Many Canadian commemorations now underway to celebrate the 70th anniversary. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/liberation-netherlands/video http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/liberation-netherlands/70th-anniversary https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/mona-parsons
Excellent video - thanks Canuck. I've sent it to my Canadian cousins, though they probably know about it already.
Thanks again - starvation seems to have been widespread all across occupied Europe. We weren't so badly hit in the UK, but there were still shortages due to no imports. No fatties in those days. Do you know any of the Veterans shown in these films?
No, not personally Tricia.The Dutch people were being deliberately deprived of food by the Germans at that time. It was not a question of shortages but outright starvation on a massive scale. The Hongerwinter ("Hunger winter") 1944-1945, killed almost 20,000 Dutch civilians.
an ongoing issue in my hometown http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/2015/04/29/war-vets-plight-strikes-nerve-with-readers you google the name Art Boon alot more comes up. I personally know the Boon's. Rick is my daughters grade 8 teacher and softball coach and uses opportunities like this to teach the kids about the war. Art himself goes into the schools and talks to the kids. He was 16 when he joined up, landed on D-day and fought until the of the war as a gunner in a Sherman tank
Bernhart, I just signed an online petition to see if Rick will be allowed to take time off school to accompany his father across the pond. Your interest in WW2 stems from where, if I may ask? Canuck, September?
I thought that during the war years the UK was almost solely dependent on what was produced at home, due to the German navy attacks on ships attempting to deliver goods to us. This especially applied to grain and flour from Canada. Shortages lasted into the '50s. I could be wrong. Sorry this is a thread drift.
Hi TriciaF, No; things were tight for many years after the war, but our Merchant Navy managed to bring in more than 50% of our food needs even at the darkest times; plus all of our crude oil and metal ores. (the last two words are not true - we mined a great deal of iron ore and. presumably tin in Cornwall and copper in Devon and elsewhere). I have a paper on the subject if anyone wants it - don't know where I downloaded it from. Will be away fro a couple of weeks from 5.5.15 Roy
Thanks Roy - I didn't realise that. Our Merchant Navy were some of the real heroes of WW2. My Dad volunteered for the Navy at the "darkest times." This would make an interesting separate thread.
both my parents lived in the netherlands during WW 2, probably where my interest started, and by the at the last minute Rick was allowed to go with his father. I talked yo him Friday, he is going top take pics of the ceremonies and with his permission will post them when he gets back. Sounds like Art will get to meet PM Harper over there.
There was a televised ceremony at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery yesterday afternoon. There were road blocks in place, but they let me through. Came across it by chance and chatted to some relatives. Met a man (Chris Chance) whose relative served in 5 Canadian Armoured Div and whose regiment were among those who liberated my Mum's home town of Delft. Unfortunately, I could not stay to watch as there were 3 hours still to go. I hope the rain that came did not cause too many problems. Will pop back today to take photos of wreaths that were laid. The Canadians are also going to Wageningen, Apeldoorn and Holton Canadian War Cemetery for other ceremonies and events.
It was always claimed that as regards farming produce,that GB was self supporting during the war.Also there was a policy of cultivating any spare land to grow vegetables and the like....some schools had vegetable patches.......allotments were worked to a maximum.However there was the essential task of receiving war materiel from North America along with oil and petrol oil....a prerequisite for the invasion of Normandy was the defeat the U Boat in the Battle of the Atlantic. Additionally meat and meat products were imported at great risk from North America and the Argentine or any other convenient country.I remember a beef carrying ship reported being lost from Argentine en route to GB....my parents discussed how many rations it represented..remember it well. As regards the feeding of occupied Europe,the Germans systematically robbed the countries of food stuffs and transported produce back to the Third Reich. Civilian population calorific intakes were deliberately reduced to almost starvation levels as the Germans demanded increased quotas.This policy applied to both the West and East occupied territories...the Ukraine was seen as the Reich's bread basket.The Slav civilian population,deemed untermenchen, were subject to high levels of starvation. . Where it could flourish,a black market economy sprung up.Perhaps those in the country fared better for access to food. I have seen reports that it was not unusual for people living in large cities,Paris was quoted, to trek out into the countryside at the weekends in search of food. Regarding Operation Manna,No115 Squadron conducted food dropping trials and after the truce,drops were arranged for the western Holland which was still in German hands.Drops commenced on 29 April using 33 Lancaster squadrons from Nos 1,3 and 8 Groups with the DZs set up by Pathfinder Mosquitos at Leiden (Valkenburg airfield), The Hague (Racecourse and Ypenburg airfield),Rotterdam (Waalhaven airfield),Kralingsche-Plas and Gouda. The RAFdelivered 6685 tons of food over 3150 sorties at 300 feet in 6280 lb pannier loads until road transport took over on 8 May when surrender made it possible. Meanwhile the USAAF 8th Air Force B17s, delivered via their Operation Chowhound 3700 tons over 5343 sorties Apparently there was some trepidation that the truce would hold as crews flew low over German gunners...saw note by a WAAF, out of Hemswell who was allowed by Lancaster skipper to witness the drops,dropped a flour bag which landed and burst across a German battery...to relief no response from the battery. Interesting to note that No 83 Squadron,flying Lincolns commemorated the 10th anniversary of Manna in April 1955 when they overflew the 1945 DZs...some might remember the occasion.
