Candy Bomber
The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "chocolate Pilot"
Charlesbridge · Print & ebook · July 1, 2010
One WWII pilot’s mission to lift the spirits of children living in war-torn Berlin in 1945 comes to life in this moving middle-grade historical account.
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- Who it’s for
- A wartime airlift story finds its focus in one pilot’s effort to bring children hope.
- Themes
- World War II history, Compassion and hope, Rebuilding after war
- Genres
- Military & Wars, Historical Biographies for Kids, Aviation
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Start with this bookAbout this book
One WWII pilot’s mission to lift the spirits of children living in war-torn Berlin in 1945 comes to life in this moving middle-grade historical account. After World War II the United States and Britain airlifted food and supplies into Russian-blockaded West Berlin. US Air Force Lieutenant Gail S. Halvorsen knew the children of the city were suffering. To bring a bit of hope, he began dropping chocolate and chewing gum by parachute.
Continue reading
What began as a one-time gesture of compassion turned into an official U.S. Air Force operation. “Operation Little Vittles” grew, as more and more pilots volunteered to drop the parachutes, and donations of candy and cloth poured in from all over. This inspiring story of one man’s contribution to the rebuilding of a country after war is a unique look at history. Illustrated with archival photographs, personal photographs from Lt. Gail Halvorsen—the Chocolate Pilot—letters, and documents, Candy Bomber is an important and interesting addition to studies of World War II.
History, Human Scale
A wartime airlift story finds its focus in one pilot’s effort to bring children hope.
Come here for
- A personal angle on the Berlin Airlift
- The meeting of military history and everyday compassion
Expect
- A middle-grade historical account
- Archival and personal photographs, letters, and documents
Where it sits
| Historical Biographies for Kids | 79% |
|---|---|
| Military & Wars | 62% |
| Aviation | 47% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Military & Wars
- 20th Century U.S.
- Europe for Young Readers
- Authors
- Michael O. Tunnell
- Publisher
- Charlesbridge
- Published
- July 1, 2010
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- World War II history · Compassion and hope · Rebuilding after war
- Reading lane
- Military & Wars