steve on Nostr: “The Candy Bombers” by Andrei Cherny ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Following WWII, the ...
“The Candy Bombers” by Andrei Cherny
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Following WWII, the Soviets blockaded Berlin in hopes of cementing communist control over Europe. The US began the Berlin Airlift in response - the largest airlift operation ever conducted, aimed at keeping the population of Berlin from starving. Amidst that turmoil, 1st Lt Gail Halvorsen demonstrated how a singular act of kindness could produce strategic effects where military saber-rattling could not. Dubbed the “Candy Bomber”, Halvorsen began dropping his candy rations out of his cargo plane for the local children during his airlift runs. This simple idea grew into a veritable movement, ultimately swaying the German population in the US’ favor and denying the USSR’s hopes of expanding communism further. Halvorsen’s saga offers a reminder of the soft power that ideas & values can wield on the international stage. In an interesting twist, the “Candy Bomber” proved Douhet’s theories that air power alone could prove decisive in war with one exception: butterfingers were dropped instead of bombs 🍫🍬🍭
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Following WWII, the Soviets blockaded Berlin in hopes of cementing communist control over Europe. The US began the Berlin Airlift in response - the largest airlift operation ever conducted, aimed at keeping the population of Berlin from starving. Amidst that turmoil, 1st Lt Gail Halvorsen demonstrated how a singular act of kindness could produce strategic effects where military saber-rattling could not. Dubbed the “Candy Bomber”, Halvorsen began dropping his candy rations out of his cargo plane for the local children during his airlift runs. This simple idea grew into a veritable movement, ultimately swaying the German population in the US’ favor and denying the USSR’s hopes of expanding communism further. Halvorsen’s saga offers a reminder of the soft power that ideas & values can wield on the international stage. In an interesting twist, the “Candy Bomber” proved Douhet’s theories that air power alone could prove decisive in war with one exception: butterfingers were dropped instead of bombs 🍫🍬🍭