Hunger Winter
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On the morning of August 4, 1944, Otto Frank was helping Peter van Pels with his language lessons, while Edith Frank remained in her room. That same morning, police officers arrived at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam. They proceeded to the first-floor office, where the helpers of those in hiding were working. The officers questioned Victor…
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This is a long read, but it offers a compelling glimpse into daily life in the Netherlands during World War II. Despite the horrors, life continued—though not for everyone. Tragically, 75% of Dutch Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Some of them had worked in the luxurious department store Bijenkorf and its affiliated store HEMA.…
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The Dutch Hunger Winter, also known as the Hongerwinter, was a devastating famine that gripped the Netherlands during the final months of World War II, from November 1944 to April 1945. This period of extreme hardship left a profound mark on Dutch society, shaped the collective memory of the war, and offered critical insights into…
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Operation Market Garden was a failed operation by the Allied forces, which would have dire consequences for the Netherlands in the following winter. Irish journalist and author Cornelius Ryan wrote the book A Bridge Too Far about the operation. Market Garden was divided into two parts.Market: Airborne forces (of Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton’s First Allied Airborne…
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Before you ask, I know absolutely nothing about fashion. Then why do a piece on fashion in World War II? I hear you say. There is no particular reason, but after all the heavy subjects I usually explore, I decided to go with a more lighthearted one for a change, while still staying on the…
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(Originally published 29 April 2022) The title of this blog does not refer to the verse in the bible in the book of Exodus chapter 16 verse 15, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto…
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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…
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As the saying goes “A picture tells a thousand words” therefor rather then writing at length about WWII in the Netherlands, I have decided that this time I will let the pictures do the talking. The photograph on the top is a picture of American troops from the 82nd Airborne Division parachute into The Netherlands on…
History of Sorts 
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