A Bomber Pilot Uses Candy As His Weapon Of Choice
Dropping joy into a war zone
How would one drop candy out of a bomber? It’s a strange question to ask. But, Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen found himself pondering this exact question in July of 1949.
Halvorsen would put the candy he gathered with his crew mates in three separate boxes. He’d create makeshift parachutes with handkerchiefs and string. It wasn’t necessary to create anything beautiful. The parachutes just had to slow the candy down as it fell to earth. He didn’t want any children below getting hurt.
He didn’t bother to ask permission to lob candy bombs out of his airplane. It was obviously against regulations. He just ran the idea past his flight crew and they were agreeable to it. He stashed the candy with their parachutes away and prepared to begin a mission that would become a thing of legend — although he wouldn’t know it at the time.
The Berlin Airlift
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