29 April-3 May 1945: RAF and Eighth Air Force heavy bombers participated in Operations Manna and Chowhound, dropping thousands of tons of food parcels to hungry Dutch civilians whose starving families had been denied much-needed foodstuffs by their Nazi conquerors for years.

The bomber crews, who had rained down millions of tons of incendiary and high-explosive bombs on their German targets, viewed these as the most rewarding missions they flew during the war.

ILLUSTRATIONS: 385th BG B-17Gs drop food bundles in Holland at the end of WWII. (2) 390th BG B-17Gs drop food parcels for hungry Dutch civilians during Operation Chowhound. (3) 447th BG B-17Gs participate in Operation Chowhound, dropping food to the people of Holland. (4) Dutch women share some of the food they gathered during Operations Manna and Chowhound in late April and early May 1945. (5) RAF ground crewmen load a Lancaster with bundles of food to be dropped to Dutch civilians during Operation Manna. (6) An RAF Lancaster drops bundles of groceries to anxious Dutch civilians waiting below during Operation Manna. (7) Lancasters pass over a windmill en route to their Operation Manna drop zone while excited civilians race to go pick up the food they will drop. (8) Dutch civilians wave as a Lancaster drops food parcels during Operation Manna.