In response to the crisis, the Allies decided to launch a food-aid mission, codenamed Operation Chowhound. The operation was led by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and involved airdropping food parcels to civilians in occupied Holland.
The operation was a masterpiece of improvisation. Over ten days (April 29 to May 8), Operation Chowhound (the U.S. component) flew 2,268 sorties and delivered over 4,000 tons of food. Combined with the British Operation Manna (which used Lancaster bombers), the total exceeded 11,000 tons. Remarkably, losses were minimal: one B-17 was lost to engine failure, and one crewman was killed. The German truce held, a tacit admission that even in the Götterdämmerung of the Third Reich, some shred of humanity remained. On May 5, 1945, German forces in the Netherlands surrendered, and ground convoys finally began to roll in. But the aerial deliveries continued for three more days, ensuring no gap in supply. operation chowhound
Operation Chowhound was the American contribution to the relief effort (the British component was known as Operation Manna). In response to the crisis, the Allies decided
Between April 11 and May 4, 1945, over 1,200 USAAF planes dropped more than 5,000 tons of food, including flour, sugar, and other essential supplies, to areas in and around Arnhem, Eindhoven, and other Dutch cities. The food was carefully packaged in small parcels, each containing enough to feed a family for several days. Over ten days (April 29 to May 8),
Operation Chowhound is often cited as a model of "humanitarian military intervention."
By late 1944, the western Netherlands was isolated behind enemy lines. Following the Allied advance during Operation Market Garden, the Dutch government-in-exile ordered a national railway strike to disrupt German military movements.