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World War II Europen Theater -- Sweden humanitarian activities liberated children
World War II Sweden: Humanitarian Activities--Liberated Children
Figure 1.--Here we see Belgian children being treated with a summer vacation in Sweden after World War II. The situation in Belgium after libration (September 1944) was very difficult with serious food shortages. We know very little about this Swedish program except for the press caption, "Belgiska barn till Sverige. På torsdagen anlände ett större antal belgiska barn till Malmö, för en välbehövlig rekreation. Fotos Otto Ohm. Malmö den 9-8-45." That means something like, "Belgian Children Arriving in Sweden: On Thursday a large number of Belgian children arrived in Malmö for a much needed recreation. Fotos Otto Ohm. Malmö on August 9, 1945." Notice that the older boy has black band on his lapel. That means he has lost a family mmber. The children are being escorted by a uniformed Belgian social worker so it must have been a program worked out between the Belgian and Swedish government. Malmo is the most important city in southern Sweden.
Liberation did not automatically or immediately solve the massive humanitarian crisis that the NAZIs created. Food could not be created overnight or the economies revived. America could provide emergency food to prevent starvation, but could not feed an entire country are provide all of the food needed. And even when the agricultural sector began to repair the damage done to the infrastructure, especially the transportation network. But even when some of the damage was repaired, many of these countries imported much of the food they needed. And until their economies revived, the countries could not afford needed food imports and families coild not afford to buy the food they needed. Not fully understood in the immediate glow of liberation was the central role of Germany in a vibrant European economy. Until Germany revovered, economic revovery in the rest of Europe, if it occured at all would be slow. [Erker, pp. 49-50.] Those politicians who argued that Germany needed to be punished were actually arguing to punish all of Europe. As a result of the problems in the liberated countries, we see the Swede brining in children for summer experienes, we think summer camp where they would get some good food and plenty of fresh air and sunshine. We note the British doing the same. We have not yet found dtails about this effort, but note period press reports picturing some of the children. They seem to be all school age children and teenagers. We note youngerr children from Norway.
Belgium
Here we see Belgian children being treated with a summer vacation in Sweden after World War II. The situation in Belgium after libration (September 1944) was very difficult with serious food shortages. We know very little about this Swedish program except for the press caption, "Belgiska barn till Sverige. På torsdagen anlände ett större antal belgiska barn till Malmö, för en välbehövlig rekreation. Fotos Otto Ohm. Malmö den 9-8-45." That means something like, "Belgian Children Arriving in Sweden: On Thursday a large number of Belgian children arrived in Malmö for a much needed recreation. Fotos Otto Ohm. Malmö on August 9, 1945." Notice that the older boy has black band on his lapel. That means he has lost a family mmber. The children are being escorted by a uniformed Belgian social worker so it must have been a program worked out between the Belgian and Swedish government. Malmo is the most important city in southern Sweden.
Norway wasv not self suffi9cent in food production. It has an important fishing industry. The niorthern lattitude and limited areas of flat arable land meant that grainsm dairy products, and meat had to be imprted. After the German invasion, food could not be imported and as part of the German occuoation regime, food was shipped tyo yhe Reich. This resulted in dood shortages. It was not as severe as thr diyturauion the Germans imposed on Oikes and the rest of the occupied East. This was in oart because of Norway's Nordic population. The vGermans comnsidered them valuablr racial material. But food was short and many experience hunger. This had an impact on public health, including the chikdren. Both the children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to health problens as a result of malnutrition. Only after the German surrender (May 8) and thev arrival of the Allies did the German exploitation of the Norwegian economy end. But the situation could not be immediately corrected because of the damage to the ev=conomy. The fishjing industry was significantly damaged because the Germans were concened the boats ouold bevused to dlee the vcountry. Thee Norwegians could begin to address the situation. Priority was given to the chlidren. Here the Swedes gave a hend. Theu offered to take in vulnerable Swedish children for the summer , providing them diets and medical care that were not yet possible in Norway. Here we see a group of the children all very young. We notice the Swedes caring for children from other countries, but otherr than Finnish children, ee don't see children this young from any othrer countries.
Sources
Erker, Paul. Ernährungskrise und Nachkriegsgesellschaft: Bauern und Arbeiterschaft in Bayern, 1943-1953(Klett-Cotta: Stuttgart, 1990).
