Candy Bomber Pilot
A Teddy Bear commemorating the Berlin Airlift 70 years ago
A heroic effort to keep a city free
2018/2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. It began on June
26, 1948 and is still today a symbol of people's desire for freedom. During
the time of the Berlin Airlift over 2.2 million people in West-Berlin were
supplied by the Western Allies by air with all necessary food, medicines
and fuels such as coal and gasoline, after the Soviet occupation-force had
completely closed the land and waterways to West-Berlin and cut off the Western
part of Berlin from the electricity supply. To ensure the supply of the people
in the marooned Berlin, aircrafts of the Western Allies landed in 90 seconds
rhythm around the clock on the West-Berlin airfield Tempelhof.
Lovingly the airplanes were called Candy Bombers by the Berlin population.
The name was created after an American pilot began to tie small chocolate
bars to hand-made handkerchief parachutes and drop them off before landing
for the waving children. This action soon drew wide circles and many of his
colleagues followed him. As a result, also civilian Americans collected candy
to support this action.
After the Soviets abolished the Berlin Blockade after 11 months on
May 12, 1949 in view of the demonstrated freedom-will of the people shown
by the airlift, the operation Berlin Airlift officially ended on September
30, 1949.
Urheberrechtschutz für unsere
Teddybären-Kreationen:
© Alle unsere Modelle unterliegen dem weltweiten Urheberrechtsschutz
als Werke der angewandten Kunst (Vgl. BGH, Urt. 13.11.2013, AZ I ZR
143/12) |