We use data from the West German 1970 census to explore the link between being born
during or shortly after World War II and educational and labor market outcomes 25 years
later. We document, for the first time, that men and women born in the relatively short
period between November 1945 and May 1946 have significantly and substantially lower
educational attainment and occupational status than cohorts born shortly before or after.
Several alternative explanations for this new finding are put to test. Most likely, a short but
severe spell of quantitative and qualitative malnutrition immediately around the end of the
war has impaired intrauterine conditions in first trimester pregnancies and resulted in longterm
detriments among the affected cohorts. This conjecture is corroborated by evidence
from Austria.