Seventy years ago today, the #1 slot on the Billboard Hit Parade belonged to Columbia Records recording artist Kay Kyser and His Orchestra and ‘Jingle Jangle Jingle.’ A peppy ode to the pleasures of bachelor life, ‘Jingle Jangle Jingle’ was Kyser’s sixth #1 hit, staying at the top of the charts for thirteen consecutive weeks. While the A-side of the release featured an upbeat and light-hearted theme, its B-side also resonated with American audiences. Unlike ‘Jingle Jangle Jingle,’ the record’s flip, entitled ‘He Wears A Pair Of Silver Wings,’ is a poignant ballad, full of both longing and admiration for an airman separated from his sweetheart by war. The pair of songs proved so popular, that, by month’s end, Kyser and His Orchestra had achieved the rare feat of occupying both the #1 and #2 slots on the charts with two sides of the same record. During the course of the War, Kyser and His Orchestra pledged to not perform at any commercial engagements other than radio and service shows for America’s soldiers, where they were immensely popular. Kyser and His Orchestra were also featured in two war-time musicals, Thousands Cheer (1943) as well as the classic star-cavalcade Stage Door Canteen (1943). Hear both sides of Kay Kyser’s hit!
Posted by Collin Makamson, Red Ball Express Coordinator at The National WWII Museum.
With the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps having already paved the way for women’s service in the military, the Navy soon followed suit with the formation of their female reserve unit, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) on this day 70 years ago. The Navy had long considered allowing women to serve, but hesitated until the attack on Pearl Harbor necessitated more manpower. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt also served as an advocate for the creation of a women’s branch in the Navy. Unlike the WAACS which were an auxiliary unit to the Army, at least initially, the WAVES began as a fully incorporated reserve unit with equal ratings and pay to men serving in the Navy. Women serving in the Navy was not a completely new phenomenon. During the First World War, women known as “Yeomanettes” served their country in the Navy.
WAVES’ service was initially limited to the United States, but by late 1944 they were sent to Hawaii and Alaska. To qualify, a women must be between the ages of 18 and 36, or 20 to 50 for officers, and pass aptitude and health exams. Once sworn in, an unmarried WAVE could not marry a man serving in the Navy, and couldn’t marry at all until training was complete. Women with children could not enlist. Those who qualified were trained at various women’s colleges around the country including Smith, Wellesley, and Hunter. Though trained and assigned ratings in many different occupations, the majority of WAVES were assigned to aviation units, followed by hospital and clerical duties. By the end of the war, approximately 86,000 WAVES had served their country, freeing up as many men—one estimate is enough to man a battleship, two aircraft carriers, and two heavy cruisers—to serve overseas.
Collection Highlight: Ensign Morna Dusenbury
Morna Dusenbury was working as an artist for New Orleans’ Times Picayune newspaper when she volunteered for the WAVES in October 1942. Accepted for service, she attending training at Smith College and was commissioned as an Ensign on 16 December 1942. Ensign Dusenbury was then assigned as an operations officer at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia. Arriving in January 1942, she remained there until reassigned to the Air Naval Commander in Seattle on 11 August 1945 after a promotion to Lt. (jg) in March 1944. With the surrender of the Japanese on 2 September 1945, the military began discharging the reservists, and Ensign Dusenbury was discharged from active duty on Christmas Day 1945.
WAVES summer weight uniform, which would be worn with a neckerchief and rating insignia on the left sleeve. Gift of Jane Dusenbury Culver, 2001.321
Image Gallery
WAVES recruitment brochure. Gift of Dorothy Guthman Schlesinger, 2000.126
Descriptions of the type of work WAVES were assigned to as listed in a recruitment brochure. Gift of Dorothy Guthman Schlesinger, 2000.126
The WAVES sought to equate the value of their service to that of men serving in the Navy. Gift of Dorothy Guthman Schlesinger, 2000.126
Lt. (jg) Harriet Ida Pickens and Ens. Frances Wills at Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School in Northampton, Massachusetts. 21 December 1944
Units of WAVES march in formation during a rally at the Washington Monument in celebration of the second anniversary of the establishment of the corps. Washington, D.C. 31 July 1944
First WAVES to qualify as instructors on electrically operated .50 cal machine gun turrets walk to the target range at Naval Air Gunners School in Hollywood, Florida.
