Towards the end of World War II, as the Allied forces began their advance through Europe following the Normandy landings, the Nazi forces managed to maintain a foothold in the Netherlands. Here, their troops staunchly defended the bridge across the Rhine, halting the British and American advance. As part of this extended battle, the controlling German administration placed an embargo on all food transportation to the western Netherlands, sowing the seeds for a severe famine known as the Dutch Hunger Winter. By November 1944, the region’s inhabitants were surviving on less than 1,000 calories per day, which dropped as low as 500 daily calories by February 1945. As many as 22,000 people are thought to have died, with a total of 4.5 million people affected.

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