Many children were greatly affected by the war. Children had to endure rationing, gas mask lessons, living with strangers, etc.
"The forgotten victims of World War Two were the children." - Juliet Gardiner
Operation Pied Piper
On August 31, 1939, the British government issued the order "Evacuate Forthwith" and 'Operation Pied Piper' started the next day. 'Operation Pied Piper' was supposed to move 3.5 million children to safety in three days, but only 1.9 million children were evacuated, which was still considered a great accomplishment. Children were evacuated because many cities were expected to be bombed. Many of the children had no idea where they were going or if they would be separated from their siblings. While children were away from their homes, some continued their education in pubs, church halls, or anywhere there was space. By January 1940, about 60% of all evacuees had returned to their homes. |
The Blitz of London
Children accounted for one tenth of the deaths during the Blitz of London from 1940 to 1941. Many children slept in air raid shelters because the streets were very dangerous and ensuring the safety of children was extremely important. |
Bad Things that Happened to Children Elsewhere
German boys as young as 10 and 11 took part in fighting during the last weeks of the war (1945). The first experimental ‘gas chambers’ were used on German children who were mentally incapacitated. Joseph Mengele "systematically murdered" 800 gypsy children with his experiments at Auschwitz. The bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed thousands of children. |