The Dutch famine of 1944–1945, also known as the Hunger Winter (from Dutch Hongerwinter), was a famine in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II. The famine impacted the people in the densely populated and urbanized western provinces north of the great rivers during and after the harsh winter of 1944–1945. It began after the failure of Operation Market Garden, the Allied military offensive against the German occupiers of the Netherlands in September 1944. It persisted until after the German surrender in May 1945. A German embargo and a Dutch railway strike resulted in food and fuel shipments from rural areas to the cities being halted or much diminished. The Dutch government rationed food, but the ration decreased to starvation levels in late 1944 and early 1945.
Beginning of 'the harsh winter', contributes to the famine that develops in the Netherlands
The Dutch famine of 1944–1945, also known as the Hunger Winter (from Dutch Hongerwinter), was a famine in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II.
Historical Significance
The Dutch famine of 1944–1945, also known as the Hunger Winter (from Dutch Hongerwinter), was a famine in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II.
Events Before
German officer Claus von Stauffenberg is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of…
Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown and is admitted to the hospital for rest and treatmen
Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown and is admitted to the hospital for rest and treatment; he is released in time for preseason training
Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies
Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies
Soviets announce they have broken the long siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany by opening a narrow land corridor, though
Soviets announce they have broken the long siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany by opening a narrow land corridor, though the siege is not fully lifted until a year later
German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrenders to Soviet troops at Stalingrad
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) during World War II who is best known for his surrender of the German 6th Army…
Events After
German air raid on Allied airfields at Eindhoven, Saint-Trond, and Brussels
German air raid on Allied airfields at Eindhoven, Saint-Trond, and Brussels
Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in for an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated fourth term as US President
Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in for an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated fourth term as US President
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland - now commemorated as International Holocau
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland - now commemorated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day [1]
WWII: US troops under General Douglas MacArthur enter Manila in the Philippines after a month-long battle, ending three
WWII: US troops under General Douglas MacArthur enter Manila in the Philippines after a month-long battle, ending three years of Japanese military occupation
Declaration of Liberated Europe is signed at the Yalta Conference by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Josep
Declaration of Liberated Europe is signed at the Yalta Conference by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, declaring that liberated nations are to establish democratic governments through free elections
More from the 1940s
D-Day: The Normandy Landings
Allied forces launch the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pled
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging to make no separate peace deals
Mahatma Gandhi begins a march for peace in East Bengal
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign…
Omar al-Bashir is born
Omar al-Bashir is born
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on December 23, 1944?
- The Dutch famine of 1944–1945, also known as the Hunger Winter (from Dutch Hongerwinter), was a famine in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II. The famine impacted the people in the densely populated and urbanized western provinces north of the great rivers during and after the harsh winter of 1944–1945. It began after the failure of Operation Market Garden, the Allied military offensive against the German occupiers of the Netherlands in September 1944.
- Why is Beginning of 'the harsh winter', contributes to the famine that develops in t... significant?
- The Dutch famine of 1944–1945, also known as the Hunger Winter (from Dutch Hongerwinter), was a famine in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II.