From the service of Sgt. Daniel Yudow with the 9th Infantry Regiment. Gift of Bonnie Howard and Jill Yudow, 2005.070
Measures to ensure that the American soldier’s right to vote was protected and counted date back to the 1862 and 1864 elections of the Civil War. During World War II, the United States established the War Ballot Commission composed of two Republicans and two Democrats to supervise the shipment of ballots to servicemen overseas. However, unique state-by-state voter requirements, a lack of shipping space for materiel other than vital war supplies, as well as the remote positions occupied by many of America’s fighting men made this mission to deliver ballots to the front lines an exceedingly challenging proposition. Some servicemen – such as the recipient of the ballot above – did not receive their ballots until well after the election was already over (the postmark reads Dec 5, 1944).
Ideally, when the ballots were received, the serviceman had either the option of selecting individual candidates or voting the straight party ticket. When completed, the ballot would be sealed in a provided envelope and returned to the state offices of the War Ballot Commission where they would then be counted.
The election of 1944 resulted in an electoral landslide for President Roosevelt with 432 electoral votes and 25,606,585 total popular votes.
This post by Collin Makamson, Red Ball Express Coordinator at The National WWII Museum
Beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor, and worsened by the attempted bombing of Santa Barbara and the successful bombing of Fort Stevens, wartime hysteria and fear of an enemy invasion knew no bounds. These attacks led the War Department to consider all of the nation’s vulnerable points, and at the top of that list was the then-territory of Alaska. Overnight, the territory gained value to both Americans and the Japanese alike. Just 750 miles away from Attu was a Japanese naval base, making the threat of the region being invaded and taken, and subsequently—perhaps—the rest of North American—a not-so-unrealistic fear.
The idea of a route connecting mainland United States to Alaska was not a new idea. In fact, it had been proposed in the ‘20s. But it wasn’t until February 1942 that the construction was approved by Roosevelt, only after working out an agreement with the Canadian government as well. Before the Alcan Highway (also called the Alaska Highway or the Alaska-Canadian Highway), the only way to supply US troops stationed in Alaska was by sea or air. If shipping lanes on the northwest coast were successfully interrupted by the enemy, or even by some unlucky circumstance for that matter, Alaska could easily fall. It was seen as a national defense problem. Construction work began in March, and was hastened with Japanese actions in the Alaskan islands of Kiska and Attu in June 1942.
Once completed, the Alcan Highway was a 1500-mile route between Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska. It was built by the skillful hands of 7 Army Corps of Engineer regiments totaling more than 10,000 men, nearly 35% of whom were African Americans excluded from combat roles. Once arriving in the more-often-than-not icy terrain, these troops often had to relearn simple tasks that were made nearly impossible by the ice, snow, and miserable conditions of the region.
Though the Alcan Highway completed on this day 70 years ago, it wasn’t officially opened until 20 November 1942. Though its construction was a necessary and impressive feat, driving the snow-covered highway was nearly as difficult as building the route had been. Construction troops often had to shovel out the road, even in temperatures dozens of degrees below zero. Accidents and flipped vehicles were a common sight. Tow cars worked 24 hours a day rescuing stranded vehicles and pulling them out of ditches. Quartermaster troops were stationed at every 100-mile mark to aid in servicing vehicles, though they were not always well-enough equipped to address the problem.
After the route’s completion, civilian contractors continued work on the route to make it more permanent and better able to sustain the intense weather of the Alaska-Canadian wilderness. The route was opened to the public in 1948, after being made safe enough. Today, the entire route is paved.
Image Gallery
Images from a unit history of an engineer regiment that worked on the Alcan Highway. Gift of Ben Cohen, 2011.051.
"A heavy log for a corduroy road bed at the J-35 mile mark is carried by seven husky Company C men. After a job like this, chow and sleep were always welcome."
Comfort was in short supply for men working the Alcan. Here a Private bathes in an improvised tub.
Building a box culvert in knee-deep mud and water. The platoons flipped coins for jobs like this, and these boys lost.
Men wait for the inevitable time when ice flows will sweep the bridge from its moorings.
Heavy flak above US Navy vessels directed toward attacking Japanese aircraft during the Battle of Santa Cruz; the USS Enterprise at left. Gift of Lionel Taylor, 2010.396.004
As the Battle for Henderson Field came to a close with a critical US victory on land, combat at sea and in the air raged on in the waters off Guadalcanal. Seventy years ago today, the Battle of Santa Cruz was fought as part of the Naval campaign for Guadalcanal. It was the third incidence since the Battle of the Coral Sea in which carrier (as well as land-based) aircraft from air craft carriers–in this case the Hornet and Enterprise–attacked the enemy without the surface ships ever coming within range of one another.
