from the Gettysburg Times, October of 1943

In 1943, Adams County was extremely successful at buying War Bonds. There were numerous campaigns and contests going on at the time to promote the sale of bonds. By October 1, the five boroughs in Adams county added a total of $29,800 in War Bonds to the effort in the Third Bond campaign. The total bond count for this particular campaign by October 2, was 1,863,151. The Daughters of the American Revolution even did their part and had their own campaign to add the Third Bond Campaign.

From San FranciscoNewspapers

February 23, 1942

A Japanese submarine fired 13 shells at the Bankline Refinery at Goleta in Southern California shortly after 7 p.m. One oil well was damaged. The Civilian Defense control center in San Francisco's City Hall was activiated when the news arrived from Goleta of the enemy attack. Police Chief Charles W. Dullea put all officers on standby for emergency duty.

March 25, 1942

Fearing Japanese attack, school board plans to issue I.D. tags to 100,000 school children.

May 3, 1942

San Francisco blackout ordered because of an unidentified target that later turned out to be friendly. The 45-minute blackout was the eighth of the war.

May 5, 1942

AWVS "Vacations for Victory in Agriculture" plan launched. 1500 women recruited to help with the harvest between July and October. The pay was $4 to $8 per day, the standard rate.

May 12, 1942

The Bay Area -- except San Francisco -- underwent a 25-minute air raid alert this morning. San Francisco got in only the last eight minutes of the alarm while Alameda, San Mateo and Marin counties received the signal immediately after 11:20 a.m. Police and Civilian Defense officials charged they did not receive the warning until 11:37 a.m., exactly 17 minutes after the 4th Interceptor Squadron at the Presidio ordered the alert for this area.

May 23, 1942

Police Chief Dullea ordered police, fire units and ambulances not to use sirens because of possible confusion with the air raid signals.

May 27, 1942

West Coast shore defenses put on alert after Army code breakers learned the Japanese would attack with hit-and-run raids in reprisal for the Doolittle bombing of Japan.

May 29, 1942

San Francisco Civil Defense officials began distribution of gas masks to Air Raid Wardens. Only 7000 arrived in the first shipment; not enough to equip all block wardens.

May 31, 1942

The battleships Colorado and Maryland sailed out of the Golden Gate to form a line of defense against the expected Japanese attack on San Francisco.

June 2, 1942

The Western Defense Command warned the public to be on the lookout for Japanese wearing U.S. Army uniforms. The Command said, "All Japanese who are members of the Army of the United States have been removed from the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army, except three on the post at Fort Ord who are on a special assignment."

Nine-minute air raid alert in San Francisco. All radio stations from Mexico to Canada were ordered off the air at 9:22 p.m.

June 3, 1942

Major Japanese air raid at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Coastal defenses from the Aleutians to Panama were put on full alert. The Japanese attack began at 9 a.m. San Francisco War Time. A second raid occurred at 3 p.m. Dutch Harbor is 2360 miles from San Francisco. A Japanese Zero aircraft crash- landed in the Aleutian Islands. It was found nearly intact and shipped to the United States for evaluation.

The Office of Price Administration -- OPA -- said if gas rationing is introduced drivers will be limited to just less than four gallons per week. President Roosevelt and the cabinet will decide on rationing at a Friday meeting.

June 4, 1942

8500 civilian defense helmets were distributed to San Francisco air raid wardens. An additional 5150 have been shipped from the East.

June 6, 1942

Battle of Midway began.

Japanese army landed at Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands.

June 21, 1942

Japanese submarine I-25 shelled the harbor defenses of the Columbia River in Washington state.

June 22, 1942

Japanese submarine shelled a military depot at Fort Stevens, Oregon. It was the first attack by a foreign power on a continental U.S. military installation since the War of 1812.

June 30, 1942

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz barely escaped death today when his plane crashed into the Alameda Estuary near the San Francisco County line.

August 11, 1942

War Production Board ordered the entire crop of California wine grapes diverted to the production of raisins for the Armed Forces.

September 9, 1942

War jitters swept San Francisco after a Japanese warplane, launched from the submarine I-25, bombed Mt. Emily, Oregon, and ignited a forest fire. Incendiary bombs were also dropped near Brookings, Oregon. The attack was in reprisal for Doolittle's raid on Japan.

September 28, 1942

Scrap metal drive began in San Francisco.

September 29, 1942

Japanese plane again bombed Mt. Emily, Oregon. San Francisco Civil Defense intensified preparedness. The I-25 submarine, which launched the plane, then sank two tankers off the coast.

October 4, 1942

Second scrap metal drive.

November 1, 1942

Effective today, Civilian Defense wardens are to report enemy attacks to the underground control room at City Hall by calling ORdway 8987 or YUkon 1323.

November 11, 1942

Henry J. Kaiser readied the launch of a Liberty ship in San Francisco Bay. Ship's keel laid in Richmond at midnight November 7 and completed in 4 days, 15 hours, 26 minutes.

