From the last days of the Second World War in Europe comes a story of heroic acts and amazing logistical feats. It is the story of a massive air drop of food for the starving people of Holland, which was still under Nazi occupation in the waning days of the war. It goes back to the pre and early-war years and the connections that Dutch royalty had to both the Third Reich and the British Empire. The story goes all the way up to FDR and Winston Churchill and, when FDR dies, Generals Eisenhower and Bedell-Smith step up on their own authority and drive the operation. During the Winter of 1944-45 in Holland (the "Hunger Winter"), as many as 25,000 people died of starvation as the food supplies dried up completely after Nazi occupiers once again took their share. The situation was even more dire in the Spring when the lobbying by Dutch Royal family members accelerated at the tops of British and American government. Once Eisenhower, Bedell-Smith and Geddes (for the British) began the rapid process of planning and executing this massive operation, the war was close to its end. The situation was fluid at the front with Germans still fighting, yet meetings were occurring between them and the allies. It was a shooting war, yet some Americans were driving around German occupied territory in jeeps. We hear the stories of the American and British bomber crews who were being asked to fly at treetop level in unarmed bombers to drop food even though nobody was certain if the German would be shooting at them. I enjoyed this book. It is odd for a war book - a positive story of immense generosity, bravery and preventing death, rather than dealing it out. It is not long and is a fast and enjoyable read...probably a story that most people have never heard. ( )

I received a copy from First Reads in return for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

"In the end, Chowhound was about hope."

A great read for any WWII history buffs. Operation Chowhound looks at so much more than just this one operation. Dando-Collins examines the lives and actions of all the players involved and also shows the stark reality of how bad Holland's food crisis was during WWII. The back story, along with the tediousness of war, really paints a picture of how desolate Holland was and how cumbersome military planning can be. ( )

A tale of a massive food airdrop in the final days of World War II that is particularly not well-known to anyone. The book itself is interesting to read, and is a fairly quick read. It was also interesting to see all of the negotiations that were involved between various parties (including a comedic turn by Ken Cottam that seemed a bit fit for Catch-22).

However, the book seems to suffer a bit from including filler stories and random cameos of people like Audrey Hepburn and Ian Fleming. It feels to me like they were included to attract people without adding much to the story.

All in all, though, still worth a read if you're interested in history. ( )

A thoroughly interesting look at the eponymous Operation Chowhound, the Allied mission to drop supplies to the starving Dutch in the waning days of the Second World War. I was very glad to read it, because though I know a fair amount about air bombing missions (my grandfather was a navigator on a B-17), and though a family friend was in the Dutch Resistance, I knew next to nothing about this operation. Mr. Dando-Collins traces the complex diplomacy that set the operation in motion, which I found fascinating; readers less interested in detail will be drawn in by the book's cameos (including Audrey Hepburn and Ian Fleming). A mid-length, fast read, and very much worth the time. ( )

A most-interesting and highly readable book about Operations Manna and Chowhound. In the last nine days of the war in Europe, the British and Americans dropped thousands of tons of food from the air to starving Dutch civilians behind German lines. An agreement was reached that the Germans would not fire on the Allied bombers if they stayed within certainly clearly defined parameters. All the air crews knew that a thousand things could go wrong and bring on firing at planes in very vulnerable low altitude positions. But it worked. Hundreds of Dutch elderly and children were dying of malnutrition every day, and this airlift brought them food days before they could have had it otherwise. The airmen involved considered it their most glorious service and the Dutch have not forgotten. General Eisenhower, General Bedell Smith, Prince Bernhard, Nazi civilian governor Seyss-Inquart and others all had their roles to play, although Seyss-Inquart was executed as a war criminal afterward, anyway.
The book can seem a bit padded at times, but World War II buffs should love it. ( )