The Hornet—whose claim to fame was its role as the carrier from which the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo launched in April 1942 as well as a critical role at the Battle of Midway—was one of the casualties of the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, sunk on 27 October after sustaining massive damage from repeated strikes by Japanese “Val” dive bombers and “Kate” torpedo bombers. She would be the last fleet carrier to be sunk by an enemy.
The Hornet under attack. Gift of Robert M. Heim, 2002.300.023
The Japanese would lose approximately 500 mean and 100 aircraft, versus US losses of 250 men and 80 aircraft. Like many of the naval battles of the Guadalcanal Campaign, the result was anything but a clear-cut victory for either side. While the Japanese were the victors at sea, the heavy losses they suffered would inhibit further landings of infantry reinforcements ashore on Guadalcanal, so Santa Cruz is also considered a strategic victory for the US.
A view of the players of The Eve of St. Mark from a review in the 19 October 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. Its caption reads, "Exhausted and sick with malaria, soldiers holding a small island in the Philippines listen as sergeant tells them they have quinine for only two days." Gift of Marian C. Lifsey, 2002.195
On 7 October 1942, Maxwell Anderson’s two-act play The Eve of St. Mark, premiered on Broadway. Two years after its stage premiere—and once the play’s 307 show run was over, per Anderon’s directives—The Eve of St. Mark was also made into a 20th Century Fox film starring Anne Baxter and Vincent Price, in addition to many of the original stage actors.
The play’s title was inspired by John Keat’s poem of the same name. St. Mark’s Eve, celebrated on 24 April, is a day full of superstitions. In some faiths in some churches, it was believed that if one stood vigil at the church’s doors overnight, you would see the ghosts of those who were going to die in the coming year.
The title is appropriate, as—spoiler alert!—the play’s protagonist, Quizz West, finds himself serving in the Philippines on 24 April, the Eve of St. Mark, when West’s unit is clearly becoming overwhelmed by the enemy. The play reflected the reality that the Japanese had attacked the Philippines in 1941, and had succeeded in pushing American and Filipino forces into a retreat, as they suffered heavily from illness like dysentery and malaria. While asleep and dreaming, Quizz speaks with his mother and his sweetheart, asking them for guidance in his struggle with whether to stand strong knowing he will be sacrificing his life, or to retreat knowing that doing so will cost the lives of his brothers in arms. See the 1944 film to find out which path West chose…
The sign above this captured V-2 reads, “This is a V-2 rocket seized by US Army Ordnance Technical Intelligence Team No. 1 from the Germans in a tunnel 45 miles north of Nordhausen April 1st, 1945. This specimen is the first complete V-2 captured and was immediately shipped to the US Army Ordnance Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USA for complete scientific study and technical examination.” Gift of Thomas E. Hall, 2007.292.011
On 3 October 1942, a team led by Walter Dornberger and Wernher Von Braun tested the first V-2 rocket at a facility at Peenemünde, near the Baltic Coast. Dornberger remarked, “This third day of October, 1942, is the first of a new era in transportation, that of space travel…” An interesting comment considering Von Braun would later be charged with crimes against the state for wasting time with the “frivolous” idea of space travel. He was released and eventually he and Dornberger defected to the US.
After the war, parts of numerous captured V-2 rockets were reassembled in the US for testing. The resulting research has been called the “birth of both space-based astronomy and the US Navy’s space program. “
Seventy years ago, on 3 October 1942, the Hollywood Canteen opened its doors to servicemen at 1451 Cahuenga Blvd., on the site of a former livery stable. Using the model of the Stage Door Canteens, the Hollywood Canteen was an entertainment space free for all servicemen, staffed completely by volunteers. On opening night the Hollywood Canteen raised $10,000 by charging $100 for bleacher seats to watch as the stars paraded in. Founder Bette Davis recalled that it was so crowded on opening night that she had to climb through a window to get in. Before closing on Thanksgiving Day 1945, the Hollywood Canteen entertained nearly four million servicemen.
Letter from the Museum's collection from Hollywood Canteen founder and President Bette Davis to volunteer Bob Hope.
Visit the Stage Door Canteen at The National WWII Museum for live entertainment and to see the letter from Bette Davis and other artifacts related to the Hollywood Canteen.
The Bell P-59 Airacomet. Gift of Lena Hartlein in Memory of George Hartlein, 2005.069.003
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the first American jet-propelled aircraft, the Bell P-59 Airacomet, taking flight. Although revolutionary for the time, the P-59 was ultimately a disappointment and would play no combat role in World War II. Though other countries sucha s Germany and Great Britain had been working on jet aircraft for years, it was novel for the United States. As one Yank reporter put it, “The first time you see a jet-propelled plane in the air, it’s like seeing a man walking down the street with no head.” Though largely considered a failure, the P-59 remains a watershed in American aviation history. The first Airacomet is on view at the National Air and Space Museum
On 25 September 1942, the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans hosted the Million Dollar War Bond Breakfast. Seats to the breakfast were obtained only by promising to purchase $1000 in war bonds. Such breakfasts were held nation-wide and the New Orleans breakfast doubled the orgaziners’ goal and set the national record with over $2,800,000 in bond subscriptions.
