The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour by Andrei Cherny

For a truly gripping book that tells of a great undertaking by the U.S. military, read The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America’s Finest Hour by Andrei  Cherny.  Three years after the end of World War II, the Russians cut off access to West Berlin.  There were willing to starve the people of Berlin to get the Americans out.  Soon the Americans in charge began flying in supplies and food never dreaming that the blockage would go on for 13 months.  The candy bombing was the idea of Lieutenant Gail Halverson.  It began when he noticed a group of children near the airport.  He wanted to give them some sort of treat, but he only had a couple of sticks of gum.  He promised the children that he would drop candy to them the next day.  They asked how they would know it was him.  He said that he would wiggle his wings.  He did it a couple of times and was afraid to do it again because he was not following regulations.  Soon the new general in charge of the airlift learned of it and called Halverson in.  Instead of being chastised, he was encouraged to keep doing it and to publicize it.  He went on t.v. in America and got people interested in the cause.  The author credits Halverson with changing the hearts of the German people toward the Americans.  I highly recommend it.