Especially for John Magill. We donated his interview to the 390th Museum in Tucson. The museum built a complete display around John's Chowhound Mission description - "to go from dropping bomb to dropping food!". Thanks for watching.
I had never read anything about this until now ! Thank You for putting this up......very enjoyable. Couldn't help but laugh about some of the sights seen from our airmen ! Couldn't help but wonder how the German's were thinking / feeling that they are fighting against an enemy with so much food and aircraft they could drop tons of it to the civilians. Thank You again .
If this doesn't stimulate some honorable, Patriotic feelings down in yer Soul I pity YOU! For All our Faults, God has stimulated, led and protected America in many endeavors where EVIL was vanquished! I am proud to have served and am not ashamed to say wholeheartedly that I love the U.S.A.! May GOD protect us from those seeking to destroy us as a Nation! "Take two salt tablets and drive on"!
The food drops were carried out by Allied Air Forces of the war. NOTE THE PLURAL. NOT just Americans. RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF men, etc. Can we not have Americans IN THE COMMENTS, claiming ALL credit, as sadly, often happens. ALL air crews were volunteers. In America, it was Operation Chowhound. In the English/Commonwealth Air Forces, it was called OPERATION MANNA. As in Manna from Heaven... as those naming the operation in the RAF and involved Commonwealth governments, were highly and classically educated. I spoke to Australians from 460 squadron and other squadrons, who volunteered for the food drops, about 25 years ago. Many of those crews were Oz/English. There were even Poles flying with Australian and English crews. I have seen interviews with English volunteers who went on these volunteer food runs. There were plenty of mixed crews from Commonwealth countries flying those missions. I am not denying the genuine American volunteers or the good they did, but a number of comments here seem to indicate that a number of Americans are either ignorant or loudly trying to deny the fully equal work of the Allied Air Forces who volunteered for this work. This is something that really annoys people of the rest of the world, when it comes to WW2, as it appears to be extremely ignorant conceit and only found in younger Americans. The huge banner THANK YOUS on building roofs and in fields, were used for ALL the volunteers flying. Many planes flying low enough to see the joyful faces of desperate people. One crew used to keep some small offerings of their own, and small boxes of stuff they prepared themselves, to drop over isolated farms and near villages. They spoke between laughing and crying, of seeing farming families who had come out to wave, realise that this plane had dropped them a special gift although they were not near official drop sights. There would be sudden sprints towards dropped packages. Air crew of the Commonwealth had very little access to chocolates, etc, unlike the Americans, and they would all donate their chocolates or even put in little toys, wrapped and wrapped, padded with straw to try to get it to land edible/usable. All the Allied Air Forces cherished the chance to do something to make them.feel proud and kind and helpful to those who had suffered so much under Nazi rule. If you are American, and genuinely didn't know, have a search for Operation Manna WW2.
There is hardly anything worse than being chronically hungry and underfed. Fortunately for most of us, this is something that we don't have to experience in this day and age but unfortunately there are still some that do. I am very pleased that the United States Government and military learned of the plight of the Dutch people and did something to help them back then.
In the part of the UK where I’ve there were numerous American air bases. Some years ago I was honoured to attend a ceremony at the memorial to Grafton Underwood aerodrome when some remaining American airmen returned. I was extremely honoured to shake hands with some veterans and thank them for what they and those that gave their lives did for our freedom. Thank you Yanks, thank you.
