In late 1944, the Dutch government in London called upon the railway staff to strike. In retaliation to this strike the German occupation forces blocked the food transport to the western part of the Netherlands for six weeks. Also the supply of coal from the liberated south came to a standstill. The repercussions for the western part of the country were dramatic.
Food transports come to a standstill
The Railway strike in late 1944 went on much longer than initially planned. As a result, all the food transports to the west of the country were blocked. It was a harsh winter. Many people suffered from the cold and hunger. The shortage of food obviously also affected the Jews in hiding. Especially in the large cities the problem was severe. There were soup kitchens where people could get some food with ration cards. Many people walked or cycled to the east and northern part of the country to get food.
On 5 September 1944 (Crazy Tuesday), reports arrived that the allies were already in Breda and that the rest of the Netherlands would be liberated within days. However, the size of the Allied forces was still too small to continue north. North-Netherlands would only be liberated in May 1945 and had to withstand the Winter of Starvation. The joy about the liberated south soon was overshadowed by a serious shortage of food as a result of the Dutch Railway strike.