Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about oil, conserving fuel, and saving the planet in the news. People are beginning to buy more energy efficient cars, not only because they want to save fossil fuels, but also because it is much less expensive to conserve gasoline. Back during WWII, people conserved gasoline, but for different reasons.
Gasoline was necessary for our military to function properly during the War, so in May of 1942, 17 States began rationing gasoline in order to help the war effort. In December of 1942, President Roosevelt ordered that gasoline rationing be set in all 50 states. Gasoline rationing during WWII wasn’t all about gasoline, though. Rubber was perhaps the hottest commodity at the time, and the rationale behind gasoline rationing was to prevent Americans from needing more rubber tires—the less they drove, the less likely they would need new tires!
Beginning in May of 1942 and ending in August of 1945, a nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour was instated. The “Victory Speed” limit was instated in order to reduce gasoline and rubber consumption. The slower people drove, the less gas and rubber they would need. This nationwide speed limit was called “Victory Speed” in order to make Americans more accepting of a lower speed limit, as this speed limit was instated everywhere from big city streets to rural highways.
Dr. Seuss Cartoon from 1942.
In the cartoon (1942), Theodor Geisel depicts an American man driving carelessly and quickly, with a happy Hitler and Tojo in the back. The cartoon is critical of those who drive like this man. It implies that those who drive quickly have “gas and rubber to burn,” as if they were directly taking away from the American military’s supply and damaging the American war effort. This, in turn, would make the Germans and Japanese happy, as it gives them an advantage over the Americans.
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
We’d like to remind you all of the “Franksgiving” controversy that existed between 1939 and 1942. In 1939, after being pressured by retail executives, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order that changed the date of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the third Thursday in November.
President Roosevelt Carving a Turkey on Thanksgiving, 1933. Retrieved from: The National Archives Catalog.
The retail executives that pushed President Roosevelt to change Thanksgiving sought to increase revenue during the Holiday season. In 1939, Thanksgiving, if scheduled as the last Thursday of November, would have been the 30th. That would have left less than 30 shopping days before Christmas. Roosevelt agreed with the retail executives that 24 shopping days was not enough time, claiming his decision to sign an executive order, was to benefit the economy.
This decision caused uproar, for a variety of different reasons, among various different parties. The press, Republicans, and football fans alike all agreed that changing the date of Thanksgiving was kind of crazy. FDR’s former opponent, Alf London, said Roosevelt acted “with the omnipotence of a Hitler,” comparing him to the leader of the Third Reich.
Less than half of the states in the Union abided by Roosevelt’s executive order that year. In fact, several states, including Colorado, and Texas. After an early Thanksgiving in 1941 (November 20th), Roosevelt opted to change the date back to the fourth Thursday in November, not the final Thursday. The joint-resolution between Roosevelt and Congress stated that Thanksgiving cannot fall on November’s last two days—which is why Thanksgiving is traditionally between November 22 and 28th.
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
One of the most interesting themes that connect modern America with WWII-era America is conservation and rationing. While we currently are not involved in a total war, conservation and recycling has made a huge comeback in recent years. Composting, for example, is becoming more and more popular in homes across America.
Back during World War II, however, instead of using scraps and edible waste for growing more food and plants, people would collect their scraps and donate them to the war effort. One of the most popular programs was through the American Fat Salvage Committee, where recycled meat grease would be used to make explosives! In the words of Emril Lagasse, “Bam!”
Bacon grease is still amazingly versatile with many different edible and non-edible uses. For example, did you know that you can use bacon grease to start a campfire? You can also make candles and soap out of bacon grease as well! It even has medical purposes—you can use bacon grease to heal and soothe small cuts and remove splinters. Birds love bacon grease as well—mix some cooled grease up in some bird seed and they’ll be happily singing in no time.
In short, the next time you go camping, remember to pack some bacon so you can reuse your bacon grease!
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
Over the last decade, there have been an overwhelming number of movies and TV series that feature comic book heroes from America’s past. While Marvel’s Avengers might be the most famous band of superheroes, including the patriot Captain America, DC Comics is credited with creating the first team of superheroes, known as the Justice Society of America (JSA). Jay Garrick, the original Flash, is the group’s founding member.
