75th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift and Operation Little Vittles
Channel: US National Archives
Date: 26/06/2023

June 26, 2023, marks the 75th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift in 1948.

At the end of World War II, Germany had been divided into zones of occupation controlled by the Allied Powers: the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The city of Berlin – nestled inside the Soviet zone of occupation – was divided into sectors, each controlled by a separate Allied Power.

In June 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all ground access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. Allies had to rely on airplanes to deliver supplies to people in West Berlin. 

From June 24, 1948,  to May 12, 1949, planes flew constantly to supply the city of Berlin in what is known as the Berlin Airlift or Operation Vittles.

This clip from the film “Operation Vittles” shows pilot Gail Halvorsen, who earned the nickname "Berlin Candy Bomber." For his "Little Vittles" operation, Halvorsen tied candy bars to small handkerchiefs so that the chocolate was borne on down as if on tiny parachutes to eagerly waiting children in Berlin.

This film also shows how planes were arranged in the available air space to maximize the number of flights to drop food and fuel into Berlin.

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Clip from Motion Picture 111-ADC-10314 “Operation Vittles,” 1948. National Archives Identifier 24076

Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CEoQYQgXnA&t=31s