Please don't paint the men and women of WW2 in your personal obsessions. Robert Cowell was a Spitfire pilot of WW2 who flew with acclaim and was the first man to become a transgender woman in postwar Britain. Helped by a young woman who had become a transgender man, who worked in the merchant navy, whilst studying to be a doctor and most official work done on Robert, later Roberta, post war, was done by Harold Gillies, who was one of the early surgeons who began to specialise in plastic surgery for badly injured WW1 veterans. He was the 2nd best known plastic surgeon working on burnt and injured pilots of WW2 but later was to work on Robert, to enable him to become Roberta officially. Robert (AND later, as Roberta), was a famed racing car driver before and post war. I know! He/she sounds disturbingly red-blooded. Made an impressive red blooded woman making headlines in car racing, too. How dare she make your comments sound so sadly ignorant and prejudiced. Ian Gleed DFC, a Battle of Britain hero pilot, beloved by the men whom he trained and protected under his squadron command, was happily gay. Before he died, in active service, in WW2, he wrote his autobiography, which his publisher suggested was a bit obvious about his sexual interests, as it was still a prison offence to be gay, so they invented him a female fiance. When he died, later in the war, many people sent letters of condolence to his publisher, to be redirected to his non existent fiance. The Intelligence areas in the UK forces had a very high incidence of gay men serving. Many later becoming known in the Arts, post war. ATA girl Irene Joy Ferguson changed sex post war, becoming Jonathon Ferguson. She put a brief announcement in the newspapers, legally announcing her change of name, and the only change to her life was more pay as a man, than was paid to women in the same job. There was an island in the Pacific, which was well known to have high numbers of gay military Americans and gay Australians were very happy about getting sent there. There were so many gay men in the forces in WW2 - there were pacifists who worked as medics who were famous for bravery in facing fire to save men injured in noman's land, etc. Your denial of the courage of gay, transexual or pacifist men - and women, on the frontline, reflects on your obsessions and ignorance - NOT THE FACTS. There were gay men in SOE and likely gay women, but because until 1967, I think it was, to be identified as gay and found guilty was a prison offence and destroyed your career, it was kept very quiet outside friends.. Alan Turing, one of the greatest minds of the war, whom some believe took about 3 years off the war personally, with his work on Enigma, was abandoned and betrayed by the great names who knew what he had done. A redneck British judge forced him to choose between gaol and chemical castration. He developed breasts, and he took his life in the early 50's. The Duke of Kent, killed on the war was well known in gay circles in the theatrical and arts world, to be bisexual, at least. Another RAF pilot, Jimmy Edwards DFC, a very popular comic in the 50's and 60's, who tried to hide his gayness with marriage, was cruelly exposed in old age. He sported a huge handlebar moustache to hide the scars on his face from a crash landing in his fighter. I haven't time or space to keep going. I am not gay or transgender but have absolutely no problem with either. It is no more remarkable than identifying as a brunette, blond/e or redhead. I have put in quite a bit of research on this topic, over decades of WW2 research. I am guessing there are a number of 'heroes' you may not even know were gay or bisexual.
@@georgielancaster1356 I could give two shits if some is Gay and is in the military, I served with them….this new militant in your face accept me because they are transgender and need the military to pay for their confusion of gender identity, is destroying the mission readiness of the US forces. I flew with a pilot in my unit that decided to kill himself with a 20 million dollar helicopter because he was jealous of another man in the unit not falling for him……..sorry but most gender confused people are not warriors or fighters, they are a cancerous problem in the military.
People I’ve met in Belgium still remember the British fondly for our sacrifices in WW1, kinda baked in gratitude from their grandparents, so yes, I’m sure the same applies in the Netherlands where my father-in-law helped liberate in the country in 44 and 45.
They certainly do, in The Netherlands. Families of individuals still visit Squadron reunions. If you tell people that you had father or grandfather.- or until relatively recently, you flew the American Chowhound or Commonwealth Air Forces OPERATION MANNA, often you are embraced, invited to tea, or enthusiastically told of how bad conditions were, how no Dutch people will ever forget. I know it is mainly Americans interviewed here, as the interviews were in America, but air crews from UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, plus individuals in mixed crews that included Polish, etc also volunteered and did just as much as Americans - but they called the flights OPERATION MANNA. Due to the highly educated level of most British Officers who decided on names for operations, they chose very clever names - and in the case of these mercy flights, the Brits labelled Commonwealth food drop flights from the term MANNA FROM HEAVEN, from the Bible. Operation Manna. There are villages in France who have cafes named for and in honour of the Australians who fought and died for their district, IN WW1, even now. One village had their destroyed school replaced by the Australian soldiers who saw the distress it caused. If you say you are Australian when visiting, you are embraced and told how loved Australians still are. On the anniversaries, school children sing Australian songs and Australians are honoured, if visiting.
@@raymondmcfalone26 Based on these, there are so many questions I would have loved to ask my dad (airplane mechanic during the war). Unfortunately, he has been gone for over 20 years. Thank you, this is fantastic stuff!
These men didn't go to war to conquer or to kill. they went to fight for a just cause, and their joy in dropping food to starving people proves that.
The courage and humility of this generation continues to make me proud to be an American. Lets pray it lasts through these uncertain times.
Thank God that men like that lived and that they were able to have a GOOD memory to take with them from the war.
Especially for John Magill. We donated his interview to the 390th Museum in Tucson. The museum built a complete display around John's Chowhound Mission description - "to go from dropping bomb to dropping food!". Thanks for watching.
In wartime saving lives instead of taking them! Wonderful!
What a perfect story for the holiday season. Thank you for posting!
Glad you enjoyed it and Happy Holidays.
Still the greatest generation ever.
I had never read anything about this until now !
Thank You for putting this up......very enjoyable. Couldn't help but laugh about some of the sights seen from our airmen !
Couldn't help but wonder how the German's were thinking / feeling that they are fighting against an enemy with so much food and aircraft they could drop tons of it to the civilians.
Thank You again .
Glad you enjoyed it. This was ultimately the test run for the Berlin air drop a few years later. Thanks for watching.
