Candy Bombers

[SleazyRider]

I am generally reluctant to recommend a book, but in this case i will make an exception. It's called The Candy Bombers by Andrei Cherny, and it documents the Berlin Airlift in the years following WW2. The engaging, 550-page book is written much in the style of Stephen Ambrose, and brings to light the extraordinary personalities involved in the airlift, especially that of Gail "Hal" Halvorsen, the pilot who began dropping candy bars tied to handkerchief parachutes, to the children of Berlin. The seemingly trivial act had a profound effect on public opinion when in came to winning over the hearts and mind of Berliners to the concept of democracy.

For reasons unknown to me, this critical time in American history is somehow not included in a typical high school curriculum, yet the effects of the airlift and subsequent cold war is very relevant in current world politics. I was embarrassed by what I didn't know, actually. Though the book contains no reference to Lugers or firearms in general, the close association between Lugers and WW2 is obvious, which is why I believe the book may be of interest to forum members.