Remembering the Lifesaving Food Drops of 1945

Soon, it will be 80 years since food was dropped.

In late April 1945, Allied bombers dropped food supplies over the western Netherlands to provide relief to the starving population. This mission, codenamed OPERATION MANNA, saved many lives.

A green flyer from the Germans had the Reich Commissioner addressing German soldiers, urging them not to fall for what he considered Allied propaganda tricks.

The food sacks were labeled with a contents list (see photo). This batch includes five of those labels.

The final black-and-white photos give an impression of this rescue operation.