When the White Death hit Germany

The coldest winter of the 20th century arrived in 1946 and killed hundreds of thousands of Germans.

Dear Reader,

Seventy-five years ago this month, a horrific winter descended on northern Europe. It was particularly devastating for war-ravaged Germany, where it became known as der Weiße Tod – the white death.

A fascinating new podcast by Deutschlandfunk recounts how, in what would become the coldest winter of the 20th century, temperatures in northern Germany had already dropped to freezing by October.

By November, Hamburg no longer had enough coal to provide heating for its malnourished population, many of whom were living in the ruins of bombed-out buildings.

Hospitals were so short of basic supplies, and the population so weakened by hunger, that even normally mild illnesses proved fatal.

Impoverished and starving city dwellers ventured into the countryside to steal potatoes from farmers. In January, with temperatures falling as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius, children walked to school barefoot.

‘We want coal, we want bread’: a protest in Krefeld in March 1947.

Millions of refugees fr…