Christmas from Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber [With CD (Audio)]

Christmas from Heaven is the story of the humble beginnings of what became a beacon of hope to a war-torn land, the story of Gail Halvorsen, a young pilot in the US Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot to the Berlin Airlift, in which US forces flew much-needed supplies into a Soviet-blockaded Berlin.

As he performed his duties, Lt. Halvorsen began to notice the German children gathered by the fences of Tempelhof Air Base. Knowing that they had very little, he one day offered them some chewing gum. From that small act, an idea sprang: He would "bomb" Berlin with candy. Fashioning small parachutes, he and his crew sent them floating down as they approached the Berlin airport, wiggling the wings of their C-54 as a signal to the children that their anticipated cargo would soon arrive.

Lt. Halvorsen became known by hundreds, if not thousands, of children in Berlin as "Uncle Wiggly Wings" or "The Candy Bomber." Word soon spread, and donations of candy and other supplies poured in from sympathetic Americans. Lt. Halvorsen's small idea became a great symbol of hope not only to German children in a bombed-out city but to all those who yearned for freedom.

Tom Brokaw is a legendary TV journalist, anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004, he is the only person to host each of NBC News's major news programs: The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and Meet the Press. He has won several awards, including a Peabody Award and seven Emmys. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and The Greatest Generation Speaks, among other books. He and his wife, Meredith, have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Robert T. Barrett is a professor of illustration at Brigham Young University and has served as associate dean of the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications. He holds a BFA from the University of Utah and an MA and MFA from the University of Iowa. He is a member of the Society of Illustrators and was awarded the 2010 Distinguished Educator in the Arts Award. He has illustrated such books as The Story of the Walnut Tree; Silent Night, Holy Night: The Story of the Christmas Truce; and Obama: Only in America. He and his wife, Vicki, are the parents of ten children.