In the winter of 1940 DC Comics introduced the JSA, but on December 7, 1941, DC Comics disbanded the JSA. According to the comics, a fictional President Roosevelt asked all heroes to directly support the war effort. While this didn’t quite literally happen, FDR quickly created the national sentiment that the entire country had to support the troops in order for the US to win the War. It should be no surprise that both Marvel and DC Comics reinvented their images. DC Comics, specifically, reinvented the JSA and created The All-Star Squadron and then later the Justice Battalion.
Comics often advocated for kids to support the war by buying war bonds or stamps. Both Marvel and DC Comics did this. While Batman, Superman, and Robin weren’t a part of the JSA, they were de facto members and in their own comics promoted the purchase of War Bonds with the World’s Finest Comics series:
Superman, Batman, and Robin are Selling War Bonds to Children in this 1942 World’s Finest Comics Cover.
The sale of War Bonds to children was an important part of the American war effort. Children played a crucial role in supporting the troops from the home front; because they were younger, and obviously didn’t make a high salary, 25¢ War Stamps were advertised to them. Public and private schools alike even held “War Bond drives” in order to promote their sale. Schools would often turn it into a competition as well, and they encouraged students to bring all of their spare change in order to out-raise other schools. For more information about the sale of War Bonds during World War II, check out this link!
A special thanks to Cosmic Teams for their detailed profile of the JSA and their general history of DC Comics.
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
Oktoberfest is an annual celebration of German folk culture originating in Bavaria, celebrated all over the world! It is often celebrated between September and October, its origins dating back to 1810. While Oktoberfest’s popularity did not grow within the United States until the second half of the 20th Century, the United States has always had a high concentration of German immigration.
That being said, the persecution of German-Americans during the Second World War was not nearly as bad as that of the Japanese. Generally speaking, people were not afraid of the German American population, as they often seemed as reliable and trustworthy Americans. General Dwight Eisenhower, descended from the Pennsylvania Dutch (of German descent), fit this description.
Gen. Eisenhower and a Pilot in Italy. 1943.
During World War II, along with the other immense and over the top bans and rules created by the Nazi Party, Oktoberfest celebrations were not allowed to occur. After the war was over, Oktoberfest resumed and its popularity increased tenfold as time went on. It is celebrated all over the United States and it is a great time.
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
This week was Banned Books Week! Every year, for a week, the freedom from literary censorship is celebrated across the United States. This celebration dates back to World War II when Hitler instated his book burning campaign during the 1930s. The American response to the German Book Burning was overwhelming, both by citizens and by the press.
Authors banned under the Third Reich:
Albert Einstein
Friedrich Engels
Sigmund Freud
Ernest Hemingway
Helen Keller
Jack London
Thomas Mann
Karl Marx
Upton Sinclair
H. G. Wells
The official title for the Nazi book burning campaign, which started a full 5 years before the War, was an “Action Against the Un-German Spirit.” The most successful and most famous exhibition of the book burning was carried out by German university students on May 10, 1933. A lot of the books that were burned during this exhibition, as well as the books that were banned from the Third Reich throughout the war were books that promoted socialism, books that were either written about or by Jews, and books that the government simply found to be “un-German.”
Germans Giving the Nazi Salute as Banned Books Burn. 1933. Retrieved From: The National Archives Catalog.
As WWII progressed, President FDR would use the book burnings as an important tool to display the vast differences between the American beacon of democracy and the German totalitarian, terrorist Nazi state. The press slashed the book burning and even Eleanor Roosevelt condemned them in her popular daily newspaper column. On the Home Front specifically, the American Jewish Congress organized street demonstrations in more than a dozen U.S. cities, e.g. New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Cleveland. The focus of their protests was generally on the Nazi persecution of Jews, but they used the May 10th book burnings to broaden the coalition of anti-Nazi groups.
So, if you want to celebrate banned books week and express your educational and informational freedom, go out and read some of the most influential American literature that was banned under the Third Reich. I would personally recommend Jack London’s The Call of the Wild.
A couple of years ago the Museum had an installation that featured the Nazi book burning campaign. Read more about it here!
