Hunger Winter 1944-45
The Haque Holland March 3rd 1945. Part-1 Introduction.
It was about 8:15 AM when we heard the enormous rumble of
airplane engines coming over the roof of our house.
I ran, no flew up the stairs two floors up to get to the attic
window to see an enormous armada of airplanes flying very,
very low right over our house and in a wide area, so low that I
could see the pilots sitting in their cockpits.
In a matter of minutes they were over an area called
" Bezuidenhout" by which time it became very clear to me what
their purpose was. They started to drop bombs that were
connected by chains which pulled the bombs this way and that
while falling to create as much damage as possible on impact.
Instantly the entire Bezuidenhout quarter was ablaze! I was
standing there like everything was frozen in time and my body
was stiff with fear that our turn would be next. But we were
spared that day from any violent and sudden death.
I knew the effort was to hit the German installations who were
firing the V2 rockets from there to England and in particular
Londen.
But by a navigational mistake they bombed the life out of 486
men, women and children who were in the wrong place and at
the wrong time. 3315 houses were burned entirely plus 1217
houses were damaged heavily and 12000 people lost their
homes and all their possessions.
I went to the area a couple of days later and walked into what
used to be a street where the entire front of a building was
blown away.
Like a play house for a little girl I could look right into rooms
and saw a grand-piano sort of balancing in the wind, ready to
come down.
Two months later we were liberated by the Canadian Army
This happened almost 60 years ago at the end of what became
known as the "Hunger Winter 1944-45" and I'd like to tell you
about it. This story will seem strange to you, either you weren't
born yet or you weren't there, lucky for you! I was 14 years old
then and now being 75, I feel I should write this story while I'm
still alive. I was very close to dying by the time the Canadians
came as you will see.
It was about 8:15 AM when we heard the enormous rumble of
airplane engines coming over the roof of our house.
I ran, no flew up the stairs two floors up to get to the attic
window to see an enormous armada of airplanes flying very,
very low right over our house and in a wide area, so low that I
could see the pilots sitting in their cockpits.
In a matter of minutes they were over an area called
" Bezuidenhout" by which time it became very clear to me what
their purpose was. They started to drop bombs that were
connected by chains which pulled the bombs this way and that
while falling to create as much damage as possible on impact.
Instantly the entire Bezuidenhout quarter was ablaze! I was
standing there like everything was frozen in time and my body
was stiff with fear that our turn would be next. But we were
spared that day from any violent and sudden death.
I knew the effort was to hit the German installations who were
firing the V2 rockets from there to England and in particular
Londen.
But by a navigational mistake they bombed the life out of 486
men, women and children who were in the wrong place and at
the wrong time. 3315 houses were burned entirely plus 1217
houses were damaged heavily and 12000 people lost their
homes and all their possessions.
I went to the area a couple of days later and walked into what
used to be a street where the entire front of a building was
blown away.
Like a play house for a little girl I could look right into rooms
and saw a grand-piano sort of balancing in the wind, ready to
come down.
Two months later we were liberated by the Canadian Army
This happened almost 60 years ago at the end of what became
known as the "Hunger Winter 1944-45" and I'd like to tell you
about it. This story will seem strange to you, either you weren't
born yet or you weren't there, lucky for you! I was 14 years old
then and now being 75, I feel I should write this story while I'm
still alive. I was very close to dying by the time the Canadians
came as you will see.
page 1 of 3
20th Edition April 2007
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By
John Vandermeer
John Vandermeer