Letter of Thanks by the Prince of the Netherlands

Letter of Thanks by the Prince of the Netherlands

A letter from the Price of Netherlands explaining gratitude for Operation Manna.

One typewritten sheet

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[crest]

Soestdijk Palace,

Saving the lifes [sic] of people, many people, in a war by operating large formations of heavy bombers, seems to be an odd contradiction. Operation “MANNA”, however, was beyond doubt such a mercy mission, carried out by a wartime offensive fighting force.

Almost unrehearsed, this gigantic mass operation was performed with great perfection. The crewmembers having taken part in it, can rightly be very proud of their share in this great lifesaving air activity at the end of the war.

Personally, I feel similarly proud and happy that I was in a position to convince the Allied leaders of the extreme necessity of this fastest possible way of getting urgently needed food to the starving people of Holland, and also in participating in the negotiations with commanders of the enemy occupation forces to arrange the flights.

As usual in an air force, all aircrews were briefed in their briefingrooms [sic] about the execution of this peculiar operation: strange loadsystems, [sic] very low flying over enemy defended areas, the risk of collisions, etc.

Pilots briefings in the R.A.F. were usually well prepared and very professional, as I know from personal experience. But in this particular case, I doubt very much whether the briefing officers were fully aware of the real seriousness of the situation among the starving people in Western Holland.

However, flying low over the Dutch towns and villages, all crews could observe the crowds of Dutchmen, waving like mad at their aircraft. To thank them and also to express their emotional happiness about forthcoming liberation. Many crewmembers, however, learned only several years later, when meeting Dutch people, the details of the real critical situation in Western Holland during that spring of 1945.

It is now known that thousands of lifes [sic] were saved thanks to Operation Manna. The people of the Netherlands will therefore always be most grateful for their manna, delivered in their darkest hour by the men of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command and the American Eight Air Force in England.

And they will never forget!

[signature]
Prince of the Netherlands