy in Alaska]

The Berlin Airlift Part 3: Operation Little Vittles

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[SandRat]

You got 2nd behind AzAmeriConnie

[Old Sarge]

Aw Ratz.

[Kathy in Alaska]

"I’ve lost the blue frame on my post..."

Fotki rearranged the closets again....LOL!! Been there a couple times this week.

[laurenmarlowe]

United States Marine Corps Band~National Anthem

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

December 22, 2008

December Desire

ODB RADIO: Listen Now |  Download
READ: Revelation 22:1-5

They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. —Revelation 22:5

December is a month when people celebrate miracles. The Jewish tradition of Hanukkah—the Holiday of Lights—commemorates the time when a small amount of oil lasted 8 days and kept the light in the temple from going out. And Christmas celebrates the coming of the “Light of the World,” God in human form—Jesus.

A miracle is generally thought of as something that contradicts nature. But a true miracle is the introduction of God’s supernatural power into our world in a way that suspends the laws of physics as we understand them.

In December, it seems that more of us are willing to suspend disbelief and entertain the possibility that “nature” is not the final authority. Even the non-religious yearn for miracles. Deep down, everyone wants to believe that darkness, disease, and death can be overcome.

Perhaps the most wondrous thing about miracles is that it is God’s nature to do the supernatural. The closing chapters of Scripture assure us that this “December desire” for all to be well will become a reality: “There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain” (Rev. 21:4). God will one day bring to an end the unnatural rule of Satan and begin His righteous reign as the rightful Ruler of the universe.

Thank You, Lord, that although we live in a world
where Satan’s shadow obscures Your glorious light,
we eagerly anticipate the day when Your full glory will once again illuminate all creation. Amen.

A miracle needs no explanation to those who believe in God; to those who don’t, no explanation is enough..

Bible in One Year: Zechariah 4–6; Proverbs 29:8-20

[laurenmarlowe]

KABUL, Afghanistan (Dec. 20, 2008) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead pins the Defense Meritorious Service Medal on Gunnery Sgt. Boyd E. Cole for his service while stationed at International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul. Roughead is traveling with Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Rick West throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility to thank Sailors and Marines for their significant contributions in helping to bring stability and prosperity to the region by supporting maritime security operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Monica R. Nelson/Released)

KABUL, Afghanistan (Dec. 20, 2008) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead pins second class rank insignia on Engineering Aide 2nd Class Micah Maxted, assigned to the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A) engineering department. Roughead and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Rick West are on a trip to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility to thank Sailors and Marines for their significant contributions in helping to bring stability and prosperity to the region by supporting maritime security operations.

During the visit to CSTC-A Roughead and West presented awards, pinned on rank and held an open forum welcoming questions from all sailors. The awards included Blue Jacket of the Quarter and Sailor of the Quarter, and pinning on the newly promoted rank of two sailors. The question and answers segment consisted mostly of inquiries about the new MCPON and his intentions with the new promotion. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Tim Newborn (Released)

MANAMA, Bahrain (Dec. 19, 2008) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Gary Roughead has lunch with Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). Roughead and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Rick West are on a trip to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility to thank Sailors and Marines for their significant contributions in helping to bring stability and prosperity to the region by supporting maritime security operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Schaeffer/Released)

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up.

[AZamericonnie]

Aha! Fotki is the culprit eh?

Well now, that was just rude of them!:)

[Tanniker Smith]

Good evening, Kathy! Good evening, all!

Finishing up Christmas cards right now. I told the Mrs. that the kids shouldn't have veto power over the Christmas card (which is essentially what happened when we got their "input" or "opinion"). Takes forever to actually get the cards made.

Sigh.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

Once a soldier and young,

They are still soldiers

http://www.ArmchairGeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66978

.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Frosty, for helping Star with today's The Berlin Airlift Part 3: Operation Little Vittles