After the U-boat slaughter of May 1942, a convoy system was put in place for Allied merchant vessels in the Gulf of Mexico in an attempt to bring an end to the German offensive known as Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat). Although the threats on Allied vessels were lessening towards the end of July 1942, U-boats were still active in the Gulf. One of at least ten U-boats still on the prowl in the summer of 1942 was U-166, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Günther Kuhlmann. After laying mines near the mouth of the Mississippi River and sinking three American vessels (the SS Carmen, SS Oneida, and SS Gertrude on June 11th, 13th, and 16th respectively), U-166 had an encounter with American vessels seventy years ago today, on 30 July 1942, that ended in tragedy.
On 30 July 1942, the SS Robert E. Lee was en route from Trinidad to New Orleans with 270 passengers escorted by the naval vessel, PC-566. Near Tampa, the captain tried to bring the ship into harbor, but was forced to continue on to New Orleans because of the lack of a harbor pilot. The Robert E. Lee was carrying additional passengers, survivors of U-boat attacks on the Norwegian motor tanker, Andrea Brøvig and the Panamanian steam tanker, Stanvac Palembang. Only twenty-five miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the Robert E. Lee was hit by a single torpedo from U-166. Most of the passengers were able to squeeze onto the sixteen life rafts and six lifeboats. As the ship went down, Kuhlmann surfaced U-166 and shouted to the survivors, apologizing and wishing them luck (a practice that had been seen before). As the U-166 dove under the surface, PC-566 dropped depth charges, in hopes of hitting the U-boat. Ten crewmen and 15 passengers were lost aboard the SS Robert E. Lee. One of the crew killed aboard the Robert E. Lee was a female mariner from New Orleans, Winifred Grey.
Although it was not immediately clear if U-166 had been hit by the depth charges, indeed the retaliatory attack by PC-566 was successful; U-166 was lost, resulting in the deaths of all 52 members of the submarine crew. The location of the wreckage of the Robert E. Lee had long been identified, close to the site of the U-boat attack, 45 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi. But it wasn’t until 2001 that BP and Shell discovered the wreckage of the U-166, close to that of the Robert E. Lee. After the vessel was located, a film crew documenting the discovery of the U-boat learned from Kuhlmann’s widow of the existence of a large collection of images from Kuhlmann’s service. She subsequently donated this material to The National WWII Museum through the PAST Foundation. More information can be found here. A selection from the material gifted by Kuhlmann’s widow can be seen below. It provides a rare and fascinating glimpse into the private life of an often demonized enemy.
Hans-Günther Kuhlmann.
Hitler appeared at a ceremony for new officers including Kuhlmann, on 17 January 1939.
June 1940 wedding announcement for Kuhlmann and Gertrude Wree.
Kuhlmann and his bride after the wedding ceremony.
Promotion certificate for Kuhlmann signed by Erich Raeder.
Condolence letter from March 1943 listing Kuhlmann's death as having occurred in the Caribbean on 3 August 1942.
Condolence letter from November 1942 from the Guenther Kuhnke, Commander of the 10th U-boat Flotilla, which explains that the fate of her husband is unknown.
Seventy years ago today, Warner Brothers Studios released the film short, Men Of The Sky, directed by B. Reaves Eason and written and narrated by Captain Owen Crump. Men Of The Sky was the second film short released by Warner Brothers with cooperation from the United States Army Air Force and its nascent First Motion Picture Unit – the first military unit entirely composed of professionals from the film industry – which was formed seventy years ago this month on July 1, 1942. Like its predecessor short, Winning Your Wings starring Jimmy Stewart, Men Of The Sky sought to raise morale and spur enlistment for the air service. Warner Brothers would release two further wartime shorts, Beyond The Line Of Duty and The Rear Gunner both starring Ronald Reagan, before the growing demand for training films became overwhelming for Warner Brothers and the First Motion Picture Unit took over as the USAAF’s primary film production unit; adopting the line ‘We Kill ‘Em With Fil’m’ as its motto. Both Crump and Eason would continue to work with the First Motion Picture Unit, which released over 400 films before the war’s end.