These brave young men fearlessly fought and gave their lives to preserve this country , maintaining the foundation of Liberty.
Remarkable interviews and a great story well put together - thank you. Good that a truce was set up and respected too.
Glad you enjoyed it
thanks Ray, great interviews.
You're welcome Joe. This was a real inspiration to put together. Merry Christmas!
If this doesn't stimulate some honorable, Patriotic feelings down in yer Soul I pity YOU! For All our Faults, God has stimulated, led and protected America in many endeavors where EVIL was vanquished! I am proud to have served and am not ashamed to say wholeheartedly that I love the U.S.A.! May GOD protect us from those seeking to destroy us as a Nation! "Take two salt tablets and drive on"!
Amen, Brother!
TreeTop - USMC, 1968-72
The food drops were carried out by Allied Air Forces of the war. NOTE THE PLURAL.
NOT just Americans. RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF men, etc.
Can we not have Americans IN THE COMMENTS, claiming ALL credit, as sadly, often happens.
ALL air crews were volunteers. In America, it was Operation Chowhound.
In the English/Commonwealth Air Forces, it was called OPERATION MANNA. As in Manna from Heaven... as those naming the operation in the RAF and involved Commonwealth governments, were highly and classically educated.
I spoke to Australians from 460 squadron and other squadrons, who volunteered for the food drops, about 25 years ago. Many of those crews were Oz/English. There were even Poles flying with Australian and English crews.
I have seen interviews with English volunteers who went on these volunteer food runs. There were plenty of mixed crews from Commonwealth countries flying those missions.
I am not denying the genuine American volunteers or the good they did, but a number of comments here seem to indicate that a number of Americans are either ignorant or loudly trying to deny the fully equal work of the Allied Air Forces who volunteered for this work.
This is something that really annoys people of the rest of the world, when it comes to WW2, as it appears to be extremely ignorant conceit and only found in younger Americans.
The huge banner THANK YOUS on building roofs and in fields, were used for ALL the volunteers flying.
Many planes flying low enough to see the joyful faces of desperate people. One crew used to keep some small offerings of their own, and small boxes of stuff they prepared themselves, to drop over isolated farms and near villages. They spoke between laughing and crying, of seeing farming families who had come out to wave, realise that this plane had dropped them a special gift although they were not near official drop sights. There would be sudden sprints towards dropped packages.
Air crew of the Commonwealth had very little access to chocolates, etc, unlike the Americans, and they would all donate their chocolates or even put in little toys, wrapped and wrapped, padded with straw to try to get it to land edible/usable.
All the Allied Air Forces cherished the chance to do something to make them.feel proud and kind and helpful to those who had suffered so much under Nazi rule.
If you are American, and genuinely didn't know, have a search for Operation Manna WW2.
@@georgielancaster1356 Thankyou! Good intell about the Big Picture!
Aww inspiring .. the values still survive today ,,, they do in many men but not as frequent as our fathers , sad
There is hardly anything worse than being chronically hungry and underfed. Fortunately for most of us, this is something that we don't have to experience in this day and age but unfortunately there are still some that do. I am very pleased that the United States Government and military learned of the plight of the Dutch people and did something to help them back then.
This video really touched my heart. Thanks!
In the part of the UK where I’ve there were numerous American air bases. Some years ago I was honoured to attend a ceremony at the memorial to Grafton Underwood aerodrome when some remaining American airmen returned. I was extremely honoured to shake hands with some veterans and thank them for what they and those that gave their lives did for our freedom. Thank you Yanks, thank you.
Fantastic story--thanks so much for sharing it!
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a great generation, these were real men, with real courage……now days we get Woke….gender whatever’s………
Please don't paint the men and women of WW2 in your personal obsessions.
Robert Cowell was a Spitfire pilot of WW2 who flew with acclaim and was the first man to become a transgender woman in postwar Britain. Helped by a young woman who had become a transgender man, who worked in the merchant navy, whilst studying to be a doctor and most official work done on Robert, later Roberta, post war, was done by Harold Gillies, who was one of the early surgeons who began to specialise in plastic surgery for badly injured WW1 veterans. He was the 2nd best known plastic surgeon working on burnt and injured pilots of WW2 but later was to work on Robert, to enable him to become Roberta officially. Robert (AND later, as Roberta), was a famed racing car driver before and post war.
I know! He/she sounds disturbingly red-blooded. Made an impressive red blooded woman making headlines in car racing, too. How dare she make your comments sound so sadly ignorant and prejudiced.
Ian Gleed DFC, a Battle of Britain hero pilot, beloved by the men whom he trained and protected under his squadron command, was happily gay. Before he died, in active service, in WW2, he wrote his autobiography, which his publisher suggested was a bit obvious about his sexual interests, as it was still a prison offence to be gay, so they invented him a female fiance. When he died, later in the war, many people sent letters of condolence to his publisher, to be redirected to his non existent fiance.