November 28, 1942

A preliminary air raid alert and radio silence was ordered by the San Francisco Air Defense Wing. The 25th alert of the war lasted 45 minutes.

December 31, 1942

Midnight curfew put the damper on New Years' Eve celebrations. The usual revelers were missing from the traditional gathering spot at Market and Powell sts. Curfew regulations drove most of the revelry into hotels equipped with blackout curtains.

The military lifted off-limits sanctions against eight San Francisco bars and taverns which may again serve liquor to men in uniform. The eight were: Pirates Cave, 972 Market St.; Silver Dollar, 64 Eddy St.; Finocchio's, 506 Broadway; Lankershim Hotel Tavern Bar, 55 Fifth St.; McCarthy's, 1137 Market St.; Club Alabam, 1820-A Post St. and Jack's Tavern, 1931 Sutter St. Each bar owner signed an agreement to limit liquor sales to military personnel to between 5 p.m and midnight. Beer may be sold between 10 a.m. and midnight.

It's Everybody's War

by Dorothy Walker

FAME KNOCKS TWICE­Only two days after he had received word that one of his sons had been decorated for bravery in action as a flying lieutenant in the Marine Corps, Major Charles Kendrick was notified by the War Department that his firm had officially been congratulated for "outstanding contribution to the war effort."

The firm­Schlage Lock Co.­made a rapid conversion from brass to steel cartridge cases. "Accomplished without fanfare, this industrial achievement is nevertheless spectacular," wrote Maj. Gen. L.H. Campbell Jr., chief of ordnance.

Another son, Marron Kendrick, is company sales manager.

San Francisco News,  October 17, 1942

In 1942, rationing and salvaging  became a way of life.  Raw materials were needed for the war effort. Metal Goes to War was a slogan by early 1942.

Rationing

Automotive assembly lines were converted to building tanks and aircraft. Chevrolet, Buick and others also built aircraft engines.  Americans could not buy a new car.  Nonessential users were limited to three gallons of gas per week, and new tires were almost impossible to find. People drove below the speed limit to conserve gas and tires.

Gasoline for use in cars at home was rationed.Gas rationing stickers were issued and

• "A" meant that trips were not essential,

• "B" indicated someone who needed to use the car for his work, and

• "C" was issued to those whose car was essential, such as doctors.

By 1943 other common items became rationed, including butter, coffee, dairy products and some meats.   Oleo-margerine replaced butter, it arrived in a block with a yellow glob of food coloring which had to be mixed in. Chocolate vanished. Grocery shoppers had food rationing stamps which they had to present for rationed items. It was possible to earn extra stamps by turning in meat drippings and other fats for bomb production. Shoppers looked not only at the price of an item, but how many rationing points or stamps it would cost. To combat food shortages, young and old alike worked their Victory Gardens. At their peak, there were more than 20,000,000 victory gardens in the country, producing 40% of all vegetables grown during World War II.

THE VICTORY GARDEN STORY

In 1941, America went to war. Abroad, young men and women found themselves on foreign soil in a terrible conflict. At home the war effort touched everyone.  Throughout the country, people plowed front yards, back yards, flower gardens and vacant lots to grow their own vegetables. Even public land was put to use, from the lawn at San Francisco City Hall to the Boston Commons. While farmers worked to feed a hungry army, these "VICTORY GARDENS" supplemented home front dinner tables with fresh, wholesome produce. In 1943, America's over 20 million victory garden were producing 8 million tons of food.

Salvaging

Production facilities existed to build warplanes, the raw materials were needed. Aircraft industries needed aluminum, rubber, and copper immediately. A ready-made source of raw materials was the American Home Front. Each household contained some non-essential items that could support the aircraft industry.

Metal office furniture such as desks, file cabinets and chairs were salvaged for conversion into airplanes, bombs, weaponry and ships, then replaced with wood substitutes. Old tires were recycled and made into new tires, to conserve raw rubber. Rubber, along with aluminum and other strategic materials were collected and reused to build the weapons and equipment needed for defense.

Children salvaged tons of aluminum and rubber, and logged many hours in the factories as punch-clock labor. Women joined the workforce for the first time in aircraft factories, shipyards, transportation centers, and any other job that would free a man for combat duty. The older generation served on selective service boards, manned civilian defense jobs and bought and sold war bonds.

Rosie the Riveter:

The image of Rosie the Riveter was used to encourage women to join the war production workforce.  Over six million women began working in jobs formerly held only by men.

The young men, between 18 and 28 years old, volunteered or were drafted to go to war. Young and not so young women often came into the factories to take the place of those young men by doing welding, machining, building aircraft and any other job that would free a man for combat duty.

Women were found to have better motor skills than men. They were useful with wire fuses on bombs and to fill metal casings with gunpowder . Many accidents occured in the factories.  Over 210,000 women were permanently disabled and at least 37,000 lost their lives. Even though they practiced high safety precautions the factories were just unstable.