Visited Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery again this morning to photograph the wreaths and flowers laid yesterday for the Canadian ceremony. Despite the rain yesterday, 2 spitfire just managed a fly over. I stumbled again by chance upon the British ceremony shortly after my arrival. Bumped into a Vet I saw last Sept and was honoured to be invited to sit with him and the numerous Vets who arrived by the many Taxis. It was an extremely emotional experience and 2 vets came with me to lay a poppy cross to a man connected to my Dad's Regiment, from the Canadian 1 Rocket Battery. Photos will follow in a week or so.
Needs to be a seperate topic? Food Security and the UK: An Evidence and Analysis Paper ******* Food Chain Analysis Group Defra December 2006 3.9 In World War Two (1939-45), Britain’s food imports - particularly from Europe and the Empire - were seriously impeded by German u-boats, overseas enemy occupation and the Pacific War.19 By 1943, food and feed imports were only half their 1930s’ level. Yet adaptation was impressive. The 1941 Lend-Lease Act in the USA brought additional supplies to the UK, particularly protein-based foods. Shipping space and capacity were used more efficiently and animal feedstuffs gave way to human food. As some import sources dried up, others (e. g. Canada, US and West Africa), expanded. In 1944, imports still supplied the major share of consumption of wheat / flour (56%), fats (98%) and sugar (73%). The drive to boost domestic food production was targeted on certain commodities in order to complement import supplies and maximise production of wheat, potatoes, liquid milk and vegetables. Sorry about the formatting - or lack of: Just one cargo Empire Manor cargo - New York for the Mersey Cheese 191 Lard 295 Powdered milk 78 Dried egg 90 Refrigerated fruits & hams 1263 Citrus pictrine 8 Seeds 9 Dried fruit 475 Refrigerated meats 1429 Asbestos 16 Lead 524 Machine tools 15 Photographic goods 12 Hand tools 10 Copper 78 Plywood 218 Machinery 99 Radio equipment 6 Zinc 413 Graphite powder 3 Spool wood 17 Nickel 7 Ball bearings 12 Sundries 71 Trucks 26 Aircraft parts 11 Mobile Units 58 U.S. Army refrigerated cargo 1013 Total 6447 tons (and 1 ton of Gold!)
Roy, a certain amount of digression from Operation Manna and Chowhound but all relevant to how the war economy was organised and sustained to take the battle to the enemy and be in a position for humanitarian aid to be supplied when required. Another important import from the US, initially, was 100 octane petrol (Avgas), essential to permit the development of the piston engine performance. Regarding deprivation.Germany had the larder of Denmark close by and depended upon Denmark for diary products.The Danes were not deprived of foodstuffs to the extent of other occupied countries.However the country did not have indigenous fuels such as coal or oil so had to rely on wood and innovated with the development of small scale windpower.Holland appeared to suffer badly from the lack of fuel,again no indigenous sources,leading to the majority of trees being felled for fuel as the war went on.The Germans would allow fuel in to these countries sufficient for electricity generation to power their armament industry production in these countries and for the upkeep of the military occupation but that was about all. I remember the US powered yolks in heavily waxed cartons which were issued to civilians as part of the the weekly ration.Spam appeared on British tables and I think US lard as Hateley's lard went on to be imported long after the war. Shortages of certain foods led to a black market here and it was said certain London restaurants seemed to be never short of foodstuffs.British Restaurants were set up to ensure that a working day was not unnecessary broken up and those attending received a nourishing meal As regards fruits such as oranges and bananas,children born during the war had no sight of these fruits until victory was achieved. Cigarettes were not rationed but the method of retailing was such that there was abundant under the counter sales for a shopkeeper to keep his regulars loyal.For the services,it was different and adequate supplies for the troops were always seen as a priority.It seems that on the continent and here there was evidence of civilian smokers scrounging for "tabs" in order to roll and make up cigarettes. There was also another dimension to US cross Atlantic shipping movements.As far as I can ascertain,the US exports maintained Spain's oil supplies throughout the war......probably had some bearing on Franco's reluctance to join the Axis alliance. All in all,although we suffered from the impact of rationing,it was nowhere as acute as the deprivation suffered by those of the German occupation territories where the calorific intake was continually subject to review and reduction.
