WORLD WAR II ------On the Home Front
When the United States was suddenly thrust into the global conflict of World War II domestic life was drastically changed in almost every way. As the country geared up for war all manufacturing was switched over to war materials. No new automobiles were made from 1942 to 1946. Factories made military vehicles, airplanes or parts, bombs and shells, etc. Ford Motor Co. in Detroit made B24 bombers on their assembly line. So many men were serving in the military there were massive labor shortages. Woman were called upon even to do jobs men thought they couldn’t do, such as welding, riveting and machine work and could do it very well. For the Civilian population at home everything was in short supply, both due to the need to supply the military and because our imports of materials from silk to rubber were cut off. The federal government took control of most aspects of production, supply, transportation and distribution and the people did not complain (well yes they complained of course) because they realized the need for these actions. People in the war years were extremely patriotic.
Rationing was the most ever present fact of life for the civilian population during the war and perhaps the thing those of us who lived through these times most remember. Instituted by the government to ensure adequate supplies of essential items and to prevent inflation and hoarding, books of ration stamps were issued to every man, woman and child. We had stamps for meat, sugar, margarine, gasoline, shoes, clothes, etc., about all necessities of life. We had red stamps, blue stamps, green stamps, etc. all for different things or quantities of these items. People could buy enough to live on but not (legally) hoard or get more than needed. Silk or nylon for women’s hosiery were non-existent and the ladies became very artistic with leg make-up. Shoes were repaired with half-soles, new heels and tires were given a re-tread as new tires usually were not available. We couldn’t drive far anyway as gas was strictly rationed.
The American people responded to these shortages with the usual American ingenuity. City folks could buy produce and fruit directly from small farmers in the countryside without stamps. Better yet they could grow their own in small gardens. People in town with no room to garden would borrow or rent plots of land in the suburbs with approval and encouragement of the government. These were known as victory gardens, and after the war some of these gardeners built houses and moved to their garden plots. Some folks raised chickens or other small livestock. Canning of fruits and vegetables became very popular. Extra sugar stamps were available for folks to can fruits and to make jams and jelly. I can remember rows of jars of cherries, (we had a cherry tree) peaches, beans, etc. on shelves in our “fruit cellar” in the basement. Chicken feed came in cloth sacks with pretty print designs and were ideal for making dresses for kids and mom, or even shirts.
Patriotism was very strong during WW II. We all bought government War Bonds or savings bonds as we could afford, usually in $25 or $50 denominations. Even us kids could buy saving stamps with our nickels and dimes which would accumulate to enough to get a bond. For some these war bonds served later to buy a new car or make a down payment for house. We saved aluminum foil (we called it tinfoil) from gum and cigarette wrappers rolled into a ball to be turned in as scrap. We saved tin cans, searched for scrap iron and even saved waste kitchen grease which I think could be turned into explosives. We collected milkweed pods which became insulation in pilot’s flight jackets. Families with household members in service would place a flag in the window with a blue star for each person and a gold star flag if someone was killed. All this was our proud contribution to the war effort.
Rationing was the most ever present fact of life for the civilian population during the war and perhaps the thing those of us who lived through these times most remember. Instituted by the government to ensure adequate supplies of essential items and to prevent inflation and hoarding, books of ration stamps were issued to every man, woman and child. We had stamps for meat, sugar, margarine, gasoline, shoes, clothes, etc., about all necessities of life. We had red stamps, blue stamps, green stamps, etc. all for different things or quantities of these items. People could buy enough to live on but not (legally) hoard or get more than needed. Silk or nylon for women’s hosiery were non-existent and the ladies became very artistic with leg make-up. Shoes were repaired with half-soles, new heels and tires were given a re-tread as new tires usually were not available. We couldn’t drive far anyway as gas was strictly rationed.
The American people responded to these shortages with the usual American ingenuity. City folks could buy produce and fruit directly from small farmers in the countryside without stamps. Better yet they could grow their own in small gardens. People in town with no room to garden would borrow or rent plots of land in the suburbs with approval and encouragement of the government. These were known as victory gardens, and after the war some of these gardeners built houses and moved to their garden plots. Some folks raised chickens or other small livestock. Canning of fruits and vegetables became very popular. Extra sugar stamps were available for folks to can fruits and to make jams and jelly. I can remember rows of jars of cherries, (we had a cherry tree) peaches, beans, etc. on shelves in our “fruit cellar” in the basement. Chicken feed came in cloth sacks with pretty print designs and were ideal for making dresses for kids and mom, or even shirts.
Patriotism was very strong during WW II. We all bought government War Bonds or savings bonds as we could afford, usually in $25 or $50 denominations. Even us kids could buy saving stamps with our nickels and dimes which would accumulate to enough to get a bond. For some these war bonds served later to buy a new car or make a down payment for house. We saved aluminum foil (we called it tinfoil) from gum and cigarette wrappers rolled into a ball to be turned in as scrap. We saved tin cans, searched for scrap iron and even saved waste kitchen grease which I think could be turned into explosives. We collected milkweed pods which became insulation in pilot’s flight jackets. Families with household members in service would place a flag in the window with a blue star for each person and a gold star flag if someone was killed. All this was our proud contribution to the war effort.