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
Within the last few months, the United States and Cuba began talks after years of relative silence between the two countries. Before Fidel Castro’s coup in 1959, however, the United States and Cuba were close allies, dating back to the Spanish-American War. During World War II, Cuba was one of the United States’ most dedicated allies as well. Cuba was the first Caribbean nation to declare war on the Axis powers, in December 1941.
While Cubans had America’s back during the War, Cuban-Americans and other Latino Americans helped tremendously abroad and on the Home Front as well. Approximately 500,000 Latinos, including 350,000 Mexican Americans and 53,000 Puerto Ricans, served in the American military during WWII. Latinos were never segregated into separate units, so exact numbers are more difficult to estimate than African-American involvement numbers.
In the Pacific, the 158th Regimental Combat Team, of which many men were Latino and Native American, fought in the Philippines. General MacArthur was so impressed with their performance that he called them “the greatest fighting combat team ever deployed in battle.” Latino soldiers were of particular aid in the defense of the Philippines because of their fluency in Spanish—American Latinos were able to understand and translate for the army in the Spanish speaking parts of the Philippines.
On the Home Front specifically, Latino men and women alike had extremely important roles for the Home Front. American Latinas served their country regardless of any cultural barriers that existed during the time. Bilingual Latinas often became linguists, nurses and Red Cross aids, and some even worked in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. Further, Latino men and women on the Home Front also worked on railroads, in mines, in shipyards, in airplane factories, and as agricultural laborers. By instating the Bracero Program, the US government granted work visas to 50,000 Mexican agricultural workers and 75,000 railroad workers during the war because of the labor shortage. These workers were necessary to the wartime driven economy, and the US likely would have had a much harder time without the Latino effort.
Propaganda Poster Encouraging Latino-Americans to Help Out with the War Effort.
The Andrews Sisters were a popular group who frequently American entertained troops with their delightful voices. After their song “Rum and Coca-Cola,” the Cuba Libre, a drink originating in early 20th Century Cuba, grew in popularity in the United States.
To make a Cuba Libre, you’ll need:
4oz Cola
1/3oz fresh lime juice
1 2/3oz white rum
Pour all of the ingredients into a highball glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
Much like sewing, knitting was an extremely popular way that everyday civilians aided in the war effort. In fact, knitting was more popular because it was easier for children to learn how to do. Life Magazine actually did a cover story on how to knit in November of 1941. The article reads, “To the great American question ‘What can I do to help the war effort?’ the commonest answer yet found is ‘Knit.’”
Life Magazine Cover Featuring How to Knit. 1941.
Knitting was so important because it provided warm and comfortable clothing for soldiers and a calming distraction for the civilians knitting. Knitting supplies were provided by The American Red Cross—sweaters, socks, fingerless mitts, and toe covers, were just some of the many different knitting patterns The Red Cross supplied.
Socks, though, proved to be more necessary than any of the other knitted clothing. The Red Cross advocated mostly for the knitting of socks because of the cold, wet, and sore feet that most soldiers suffered.
The Knit Your Bit Campaign Was a Popular Way to Have People at Home Aid in the War Effort. This Propaganda Poster Existed During WWI As Well!
Finger knitting is an easy and popular way to start knitting. By using bulky or super chunky yarn, this is a great project for kids as well!
Take a strand of yarn and place it between your thumb and your index finger. Leave about six inches trailing behind your hand. Use your left hand if you are right handed and your right hand if you are left handed.
Loosely wrap the working end of the yarn over your index finger, under your middle finger, over your ring finger and under your pinky.
Now loop that yarn around your pinky and go back towards your thumb but this time go over your pinky, under your ring finger, over your middle finger and under your index finger.
Repeat steps 2 & 3.
You should have two layers of yarn on your fingers. The working yarn will be trailing between your middle and index fingers.
Lift the bottom yarn over the top yarn and drop off of your hand starting with your pinky, then your ring finger, then your middle finger and finally your index finger. It will seem a little loose, just pull the working yarn tighter (but not too tight, you have to be able to get it off your fingers!)
Grab the working yarn and repeat steps 4-6.