Seems appropriate to relate what a Dutchman, a Bart van der Klaauw witnessed of Operation Manna and which was recorded in the Flypast edition of March 1999. ....Those who witnessed the events of 29 April 1945 in the Western Netherlands will never forget what they saw.The image of a large formation of Lancaster bombers coming in low and dropping food supplies will remain in my mind forever.They were indeed welcome as nearly 5 million in the occupied West were nearing starvation.The country had just endured the worse winter of the 5 war years....18000 people had died and more than 100000 were likely if large scale help did not arrive.There was no electricity or gas,nor was there any coal to heat houses..it was freezing cold and everywhere was covered with a thick layer of snow.A food ration system was in operation but most of the time there was nothing.to buy with the coupons. After the railway strike began in September 1944 to support the Allied operations there were virtually no transport links between the west and the rest of the country.As hardly anyone was able to cook for themselves,central kitchens were set up and one hot meal a day could be exchanged for coupons.This meal was meagre and of little nutritional value,ie,soup made from sugar beet roots and tulip bulbs. The events of that first day on Sunday 29 April 1945 came as a complete surprise.I heard a droning noise approaching,but assumed the bombers were on their way to Germany.On this occasion,they seemed to be flying particularly low and I was puzzled.A German soldier billeted at a nearby house told me...they are bringing food for you.I could hardly believe it and with some friends; we climbed a nearby church tower to get a better view....a large stream of Lancasters were heading for Duindigt racecourse,preceded by a Mosquito which dropped some flares to mark the target area.When the Lancasters opened their bomb doors,masses of brown packets fell through the sky,like manna from heaven in the bible story.The bombers returned time and time again over the next few days,not only to Duindigt but to Ypenburg near the Hague and Valkenburg airfield near Leiden as well as near the village of Terbregge,north of Rotterdam. On 1 May,the US 8th Air Force launched Operation Chowhound during which B17 Fortresses also dropped food supplies in the more northern areas on Schiphol Airport,Hilversum airfield and near Alkmaar,Utrecht and Vogelenzag.The British and American bombers came back virtually every day until 8th of May when the Germans surrendered .Despite the agreed truce and fortunately the Germans kept their word,the operation was not without risk .....the bomber crews had no idea how the Germans would react when they saw low their flying aircraft.No real attempt was made to shoot them down with the exception of one US Fortress which was hit by a German Navy flak near Ijmuiden and crashed into the North Sea with the loss of eleven members of crew.In addition to the RAF's total of 6.670 tons,the USAAF dropped 2714 tons.It was a wonderful to have some real food again....the nation still feels grateful to those crews..their wonderful efforts in the spring of 1945 saved countless lives...mine included..thank you very much. A Dutch recipient of Manna and Chowhound.....Per Ardua ad Astra
Here is an interesting account from one drop over the Hague on the 29 or 30th of April 1945 as related from a private publication in 2000. Of 33 squadrons detailed for Operation Manna,two Hemswell squadrons,namely 150 and 170 Squadrons took part and apparently it became the custom for aircrews to drop their sweet rations by "handkerchief parachute" via the runner gunner to the waiting crowds below.Some of these packages contained a note from the recipient and one of these sweet ration packages was received by Annie Peperkorn of Voorburg. from a drop by a Lancaster of No 150 Squadron The crewman included his address but not his name as far as I can ascertain but Annie wrote a letter of thanks to an Innocent English Friend.It was dated 25 July 1945 and it is thought that she mistook "Innocent" for "Unknown".She also used the derogatory name of Moffen for the Germans...the letter is an exact copy of what was sent to the English address. The letter was addressed to An RAF man,Salisbury Avenue 163,New Barking,London,Essex......and reads: Innocent English Friend, Perhaps you will be very surprised to receive a letter from a Dutch girl.But that is the consequence of the drop of parcels of food.Your letter came in our neighbourhood.People were very glad with it and most of them would write back.Perhaps you had received many letters from Holland?If you had seen the joy from us you would be deeply moved. We all had waved with pocket handkerchiefs and we had cried from joy to the flying machines.Perhaps you will laugh at it,but the necessity was so high,that we don't were in life,when it had dured still a week.Now is goes much better and we are more thick now.The outing has changed and everybody id joy now.Now we will hope that the war with Japan is very nearly over and the whole world will live in peace. The cinema play again and the tramway drive also.Everywhere there is feast and then we can dance again since 5 years.When the Moffen were here it was very unpleasant time and many of our men and boys were sent to Germany to work or finish of hunger with their colleagues in the concentration camps.Terrible is that!. So anything is not to be forgiven. But also my respect for the English and Canadian soldiers.They had fought for us very hardly and also bought so many sacrifices.We follow the Battle very on tenderhooks and everytime a town or city had fallen we say to each other "it goes very well" and that was a luminous print in the darkness. I hope you will receive this letter but I don't think so for your name is innocent and I don't know if your address is very well.But when you receive it well,will you give then an answer,that I keep as a souvenir from the war. I wish you all the best and I hope I have not very faults for I have forgotten so much from the English ;language.I also hope you can understand it.I stop with my greetings from an innocent Dutch friend and say good-bye on the Dutch. Daaaag,Annie Peperkorn Oostvlietstraat 9,Voorburg,Zuid----Holland In 1995,research on Annie revealed that she had married in 1946 and had died in 1991,still living at the same address. A unique historical letter from a Dutch lady who lived through the Nazi occupation of Holland.
