In September 1944, most of the southern part of the Netherlands had been liberated. Unfortunately, the rest of the country faced a very harsh winter. Extreme cold combined with a lack of food resulted in a famine, causing the death of about 20,000 citizens.
Dutch railway workers had gone on strike with the hope of helping the Allied forces to advance. Alas, the British-led allied campaign called Operation Market Garden failed. The Nazis retaliated by blocking food supplies.
The effects of the famine are still felt more than seven decades after it ended. One famous example of someone who suffered from the famine during the Hunger Winter for the rest of her life is Audrey Hepburn. She spent her childhood in the Netherlands during the Hunger Winter. She would become a successful actress who accumulated wealth in her later years. However, she had lifelong medical conditions as a result of the famine. She suffered from anemia, respiratory illnesses, and edema.
Babies born from women who were pregnant during the famine would often be a few pounds heavier than the average. Their death rate would also be higher than those who had been in utero before or after the famine.
Below the photographs are visual impressions of the Hunger Winter of 1944/45.
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Sources
Beeldbankwo2.nl
New York Times
History of Sorts 
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