The Roosevelt Hotel (named for Teddy Roosevelt) was the site of many events, dinners, fundraisers and dances during the war. After a name change and closure, the hotel reopened as the Roosevelt in 2009, where many of these wartime venues can be seen in their restored glory.
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the maiden flight of Boeing’s famous B-29 “Superfortress.” The plane was designed to replace the B-17 “Flying Fortress” and the B-24 “Liberator,” as well as to be able to handle long distance bombing missions the other planes were incapable of. The Superfortress was technologically advanced for the time, including features such as remote-controlled gun turrets and a pressurized cabin. More than 3,500 B-29s were produced before fabrication came to a halt in May 1946. The plane also served in the Korean War.
Upon completion of testing and production, B-29s were sent to the Pacific where they were well-suited to the long distance flights required to strike at Japan from US air bases at Tinian, Saipan, and Guam. These islands, making up the Marianas Chain, were fought for and captured for the sole purpose of providing B-29s a base from which to hit mainland Japan.
In June 1944, they were the first planes to strike at homeland Japan since the famous April 1942 Doolittle Raid. The aircraft were also used for the massive incendiary bombing campaign as well as their most well-known role in dropping the atomic bombs over Japan. The high service ceiling protected the Superfortress from anti-aircraft fire on the ground, and in combination with the aircraft’s speed also prohibited many enemy fighters from being able to reach it. The plane was versatile, used for both high- and low-altitude bombing, during both day and nighttime. It was also used a cargo plane, flying the “Hump” of the Himalayas from India to China and back again.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress Specs
Armament: Ten .50-cal. machine guns + one 20mm cannon + 20,000 pounds of bombs
Engines: Four Wright R-3350 engines of 2200hp each
Maximum speed: 357 miles per hour
Cruising speed: 220 miles per hour
Range: 3,700 miles
Ceiling: 33,600 feet
Span: 141 feet 3 inches
Length: 99 feet
Height: 27 feet 9 inches
Weight: 133,500 pounds maximum
Artifacts from the Collection
Gift in Memory of John Kushner, 2006.279
The Norden bombsight could be found in virtually all medium and heavy bomber aircraft in the US Army Air Force during World War II. It was such a closely guarded piece of technology that bombardiers had to swear an oath to protect the secrets of the device by destroying it before letting it fall into enemy hands, even at the cost of their own lives. The USAAF wartime claims of the Norden being able to place a bomb in a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet were greatly exaggerated. In reality, the Norden bombsight was a complex machine consisting of many gearwheels and ball bearings, prone to produce inaccuracies when not in proper calibration, which was often the result of the aircraft’s turbulent journey to the target.
Image Gallery
Remember "My Weekly Reader" from elementary school? During the war, they often focused on military subjects, including the new B-29. Gift of Rhoda L. and Roger M. Berkowitz, 2012.005.034
US Navy Seabees build and maintain B-29 base on Tinian. 30 March 1945. Gift of Charles Ives, 2011.102.003
US Navy Seabees completed the necessary airfields in the Marianas in record time. 30 March 1945. Gift of Charles Ives, 2011.102.002
Superfortresses of the 73rd Bomb Wing drop their payload. Location unknown. Gift of Donald McCaughey, 2012.006.008
A row of B-29s lined up on a runway, location unknown. Gift of Donald McCaughey, 2012.006.006
A Superfortress crashed on Saipan in the Marianas. Gift of Elwyn Fink, 2010.216.
B-29s with Mount Fuji in the background. Gift of Elwyn Fink, 2010.216.213
A B-29 takes to the skies. Gift of Elwyn Fink, 2010.216.219
A view from above. Gift of Elwyn Fink, 2010.216.209
A Superfortress soars over its base on Guam in the Marianas. Gift of Elwyn Fink, 2010.216.358
Bombs dropped over Tokyo. Gift of Elwyn Fink, 2010.216.365
September 21 is dedicated to remembering the service and sacrifice of prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Our upcoming special exhibit, Guests of the Third Reich: American POWS in Europe, on view from November 11, 2012 – July 7, 2013, will feature the words, drawings and stories of those men held prisoner by Germany during the Second World War. The exhibit takes its name from a journal kept in a POW camp by Major Newton Cole, a Chemical Officer with the 29th Infantry Division. Below, on the second page of his journal, Cole describes his capture near St. Lô, France, thirteen days after the invasion of Normandy. Cole became one of 1,500 prisoners at Oflag 64, a POW camp for American officers near Szubin, Poland.
