JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
June 26, 2026, marks the 78th anniversary of Operation VITTLES, the Berlin Airlift, one of the largest humanitarian aid missions in history. After World War II, Germany was in ruins, and the situation in its capital, Berlin, was dire. Nearly 2.5 million Germans lived in the war-ravaged city. Food and supplies were scarce, and shelter was difficult to find amid the rubble.
To begin rebuilding, the Allies divided Germany into occupation zones controlled by the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (U.K.), France and the Soviet Union. Eastern Berlin was controlled by the Soviets, while the western sectors were controlled by the U.S., U.K. and France.
The wartime alliance deteriorated quickly. On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all road, rail and water access to West Berlin, cutting off the flow of food, coal and other essential supplies to the Western-controlled sectors. The U.S., U.K. and France responded by launching the Berlin Airlift, a massive, round-the-clock effort to sustain the blockaded city.
From June 26, 1948, to Sept. 30, 1949, Allied crews delivered more than 2.3 million tons of food, fuel and supplies to West Berlin. During the 15-month operation, they flew more than 278,000 missions. American aircrews conducted nearly 190,000 of those flights, totaling nearly 600,000 flying hours and more than 92 million miles. At the height of the airlift, cargo aircraft landed at Tempelhof Airport in West Berlin every 45 seconds.
One of the lesser-known yet most enduring stories of the Berlin Airlift is Operation Little Vittles.
The effort began when 1st Lt. Gail Halvorsen, a U.S. Air Force pilot, handed out chewing gum and candy to a group of children near the Tempelhof runway. He promised that on his next flight, he would drop more candy from his aircraft. When the children asked how they would recognize his airplane, Halvorsen told them he would wiggle his wings as he approached.
Keeping his promise, Halvorsen dropped bundles of candy tied to small handkerchief parachutes. The gesture quickly grew into a large-scale effort. Halvorsen earned the affectionate nicknames “Uncle Wiggly Wings,” the “Chocolate Pilot” and the “Candy Bomber” as the airdrops spread throughout the airlift.
As news of the effort reached the United States, public support poured in. In late 1948, the Operation Little Vittles Committee was formed in Chicopee, Massachusetts, to coordinate the collection of handkerchiefs and candy.
Donations were sent to nearby Westover Air Force Base and then flown to Germany. By the end of the operation, more than 46,000 pounds of candy had been dropped to the children of Berlin using approximately 250,000 handmade parachutes.
The Berlin Airlift also served as the first major operational test of the newly independent U.S. Air Force, which had been established in 1947.
Command of the complex operation was given to Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner, a veteran of the China-Burma-India airlift during World War II and one of the military’s foremost authorities on air transport. Tunner’s leadership and logistical innovations were instrumental to the airlift’s success. To ensure the city could be supplied indefinitely, Tunner pioneered several revolutionary practices:
- Logistics Pipelines: He established highly organized systems for cargo selection and rapid loading.
- Depot Maintenance: He implemented scheduled maintenance intervals that required aircraft to undergo rigorous, routine inspections.
- Fleet Standardization: He advocated for a simplified fleet of standardized aircraft, making maintenance and parts replacement more efficient.
- Operational Transparency: He established systems for regularly sharing operational data and information throughout the command.
Many of these practices directly shaped the standard operating procedures used by Air Mobility Command today. 78 years later, the Berlin Airlift remains a powerful example of how airpower, innovation and international cooperation can overcome extraordinary challenges. Its legacy continues to inspire Mobility Airmen who deliver hope, project power and sustain operations around the globe.
"Operation VITTLES showcased the power of air mobility to sustain allies, preserve freedom and change the course of history," said U.S. Air Force Col. Joshua Watkins, 437th Airlift Wing deputy commander. "The innovation and determination displayed by those Airmen laid the foundation for the mobility enterprise we know today. Every time a C-17 launches from Joint Base Charleston in support of humanitarian relief, contingency operations or global sustainment, they carry the same spirit of service and commitment defined by the Berlin Airlift."