Once your project has reached its desired length, you must bind off the stitches. On this last row, each finger should have only one loop on it. Lift off the loop on the pinky and place it onto the ring finger.
On the ring finger, lift the bottom loop up and over the top loop and off the finger. Repeat for the middle finger and index finger. Once you have just one loop on the index finger, take it off and pass the tail of the yarn through the loop, pulling tight. Tie it off with knot
Interested in more intense knitting projects? With the “Knit Your Bit” program at the museum, you can pick your pattern and get started!
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today
For nearly 20,000 years people have been living with, befriending, supporting, and needing domesticated dogs—they are man’s best friend, after all. Celebrate your furry loved one this Wednesday, August 26th, as it is National Dog Day!
During WWII, dogs served many purposes abroad, in the field, and on military bases. Service dogs could sniff out bombs or mines, chase after Axis forces, carry messages, or even to just provide a bit of a morale boost on base. At home, after the war, many soldiers adopted retired service dogs, puppies, adults, and elderly dogs. Focus On: Loyal Forcesis the museum’s online exhibit featuring information about service animals during the war.
US Serviceman with Pet Dog in San Luis Obispo, California. 1944. http://ww2online.org/image/us-serviceman-haynas-pet-dog-san-luis-obispo-california-on15-march-1944
Two Puppies Looking Through a Fence at Another Dog in California. 1943. http://ww2online.org/image/two-puppies-looking-through-fence-another-dog-california-june-1943
US Serviceman and Civilian Woman Posing with Pet Dog in California. 1943. http://ww2online.org/image/us-serviceman-and-civilian-woman-posing-dog-california-august-1943
US Serviceman and Civilian Woman with Small Dog in Georgia. 1942-44. http://ww2online.org/image/us-serviceman-ramirez-and-civilian-woman-small-dog-georgia-during-world-war-ii
One American soldier actually rescued stray dogs that he found while he was serving in Germany. Even back then, adopting a little furry friend was a respected and appreciated practice. Listen to the oral history here.
Rightfully so, the term “dog tag” literally comes from a dog’s tag. Upon receiving your tickets to the museum, you will also get a “digital dog tag” that will take you through the lives and experiences of real Americans who lived during World War II. More information about the digital dog tags can be found here!
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
Home Front Friday is a regular series that highlights the can do spirit on the Home Front during World War II and illustrates how that spirit is still alive today!
Joe DiMaggio, Bob Barker, Jackie Coogan, Johnny Carson, Hugh Hefner, Julia Child, John F. Kennedy, and Joe Lewis. Aside from being famous Americans, these celebrities all directly served their country during World War II—on the ground, in the air, at sea, conducting covert research, driving military vehicles, or writing for military newspapers.
Celebrities served a great purpose on the Home Front as well. During the war celebrities and films were great at invigorating morale, not only for people at home, but for soldiers on the base as well. Casablanca is perhaps the most famous movie to come out of the War Era. The movie promoted the anti-Nazi sentiment and reinvigorated the very same sentiment on the Home Front. It romanticized the war on the African front, quite literally, while also denouncing the Nazis by painting them in a negative light. The movie was extremely popular and was highly rated by critics across the board.
Casablanca, 1942.
Additionally, some celebrities traveled across the States in order to promote the sale of War Bonds to Americans all over the country. Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Bette Davis are some of these celebrities, to name a few. Besides promoting the sale of war bonds, these celebrities also traveled around the country in order to entertain soldiers on military bases, increasing their morale.
Taken from the original 1942 Casablanca Movie.
Bette Davis with Soldiers at Fort Benning, GA. 1944. http://ww2online.org/image/bette-davis-and-group-watching-village-fighting-demonstration-fort-benning-georgia-6-october
Rec Center & Movie Screen. Bob Hope entertained here once. New Caledonia, South Pacific. 1944-45.
Come join us at BB’s Stage Door Canteen on August 26th for a documentary screening of If That’s So, Then I’m a Murderer. For more information about this event, please click here! There are daily showings of the museum’s film Beyond All Boundaries, but check out our calendar for more information about other film screenings in the future.
Posted by Catherine Perrone, Education Intern and Lauren Handley, Assistant Director of Education for Public Programs at The National WWII Museum.
