Figure 1.--The Belgian Red Cross organized a 3 month winter-spring stay for 500 undernourished children from Vienna. Each was taken in by a local family who provided a warm home and good food. Here the children, we think upon arrival were given sandwiches and a warm drink. The caption read, "Les Petits Viennois a Bruxelles: 500 petits Viennois sont arrivés aujourd'hui à Bruxelles, sous les asusices des 'Amitiés Belgo-Autrichiennes'. Ces enfants anémiés seront hébergés en Belgique où ils resteront trois mois. " This translates as, "The Vienna Little Ones to Brussels: 500 small Viennese arrived today in Brussels under the asusices of 'Belgo-Austrian Friends'. These anemic children will be accommodated in Belgium where they will stay three months." Photo Belga 2-3-1947. Put your cursor on the image to see more of the children.

The weather did not cooperate with European recovery. Weather often comes in cycles. The 1944-45 winter was severe, making the fighting in the Bulge campaign especially difficult. A 1946 drought not only adversely affected farm harvests, but also electrical power generation. Hydroelectric power generation was very important in Austria and with low water levels, power generation fell. This was followed by the severe 1946-47 winter in the midst of a coal shortage trughout Europe becuse of the war. Coal production was still at a fraction of pre-Wr levels but the cold weather increased demand. This was followed by a failure of the potato crop (summer 1947). The potato harvest was only 30 percent of pre-War levels. [Lewis, p. 143.] This was a disater because potatoes were at the time supplying a substantial part of the overall caloric intake. Austria does not have large flat areas where grain can be grown. Potato farming was a different matter. The winter affected a substantial part of the European continent. Many other European countries reported similar cold periods and heavy snowfalls, including Britain, Central Europe, and the southern Baltic region. Fortunately coal production had begun to recover, although not back to normal. We note programs to assist Austrian children. The same occurred after the difficult period following World War I, although at that time, weather was not such a factor.

Sources

Lewis, Jill. "Dancing on a Tight Rope: The Beginning of the Marshall Plan," in Gunther Bischof, et al. The Marshall Plan in Austria (Transaction Publishers: 2000), pp. 138–55.

Created: 1:16 AM 5/3/2016
Last updated: 1:16 AM 5/3/2016