The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine in the Bengal province of British India during World War II. Between 2.1 and 3 million people died in the famine. They died mainly of starvation, malaria, and not having the right health care. The famine caused men to sell their farms and find work somewhere else. Some joined the British Indian Army. Women and children were made homeless and starving. Many had to move to cities like Calcutta to look for help. Historians usually say that the famine was caused by policies by the British government at the time. A small amount of historians say that the famine happened naturally.