Operation Chowhound: Famine relief for occupied Holland, May 1 through 7, 1945

Food rations are gathered at Schiphol Airfield, May 2, 1945.

May 1, 1945  Nearly four hundred B-17 bombers of the 8th United States Army Airforce take off from their bases in Great Britain. This time they are not carrying a load that means death and destruction for Nazi Germany. This time they are carrying a load that will bring hope and salvation to the starving population of Nazi occupied western Holland.

After the Allied operation Market Garden, intended to capture the Rhine bridge at Arnhem, had stalled, leaving parts of Holland still in German hands, the food situation for the Dutch became increasingly critical. What little transport and food was available was reserved mainly for the occupying German troops.

Hard to imagine now perhaps, in our days of abundance, but the winter of 1944-1945, meant famine for the citizens of western Holland, causing thousands to die of starvation. The Allied commanders realized that something had to be done. In January '45, the Germans allowed food to arrive from neutral Sweden by ship, but it was not nearly enough. So a truce was negotiated with the German commanders, for food to be delivered by air. The British Royal Airforce carried out the first mission of what they called Operation Manna, by April 29. America flew the first mission of what was called Operation Chowhound, on the first of May.

Click on the picture to see the contents of a 10-in-1 ration.

For the young crews of the bombers it was a radical change from the dangerous, flak ridden, high altitude bombing missions they had carried out so far. These food dropping missions had them fly so low and slow, the crowds gathered around the dropzones could see them wave. The food dropped by the Americans consisted of U.S. Army 10-in-1 rations. Sturdy boxes designed to feed 10 soldiers for one day. And though many a GI may have been 'fed up' with eating such rations day after day in the lines, for the hungry Dutch it was like manna from heaven. For many it must have been a first encounter with American foodstuffs like candy bars, soluble coffee, American bacon, cereals, chewing gum and American cigarettes, still highly prized at the time.

After the German surrender on May 5, 1945, food was brought in, in much greater quantities, by trucks and ships. But those bomber crews will never be forgotten for their spectacular delivery of life saving food, those memorable days in May 1945.

For more information on the terrible plight of the Dutch people in the Hungerwinter of 1944-45, Operations Manna and Chowhound, and how these came about, please see: http://operationmanna.secondworldwar.nl/index.html.

 

Acting Consul General Michael Barkin

Click here to read Acting Consul General Barkin's speech.

An American Consulate In Friesland, or in Groningen?

With Dutch traffic getting more and more congested, train tickets more and more expensive, wouldn't it be great if you did not have to travel all the way to Amsterdam to get a report of birth for your newborn American child, a first time passport, a document notarized or perhaps just to talk to an American consular officer on issues you may have?

Alas, the American Consulate in Rotterdam had to close in 1986 and the days the United States had consular representatives in Harlingen or Zierikzee are long gone. But what we do have is our Consular Outreach Program. We are reaching out to you by sending a consular officer and staff to a location away from the Consulate in Amsterdam to provide consular services to American citizens living outside of the greater Amsterdam region.

The next such events scheduled are:

• Oudemirdum, Friesland on June 5, 2008, 6-8 pm.
• Groningen, Groningen on June 12, 2008, 6-8 pm.

Of course these events would not be possible without the support of our hosts. A big Thank You is extended here to them, for allowing us to use their home or office to provide you with American citizen services. For more details on our Consular Outreach Program, on the services we can offer, if you wish to attend on the above dates, or perhaps wish to host an Outreach event in the future, please click here.

Note that no visa services can be provided away from the Consulate General in Amsterdam.

Previous events of the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam...