Raisin Bombers (German: Rosinenbomber), also known as Candy Bombers in American English, was the nickname given to airplanes flown by American command pilot Gail Seymour "Hal" Halvorsen that dropped candy for German children.
After meeting a crowd of around 30 children behind a barbed wire fence next to the Berlin Airport, he made a deal to fly over them and drop candy to the children. "On his approach he told them he’d wiggle his wings — a sign that he and his crew were about to throw several small parachutes from his plane filled with chocolate and gum."
The story of the Candy Bomber was a wholesome moment in the middle of the war, and the mission to deliver candy to German children was supported by American pilots, students, and candymakers donating their candy. "Not only did Gail’s mission win the hearts of the city the US was trying to save, it also highlighted the humanitarian, rather than military, nature of the Airlift."
