The winter famine was in the winter of 1944 to 1945. This was a severe winter with a great scarcity of food and fuel at the end of the Second World War in which twenty thousand Dutch people died of hunger and cold.
The Cause of the scarcity
The cause of the shortage must be sought in a reprisal by the Germans, following the
general railway strike after 17 September 1944. In retaliation the German occupation forces blocked all food shipments to the west of the Netherlands. The blockade lasted six weeks and caused a famine in the western Netherlands disaster of catastrophic proportions. During this period, the South Netherlands was liberated. As the front line was now the Netherlands - roughly along the major rivers - there could no longer be coal transported from Limburg to the west of the Netherlands. Because the rivers and the IJselmeer were frozen shut, and because land transport is no longer possible, the west of the Netherlands was cut off from all supplies, fuels like coal, clothing and medicines. In the face of liberation in the first months of 1945 more than 20,000 Dutch died of starvation because of the blockade.
Life during the winter famine
People weren't allowed to be on the streets after eight pm in the evening (curfew). Because gas and electricity were no longer available, there was no light, no heating and no possibilities for cooking. With a mechanical flash-light you could have some light but many had to do with a candle and went to bed early.
If there even was a little food in the house, it had nevertheless to be cooked or heated. For that they often used an old tin can with a hole in the bottom, a little miracle heater. In there little twigs or wood chip were burned.
Due to the lack of fuel, the tarred wood blocks, that were installed between the tram rails, were robed. Also trees were cut down illegally. In the Amsterdam Jewish quarter and Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood the wood was taken from the empty houses from the deported Jews.
The schools were still open, but gradually the classes became smaller because many children were sick or stayed home. Shortly after the liberation, many malnourished children were placed for a few months with foster parents, including from the the United Kingdom, to return to strength.
Famine trips
Inside occupied territory, the situation was worst in the Randstad. Especially in large cities, the problem was acute. So the people themselves went in search of food. On the streets children were looking for something to eat in the bins.
At central kitchens, on presentation of a voucher card, people could get once a day a watery stew or soup of potato peelings. This led to long waiting rows which was not easy in the biting cold. Some people even tried to eat tulip bulbs and sugar beets.
Many people, especially women, cycled or walked to the east or north of the country, in order to find food, to exchange the little money they had or possessions (textiles, silverware, gold jewellery) for food. The so called famine-trips. Many farmers gave shelter to those who covered the street. Those people were called famine hikers. Some farmers did abuse the situation and enriched themselves.
In the cities it was sometimes very difficult to find a grave for the dead. The ground was frozen hard and the energy for excavation and transportation was lacking. Wood for coffins could also be better used as fuel. In Amsterdam the corpses were stored in the empty Zuiderchurch.
Help
In February 1945 Swedish white bread was distributed which was arranged by the International Red Cross. This bread was baked in the Netherlands, the meal came with a special transport ship from Sweden. At the end of the war in April food drops by Allied aircraft took place such as
Operation Manna. Contrary to popular belief, these two events are stand alone projects: there never has been Swedish bread dropped over the Netherlands.
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