the Soviets were holding Berlin under siege.

In order to save millions of people from starvation,

the US and Allies devised a plan to airlift in food.

One American pilot decided to take it a step further.

He delivered candy.

- My name is Gail Halvorsen,

but I'm known as the Berlin Candy Bomber.

I didn't think that the airlift would last very long,

so I thought, I'd better get a movie in, of this operation

before they send me home.

- [Voiceover] One day,

while filming the planes taking off and landing,

Gail became aware

that there were some young children watching him.

He went over to talk to them, and after a while,

he realized...

- “Dummy, don't you know kids like chocolate?”

And I knew that they had not had chocolate

in the stores in Berlin for two years.

And I reached in my pocket,

and all I had was two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint gum.

I broke the two sticks in half, gave it to the kids.

And the kids with half a stick

tore off the wrapper into thin strips

and passed it to those without gum.

Those who had received the wrappers put it at their nose

and smelled a piece of wrapper.

- [Voiceover] Inspired by their generosity,

he decided that next flight,

he would drop them chocolate and candy

via parachute from the plane.

- [Gail] They said,

"How do we know what airplane you're in?"

And so I said, “When I come over the airfield,

I'll wiggle the wings of that big airplane.”

They said, "Oh, great."

- [Voiceover] True to his word, the next day

Gail began to drop the packages.

What started with just two sticks of gum

eventually turned into 23 tons of chocolate.

- From then on, I was known in the press

and all the kids in Berlin, “that's Uncle Wiggly Wings.”

- [Voiceover] And in case you wondering

if the Candy Bomber still has a sweet tooth...

- Oh, yeah, I still eat chocolate.

I like dark chocolate.

(upbeat music)