Also not to be forgotten: Axis Forum History: In January 1945, two Swedish ships deliver 3,000 tons of emergency foodstuffs to the Dutch port of Delfzyl. By April, the Swedes have delivered 20,000 tons of foodstuffs, which is great but not even close to what the Dutch population needs. http://www.godutch.com/newspaper/index.php?id=505: Jan 28 Two Swedish ships, the first transport with food and medical supplies, arrive at Delfzijl. Germans prevent distribution. Feb 27 Germans finally allow distribution of Swedish food and medical supplies to deprived areas. The Swedish ship VEGA was similarly involved in the Channel Islands.
Same, my parents were 6 and 4 years old in 1945, just outside Rotterdam. Around 20,000 people starved to death during that time. Don't know about the rest of the Dutchies that visit this forum, but my parents, even as little kids, never forgot that. Small things, our house was always full of food, couple months worth of preserved stuff squirreled away here and there. Coincidence ?
One of the reasons My Father ( and probably all vets) held the Dutch people in such high affection, was their willingness to share whatever little they had with the soldiers. There were many tears in the eyes of hardened men when they realised just how hard things were for the civilian population. Several special deliveries were made to billets where the soldiers had stayed. Unofficially of course.
Approx 10 mins BBC audio: Witness History - The Hunger Winter - [object Object] - BBC Sounds The Hunger Winter Witness History At the end of World War Two, millions of people in the west of Nazi-occupied Netherlands faced starvation. The lucky ones survived on watery bread, potato peel or tulip bulbs. Witness speaks to one Dutchman who lived through what became known as the Hunger Winter.
My Mum's Father (living in Delft) had the Hunger Oedema. She told me about him, but our relatives did not want to talk about the subject. Something you did not want to remember. I was given a DVD from the Delft archives showing British & American aircraft almost at roof top height during Operation Manna. I found an excellent book about the subject (in English), as I wanted to understand what the Dutch endured post Market Garden.
This was a map of ypenburg airfield pre WW2. I walked to a farm close by with Mum, to buy milk and eggs close by in the early 1980's. The area is now redeveloped.
May 3,1945 Canadians organize food relief for starving Dutch behind German lines. A convoy of Canadian 60cwt trucks filled with food supplies moving into German-occupied territory along the road from Wageningen to Rhenan, Netherlands, Date: 3 May 1945. Photographer: Alex Stirton Source: Library and Archives Canada a134419 The Dutch people greeted their Canadian liberators with cheers and gratitude. Dutch inhabitants in this area had suffered through the “Hunger Winter” of1944–45, when supplies of food and fuel were scarce. Around 20,000 died during the famine, while others were forced to eat tulip bulbs and sugar beets to survive. On 28 April, the Germans agreed to a truce, allowing the movement of food supplies to the starving population behind the Grebbe Line. The following day, Allied bombers dropped 510 tons of food. On 2 May, the Canadians started transporting 1,000 tons of food into the area by road. The starving Dutch were relieved, although they would not be liberated until the official end of the war in May.
There is a B&W Canadian film clip of the overland supply; the short version in English: There is a lot more newsreel of the air supply.
The Swedish Whitebread Many Dutch survivors of the war think they remember that Swedish white bread was dropped by the Allies in February 1945. However, that never happened. In reality the Swedish Whitebread arrived by ship. In view of the dire food situation and the appeals of the Dutch government in excile the Swedish Red Cross took action in Jan 45. At th end of that month they shipped large quantaties of flour and margarine of towards Holland, what became known as "Het Zweeds Wittebrood" (The Swedish Whitebread). The flour and margarine were delivered with three large ships in Delfzijl in NE Holland (see picture ). From Delfzijl these materials were distributed by the end of Feb 45 to the most deprived areas in the country. Most bakers received ingredients which they used to bake the bread. The winter was almost over before the bread and margarine could be distributed to the people. Though it was only 'a drop on a hot plate', it is still well remembered in Holland. The Swedish Dagmar Bratt was one of the ships that delivered its valuable cargo to the port of Delfzijl The Swedish white bread could, in limited quantities, be collected free of charge from the bakery. A special administration was set up to ensure that everyone received the correct amount of bread and margarine. The public was told on special posters how and where the bread and margarine could be obtained. To the people the bread tasted like cake! Photos courtesy: WOS.nl: Streekhistorie: De mythe van het Zweedse wittebrood See also above: Dutch Famine after Market Garden At the end of April 1945, while western Holland was still under occupation, a second emergency operation was undertaken under a truce with the Germans. Food packages for the starving population were dropped from the sky by Allied bombers, "Operation Manna". At the same time, food supplies also entered the area by road transport from the already liberated parts of eastern Holland, as is pointed out by Canuck above: Dutch Famine after Market Garden. This is what flying in low looks like from the ground:
Seeing the two guys slowly spooning food into their mouths with a look of pure bliss at 1:37 made me emotional for some reason. Terrible times.
People from the Netherlands are not normally given to emotional outbursts but along the same theme, I saw a Dutch woman interviewed several years ago. She became quite tearful in describing her childhood and the famine in 1944/1945. It was at that time that she tasted chocolate for the very first time, courtesy of a Canadian soldier, and it was a wondrous experience. Ever since, she has associated chocolate with freedom.
This is an almost iconic image: a small boy waiting for his turn for a ration from the soup kitchen. Perhaps something with tulip bulbs in it. Sorry Dave if I got you again, with this one ...
Nice quote from Bedell Smith: At the very end of the "hunger winter" in April 1945, Seyss-Inquart was with difficulty persuaded by the Allies to allow airplanes to drop food for the hungry people of the occupied north-west of the country. Although he knew the war was lost, Seyss-Inquart did not want to surrender. This led General Walter Bedell Smith to snap: "Well, in any case, you are going to be shot". "That leaves me cold", Seyss-Inquart replied, to which Smith then retorted: "It will".[5] Arthur Seyss-Inquart - Wikipedia
I purchased this copy (Dutch/English) years ago in a market in The Netherlands. I won't post photos of people showing the effects of the Hunger Winter. They are harrowing.
I wonder how many lifelong health issues resulted from those Dutch kids receiving essentially 1/3 of the normal caloric requirement, for an extended period.