Miss Kellems tells of ‘persecution’
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Inside the Reich –
Nazis taking Hans’ rations to feed Fritz
Eating problem grows worse in Germany
By Nat A. Barrows
Seventh and last of a series
Stockholm, Sweden –
The Nazis’ problem of feeding 80 million weary, bedraggled Herrenvolk is fast reaching the point where it is a question of taking food from Hans to help Fritz.
Each new mile of Allied advance into Germany’s homeland increases the extremely complicated task of distributing the daily rations. If Cologne, for example, loses its rations in the splatter of Allied bombs, emergency supplies must be moved up perhaps at the temporary expense of another city.
The Nazis have long been prepared for just such contingencies, but enough bombs and enough German territory in Allied hands will make it hurt – in the stomach.
Germany appears to have enough food to get it through the winter, despite the dwindling supplies from foreign countries. No civilian is going to wax fat, however, on what the Nazis dole out to him. The acute problem hinges more on distribution.
No more oranges
At best, the average German civilian today has practically nothing to eat beyond his monotonous rations. No more oranges from Spain… no more olives from Italy… no more raisins and citrus fruits from the Balkans.
Most German people today are being fed by masses – wholesale distribution on a vast scale, governed by a complicated system of differentials. The army and other fighting units get the best available food and, apparently, are not suffering from undernourishment. War workers also get top selections.
The political aspects of the military situation obliged the Nazis to improve rations for foreign workers and for peasants doing compulsory farm labor.
Cereal crop smaller
This year’s cereal crop seems to have been smaller than in 1943 as reflected by the reduction in the weekly bread ration, but killing off more pigs due to the feeding shortages probably will enable the average German to get his basic rations through this sixth war winter.
Sugar is hard to obtain and it will grow scarcer because sugar beets must be diverted into alcohol production for motor fuel to make up for the losses of the Nazis’ gasoline supply.
On the basis of a careful survey from facts available here, the Germans can be expected to keep their mass-produced factory and canteen soup kitchens adequately supplied these coming months – but not much more.
Causes listed
The Nazis have definite food problems before them, nevertheless, due to several factors beyond their control, such as:
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Labor shortages for which no relief is possible.
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Badly-reduced fertilizer quotas, especially phosphates and nitrogen.
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Loss of farming areas and stored up harvests because of military retreats.
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Decreased efficiency in overstrained farm workers.
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Reduced allotment of gardening and home breeding of poultry and rabbits because of restrictions in feed, bomb damage and overtime in factories.
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