About the book
Herman Schaap grew up in Haarlem—the Dutch city that gave New York’s Harlem its name. Under German occupation, hunger deepened, families lived with constant danger, and children disappeared. Robbie, a boy Herman played soccer with, was taken away with his parents. They never came back.
Yet this is also a story of hope. In May 1945, American B-17s flew low over the western Netherlands as part of Operation Chowhound. Instead of bombs, they dropped food to a starving population—and brought the unmistakable promise that liberation was near.
Drawn from Herman’s memories and told through the eyes of the child he was, When the Planes Brought Food offers older students and adults a personal account of occupation, hunger, courage, and relief—and a lasting reminder of why helping people in need still matters.
About the author
Herman Schaap was born in 1936 and grew up in Haarlem, the Netherlands. After serving as an officer in the Dutch army, he moved to the United States in 1965 with his wife, Johanna, and their young son to work for Motorola.
The family lived in California for more than fifty years before settling in Meridian, Idaho. Herman and Johanna have three children.
Herman is a volunteer docent at the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho. The idea for this book grew from a presentation at a Kilroy Coffee Klatch meeting in October 2023.