The Intelligence areas in the UK forces had a very high incidence of gay men serving. Many later becoming known in the Arts, post war.
ATA girl Irene Joy Ferguson changed sex post war, becoming Jonathon Ferguson. She put a brief announcement in the newspapers, legally announcing her change of name, and the only change to her life was more pay as a man, than was paid to women in the same job.
There was an island in the Pacific, which was well known to have high numbers of gay military Americans and gay Australians were very happy about getting sent there.
There were so many gay men in the forces in WW2 - there were pacifists who worked as medics who were famous for bravery in facing fire to save men injured in noman's land, etc.
Your denial of the courage of gay, transexual or pacifist men - and women, on the frontline, reflects on your obsessions and ignorance - NOT THE FACTS.
There were gay men in SOE and likely gay women, but because until 1967, I think it was, to be identified as gay and found guilty was a prison offence and destroyed your career, it was kept very quiet outside friends..
Alan Turing, one of the greatest minds of the war, whom some believe took about 3 years off the war personally, with his work on Enigma, was abandoned and betrayed by the great names who knew what he had done.
A redneck British judge forced him to choose between gaol and chemical castration. He developed breasts, and he took his life in the early 50's.
The Duke of Kent, killed on the war was well known in gay circles in the theatrical and arts world, to be bisexual, at least.
Another RAF pilot, Jimmy Edwards DFC, a very popular comic in the 50's and 60's, who tried to hide his gayness with marriage, was cruelly exposed in old age. He sported a huge handlebar moustache to hide the scars on his face from a crash landing in his fighter.
I haven't time or space to keep going.
I am not gay or transgender but have absolutely no problem with either. It is no more remarkable than identifying as a brunette, blond/e or redhead. I have put in quite a bit of research on this topic, over decades of WW2 research.
I am guessing there are a number of 'heroes' you may not even know were gay or bisexual.
@@georgielancaster1356 like I said……….
@@georgielancaster1356 I could give two shits if some is Gay and is in the military, I served with them….this new militant in your face accept me because they are transgender and need the military to pay for their confusion of gender identity, is destroying the mission readiness of the US forces. I flew with a pilot in my unit that decided to kill himself with a 20 million dollar helicopter because he was jealous of another man in the unit not falling for him……..sorry but most gender confused people are not warriors or fighters, they are a cancerous problem in the military.
And God was watching those drops, and probably guiding them, too!
Small scale rehearsal for the Berlin Airlift . Job Well Done .
Do they remember ? In a grateful way ???? Nowadays ?
People I’ve met in Belgium still remember the British fondly for our sacrifices in WW1, kinda baked in gratitude from their grandparents, so yes, I’m sure the same applies in the Netherlands where my father-in-law helped liberate in the country in 44 and 45.
Those families who lived it do!
They certainly do, in The Netherlands. Families of individuals still visit Squadron reunions. If you tell people that you had father or grandfather.- or until relatively recently, you flew the American Chowhound or Commonwealth Air Forces OPERATION MANNA, often you are embraced, invited to tea, or enthusiastically told of how bad conditions were, how no Dutch people will ever forget.
I know it is mainly Americans interviewed here, as the interviews were in America, but air crews from UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, plus individuals in mixed crews that included Polish, etc also volunteered and did just as much as Americans - but they called the flights OPERATION MANNA.
Due to the highly educated level of most British Officers who decided on names for operations, they chose very clever names - and in the case of these mercy flights, the Brits labelled Commonwealth food drop flights from the term MANNA FROM HEAVEN, from the Bible. Operation Manna.
There are villages in France who have cafes named for and in honour of the Australians who fought and died for their district, IN WW1, even now. One village had their destroyed school replaced by the Australian soldiers who saw the distress it caused.
If you say you are Australian when visiting, you are embraced and told how loved Australians still are. On the anniversaries, school children sing Australian songs and Australians are honoured, if visiting.
A Beautiful Story for the Christmas season
Thanks. I was hoping that was how this video would be received.
It was also made into a movie with Fred McMurray as Capt. Eddie..Seven Came Through
God Bless America
They did a great job.
Lovely short documentary on Operation Manna on Steve? Dawson's channel on yt, with beautiful footage of bombers dropping food. Takes about 14 minutes.
Have you ever read the book Seven Came Through by Eddie Rickenbacker??
👍👍👍👍👍
What year were these interviews?
Most were completed in 2005.
@@raymondmcfalone26 Based on these, there are so many questions I would have loved to ask my dad (airplane mechanic during the war). Unfortunately, he has been gone for over 20 years. Thank you, this is fantastic stuff!