Lasting social changes occured when women began working outside the home. Women gained independence by earning their own pay checks and because their husbands were away at war. Women began wearing clothing more appropriate for their jobs, such as slacks, coveralls and bandannas.

Many women participated in war efforts by working as nurses, and in the WAAC (women's army auxiliary corp).   About 43% of all nurses joined in the efforts of the Army Nurse Corps during World War II, but the impressive numbers of volunteers still was not sufficient enough to fill the military's quota. The corps were initially very hesitant to accept married women, who they felt should be at home with their families, black women, and older women, women over the age of forty-five. Men were not encouraged to enlist as nurses at any point throughout the war. Women who were accepted as nurses during World War II went through intensive training to get their positions and once there faced some of the greatest dangers of any women involved with the war.  These practiced avoiding live ammunition which was fired right above their heads. They had to learn how to survive in treacherous 120 degree deserts. They hiked twenty miles per day while carrying thirty-pound packs. These nurses were prepared to pack up and move to a new location, to aid the wounded, at any time. As the incredible losses on the battlefield continued to rise and their supplies diminished, the nurses had to learn to deal with very limited resources. Nurses were washing and reusing bandages, using old pants to carry the wounded when no stretchers were available, and when blood supplies were minimal, they were known to donate their own.

In May 1941, the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps was officially established. The U.S. government sold the idea to America's women by convincing them that if a woman could take the place of a man who presently occupied a non-combatant position in the army, then that man would be freed and able to assist in bringing an end to the war by personally going to the front lines and fighting the enemy. Women took the place of men in jobs such as clerks, telephone operators, and other positions that had been traditionally held by women so that the men could pick up a gun .

Millions of men volunteered or were drafted for military duty during World War II. The majority of these citizen soldiers had no idea how to conduct themselves to prevent inadvertent disclosure of important information to the enemy. To remedy this, the government established rules of conduct. The following is excerpted from a document given to each soldier as he entered the battle area.

WRITING HOME

THINK! Where does the enemy get his information -- information that can put you, and has put your comrades, adrift on an open sea: information that has lost battles and can lose more, unless you personally, vigilantly, perform your duty in SAFEGUARDING MILITARY INFORMATION?

THERE ARE TEN PROHIBITED SUBJECTS

• 1. Don't write military information of Army units -- their location, strength,, materiel, or equipment.

• 2. Don't write of military installations.

• 3. Don't write of transportation facilities.

• 4. Don't write of convoys, their routes, ports (including ports of embarkation and disembarkation), time en route, naval protection, or war incidents occurring en route.

• 5. Don't disclose movements of ships, naval or merchant, troops, or aircraft.

• 6. Don't mention plans and forecasts or orders for future operations, whether known or just your guess.

• 7. Don't write about the effect of enemy operations.

• 8. Don't tell of any casualty until released by proper authority (The Adjutant General) and then only by using the full name of the casualty.

• 9. Don't attempt to formulate or use a code system, cipher, or shorthand, or any other means to conceal the true meaning of your letter. Violations of this regulation will result in severe punishment.

• 10. Don't give your location in any way except as authorized by proper authority. Be sure nothing you write about discloses a more specific location than the one authorized.

SILENCE MEANS SECURITY -- If violation of protective measures is serious within written communications it is disastrous in conversations. Protect your conversation as you do your letters, and be even more careful. A harmful letter can be nullified by censorship; loose talk is direct delivery to the enemy.

If you come home during war your lips must remain sealed and your written hand must be guided by self-imposed censorship. This takes guts. Have you got them or do you want your buddies and your country to pay the price for your showing off. You’ve faced the battle front; its little enough to ask you to face this ‘home front.’

CAPTURE

Most enemy intelligence comes from prisoners. If captured, you are required to give only three facts: YOUR NAME, YOUR GRADE, YOUR ARMY SERIAL NUMBER. Don’t talk, don't try to fake stories and use every effort to destroy all papers. When you are going into an area where capture is possible, carry only essential papers and plan to destroy them prior to capture if possible. Do not carry personal letters on your person; they tell much about you, and the envelope has on it your unit and organization.

BE SENSIBLE; USE YOUR HEAD

The United Service Organization (USO) was formed to serve the social, educational, welfare and religious needs of members of the armed forces on February 4, 1941.  Following the attack on Pearl Harbor Bob Hope took his radio shows to camps and air bases all over the country. In 1943 he started his overseas USO shows to England, the Continent, North Africa, the South Pacific, Alaska, Iceland - wherever the GI was training or fighting. (A tradition he continued through Desert Storm.) but the majority of USO workers were women volunteers, they organized events for the armed forces, held dances, knitted socks, collected items for packages to be sent to the men overseas.  

Hitler Announces Declaration of War Against United States

GERMAN DECLARATION OF WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES

For more about Wacs http://www/army.mil/cmh-pg/WAC.HTM

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