This post by Red Ball Express Coordinator Collin Makamson
One such WAC detachment graduates from training at the First WAC Training Center in Fort Des Moines, Iowa. 25 April 1944. Gift of Jane Dickman Schlaht, 2011.124
On 20 July 1942, 70 years ago today, the first group of the newly minted Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps arrived at Fort Des Moines in Iowa to begin their training. They studied management, administration, cartography, military protocol, and other disciplines that would enable them to serve aptly and efficiently. Thousands of women would go on to enlist and serve their country in what would become the fully incorporated Women’s Army Corps, freeing up men for duty overseas.
Seventy years ago today on 18 July 1942, the Higgins contact was canceled. As can be expected, the citizens of New Orleans and Higgins workers were outraged. Higgins called for a Congressional investigation into the cancellation and spent the week of 21-28 January 1943 in Washington trying to make the case for the Liberty ships.
The Eureka News Bulletin featured this cartoon (from the New Orleans Item) about the cancellation.
Come hear Worker Wednesday: Live and In-Person as part of the Lunchbox Lecture Series at noon today!
Seventy years ago today, on 15 July 1942, the SS George Gale was launched by Delta Shipbuilding Co. in New Orleans. The SS George Gale was the seventh vessel launched by Delta; they would build a total of 132 Liberty ships during the war.
On 26 June 1942, a prototype of the Grumman F6F Hellcat took to the skies for the first time. She flew fine, but not fast enough per the Navy’s orders. The 1,700 hp Wright engine was replaced with the 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney to great success. Despite the aircraft’s heavy weight, she was one of the quickest and fasting-climbing fighters of the war. The Hellcat went from design to production in record time, just over one year. The F6F began the war as a record setter, and finished the war in same fashion, with the most kills—more than 5,000—and the highest kill ratio—19 to 1—than any other Allied aircraft.
Initially conceived of as an improved version of the Grumman F4F Wildcat which had been in service since the 1930s, the Hellcat turned out to be an entirely different animal. The plane was designed with its greatest opponent, the seemingly unconquerable Mitsubishi A6M Zero, in mind. The single-engine fighter was suitable for service as a carrier-borne craft, as well as land based. Despite her heavy weight, the Hellcat proved incredibly fast with a maximum speed of about 375 miles per hour and a vastly improved climb rate. The F6F was also more heavily armed, with six staggered .50 caliber machine guns in addition to six 5-inch rockets, ideal for ground assault. Yet despite all these superpowers of the Hellcat, she was no more difficult to pilot than other planes.
A group of F6F Hellcats on the deck of the USS Lexington. Gift of Charles Ives, 2011.102
Courtesy of the National Archives
A Hellcat speeds by in a blur. Courtesy of the National Archives
"A Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat lands on its carrier following a strike at Japanese installations in the Philippines" on 6 February 1945. Gift of Charles Ives, 2011.102
The victors of the Battle of the Philippine Sea aboard the USS Lexington. Courtesy of the National Archives
Rearming Hellcats on the deck of an aircraft carrier. Gift In Memory of John Valdemor Peterson, 2011.228
A Hellcat warms up before taking off in October 1944, somewhere in the Pacific. Gift of Charles Ives, 2011.102
A Hellcat prepares for takeoff. Gift In Memory of John Valdemor Peterson, 2011.228
A line of Hellcats prepares to head out. Gift In Memory of John Valdemor Peterson, 2011.228
Formation of F6Fs over Japan. Gift In Memory of John Valdemor Peterson, 2011.228
Deck crew guide a Hellcat to takeoff. Gift In Memory of John Valdemor Peterson, 2011.228
"It was a bit ungraceful, but definitely a happy landing that ‘Lucky 13’ made on the deck of its carrier following a strike at Kwajalein on December 4, 1943." Gift of Charles Ives, 2011.102
Another high point of the Hellcat was her ability to withstand a beating. One could certainly make an argument that the Vought F4U Corsair was the better plane. Many pilots, however, preferred the Hellcat for her well-known ability to endure hits. Her ability to stay in the air despite being hit may account for the impressive kill-to-loss ratio. She may best be remembered for her role in the so-called “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where the kill-to-loss ratio was a staggering 30 Zeros taken down to the loss of 1 Hellcat.
More than 300 pilots flying Hellcats became aces by shooting down 5 or more enemy aircraft, making “the ace-maker” a common nickname for the plane. The vast majority of all enemy aircraft shot down by naval aviators in the Pacific, approximately 75%, were taken down by pilots flying the F6F Hellcat. And it all began on this day 70 years ago.
