Sunday, February 18, 1945 - We will assemble the weekly film again. It goes so incredibly fast, but so much is happening, writes Johanna Maria Poulusse in her diary. She describes how difficult it is to get food. There are food vouchers, but also a lot of administrative hassle. And that often means long waits: Preferably no queues, it said in the newspaper. On Friday morning at 8 oclock, they were already there.

The last winter of the war is marked by a severe food shortage, especially in Western Netherlands. Johanna describes the consequences very factually, and perhaps that makes it even more painful: Many have already died from malnutrition. In the Childrens Hospital, certainly one child per day. Medicines are hardly available anymore. (...) Coffins are almost impossible to get. Many are just buried in the ground. The hearses no longer drive slowly but at a trot (...).

Below 8 degrees

Also, Annie van der Made (1904-1955), living on Jericholaan in Kralingen and working at the bank R. Mees & Zoonen on the Blaak, writes about the dire food situation. November 6, 1944 - There is a great shortage. You see people with potatoes lugging on all sorts of vehicles. (...) People go with hand carts to Sliedrecht and surrounding areas (ten hours walk).

And then it is also very cold that winter. January 30, 1945 - This morning a snowstorm from the southeast and five degrees frost. It was not exactly an amusing trip to the Blaak with one and a half sandwiches in my stomach. (Fahrenheit = less than 8 degrees Celsius, ed.).

Chocolate and cigarettes

Another diary writer, Stientje Klaver, reflects on May 13, 1945, on the previous months. March and April went relatively calmly, but the food situation is hopeless, especially in the large cities of North and South Holland and Utrecht. At the end of April, there is finally some relief in the form of food drops. The English have agreed with the Germans that they will not shoot at the planes. Stientje witnesses the first food packages being dropped at Waalhaven.

That was a sight, those planes flying so low over the houses, while they werent being shot at at all. Wonderful! Marinus and I almost jumped out of the window with joy, because we thought at least it was peace.

One day later, the planes come over Kralingse Plas, Stientje reports. At the office, we hung out the window the whole time, and every time a plane flew low, we started waving (…). There was all sorts of stuff, including cans of cheese, sausage, corned beef, bacon, and sugar. Also, pieces of chocolate in cans. Furthermore, bags of flour, peas, butter, packets of dried egg powder, milk powder, pepper, salt, and also cigarettes.

The first piece of chocolate brings her into ecstasy. Well, how delicious that tasted. I really didnt know it was so good. We hadnt tasted chocolate in years.

Those packages must be picked up by people. Stientje also goes to help. She is not happy about that: But the way people behaved! Just terrible. Most came only to eat. They would cut open cans and bags and take out what they desired. Preferably chocolate, cigarettes, or meat. (...) Sten and I were so annoyed.

Peace, or not?

At that moment, the Netherlands is still occupied territory. But on May 5, liberation comes. Or not? Ada de Romph-de Natris (1924-2021) describes in her diary how unclear the situation is in those days.

Saturday, May 5, 1945. Hooray, its finally peace. (...). At first, we didnt believe it, because on Monday evening we had also celebrated peace, when the Lottman family was with us and we stayed up until 2 oclock waiting for the Tommies (with Tommies referring to British soldiers, ed.). We had saved a can of biscuits (...), a bottle of orange bitters, and a bottle of lemonade. (...) But the next day it turned out to be false alarm, and the Tommies still have to come.

Ada and her surroundings clearly do not know what to think. On May 5, she writes that papers are posted on the Oostzeedijk stating that the reports of capitulation are incorrect. She also reports that heavy fighting has taken place on the bridges. I dont know what to think anymore. We were sent home from the office this morning with the warning to be careful as nothing was officially known yet.

Shaved Nazi girls

But on May 8, 1945, it is really here. Today was the day of days. Our liberators have finally arrived. People are waiting on the street for the liberators. In the meantime, we enjoyed the sight of a few shaved Nazi girls. They were sitting on a car and driving past all those people waiting for the Tommies. On their heads, a swastika was painted with red paint, also on their cheeks and on their foreheads was N.S.B. All the people were cheering and shouting. I wished them something, because they had profited from the Nazis all those years while the other people suffered from hunger.

After a long wait, the first liberator comes into view. And it was not a British soldier:
Finally, a Canadian came, because the Tommies turned out to be Canadians (...).

Diaries in the archive

In Rotterdam City Archives. Link opens an external page many diaries can be found that were kept by both women and men during World War II and afterwards. Some of them have already been digitized, while others are available in their original handwritten form.

On the page Commemoration you will find more information about the commemorations in May in Rotterdam.