F6F-3 Specs
Armament: Six .50 cal machine guns + six 5-inch rockets
Engine: 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine
Max speed: 300 mph at sea level, or 375 mph at 23,000 feet
Max range: 1,075+ miles when at speed of about 170 miles per hour
Although the Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy and was recited in schools in the early 20th Century, it wasn’t until 22 June 1942, when the Flag Code became Public Law, that the Pledge of Allegiance was recognized by Congress. The Flag Code addressed all issues regarding treatment of the flag as well as aspects of ceremony regarding the flag. Still, confusion and controversy surrounded the everyday practice― what did people do and how did they stand while saying the Pledge of Allegiance? Bellamy had initially conceived of a salute which came to be known as the “Bellamy salute.” This fell out of fashion in the early 1940s with the rise of the Facism and the use of a very similar salute by the followers of Hitler and Mussolini. The Bellamy salute was actually still included in the Flag Code as appropriate decorum, and would not be not stricken from the Flag Code until the ammendments of December 1942.
Images below from the collections of the Library of Congress and the National Archives.
First-graders at the Weill Public School in San Francisco, April 1942 photograph by Dorothea Lange.
Pledge of Allegiance at a Norfolk, Virginia public school. March 1941 photograph by John Vachon.
Pledge of allegiance with the Bellamy salute in Southington, Connecticut. May 1942 photograph by Fenno Jacobs.
Students at the Weill Public School in San Francisco salute the flag. April 1942 photograph by Dorothea Lange.
Students at the Weill Public School in San Francisco salute the flag. April 1942 photograph by Dorothea Lange.
Children in a Rochester, New York school pledge allegiance with the Bellamy salute. March 1943 photograph by Ralph Andursky.
Children saluting the flag at Irwinville school in Georgia. May 1938 photo by John Vachon.
Post by Curator/Content Specialist Kimberly Guise.
Crater caused by Japanese shelling, Fort Stevens, Oregon, June 1942. Image courtesy of the National Archives.
In the wee morning hours of 22 June 1942, a Japanese submarine crept close enough to the North Pacific coast to successfully shell Fort Stevens, situated on the Columbia River in Oregon. Though this was the second time the continental United States was hit by the Japanese from the sea during World War II, it was the first and only attack on a military installment on CONUS. It had been 130 years since an enemy succeeded in attacking a military structure on contiguous US soil, the last time being during the War of 1812. No personnel were harmed and the only result was a handful of craters in the fort’s baseball field.
A few months previous to the Fort Stevens shelling, another enemy submarine had hit an oil field near Santa Barbara. In such context, the sense of paranoia felt by Americans on the Home Front that a Japanese invasion or bombing run could be imminent was given credence. Citizens on the West Coast were surely more likely to follow blackout regulations after such incidences.
How to blackout your home from the Office of Civilian Defense booklet “What To Do In An Air Raid.” Gift of Peter & Lucy Trentadue, 2011.509
Seventy years ago today, the #1 slot on the Billboard Hit Parade belonged to Columbia Records recording artist Kay Kyser and His Orchestra and ‘Jingle Jangle Jingle.’ A peppy ode to the pleasures of bachelor life, ‘Jingle Jangle Jingle’ was Kyser’s sixth #1 hit, staying at the top of the charts for thirteen consecutive weeks. While the A-side of the release featured an upbeat and light-hearted theme, its B-side also resonated with American audiences. Unlike ‘Jingle Jangle Jingle,’ the record’s flip, entitled ‘He Wears A Pair Of Silver Wings,’ is a poignant ballad, full of both longing and admiration for an airman separated from his sweetheart by war. The pair of songs proved so popular, that, by month’s end, Kyser and His Orchestra had achieved the rare feat of occupying both the #1 and #2 slots on the charts with two sides of the same record. During the course of the War, Kyser and His Orchestra pledged to not perform at any commercial engagements other than radio and service shows for America’s soldiers, where they were immensely popular. Kyser and His Orchestra were also featured in two war-time musicals, Thousands Cheer (1943) as well as the classic star-cavalcade Stage Door Canteen (1943). Hear both sides of Kay Kyser’s hit!
Remember when Higgins was awarded the contract for 200 Liberty ships?
Crater caused by Japanese shelling, Fort Stevens, Oregon, June 1942. Image courtesy of the National Archives.
