Service on the Homefront

It could be said that World War II revolutionized the entire world, and the changes that took place in America were not less different than those in the war-torn countries of Europe. When the Japanese attacked an unsuspecting Pearl Harbor on December 7^th, 1941 and the United States was plunged headfirst into a grueling war in two theatres, life changed drastically for everyone.  The Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy claimed most of the able-bodied men in America, making for a completely different dynamic for those left at home. Women, children and men who could not fight were left in the States to pray for those in combat and try to make ends meet. They put away entitlement and self-interest in the name of winning the war. Women went to fill jobs in factories, children collected scraps of materials needed by the army and men volunteered as air raid wardens. Life on the homefront was radically different from what it had been a decade, five, or even two years before war was declared. The 1930’s had been a difficult time of poverty and economic hopelessness. Families had struggled to feed themselves on just the bare necessities. The start of World War II came on the heels of this hard time, and ironically brought a better economy for reasons

that are to be discussed. The American “homefront” was an intrinsic part of winning the war--those fighting small battles at home had just as much significance as those who fought the larger battles abroad.

With the advent of the war came a new need for manpower: manpower in the military and in the factories. Inconveniently, there were not nearly enough men to fill positions in both of these places, and the majority of young, able-bodied men either enlisted or were drafted into the army. Because this claimed most of the male workforce, the factories were at a loss—until Rosie the Riveter came on the scene. “Rosie the Riveter,” known primarily because of the iconic Westinghouse poster and the Norman Rockwell painting, (both of which portray a strong woman wearing a factory jumpsuit and headscarf), was not actually one individual. Instead, she stood for the influx of American women who stepped up to fill the jobs in the factories. These new employees were paramount to winning the war—they manufactured things such as bullets, bombs, planes, military-issue automobiles and even battleships. Oftentimes, the jobs were quite dangerous. Occasionally, the workers had to package detonators and other explosive items—one false move and the entire factory could blow up.  This new workforce was to become an important part of the story of World War II for three reasons. First, the things made in the factories were, as has been stated, as significant toward winning the war as the soldiers themselves. According to A Patriot’s History of the United States, part of the reason we won the war was because America was able to out-produce all the other countries. Without the influx of materials and weapons that the factories supplied, the war may not have had the same outcome, or at least may have dragged on even longer than it did. Another was that the economy enjoyed quite a boost from the new level of production and wages (and therefore spending money) available.The other result, mostly noticed after the fact,  was a perceived new empowerment for women—no

longer were they “limited” to being housewives,  they could now also work in factories. While, in hindsight, female employment in factories was nothing new, the “Rosie the Riveters’” new-found employment opportunities were regarded as great advances, and Rosie herself was later revered by some as an icon of the feminist movement.

            There was a loud call for everyone to “do their bit for the war effort;” from the oldest World War I veteran to the youngest child. Although money troubles lessened, American families were by no means indulging in excesses. The war brought about shortages in any materials that could be conceivably used for military equipment: rubber, aluminum, silk, nylon, gasoline, leather and food items were available in rationed quantities. Ration books that limited the amount of these things that one could use were issued and the coupons were used simultaneously with money. One way that the government paid for the war was through the sale of war bonds. Rallies were held in which patriotic celebrities, either national or local, would support the war effort by pleading with the people to buy war bonds that they could cash in a few years later with interest to help Uncle Sam win the war. People also participated in drills and blackouts in case of a German or Japanese attack. When the siren went off, the people would turn out all their lights, pull closed their blackout shades and hide in their basements. Wardens would patrol to make sure that all were doing it correctly. Posters were displayed everywhere to raise awareness for the ways that everyone could take part: some admonished the public that “loose lips sink ships,” because secrecy was highly valued. Soldiers writing home were not even able to tell their loved ones where they were because of the risk of interception. Another poster featuring a smiling soldier in a combat helmet and holding a tin cup asks the American public to “do without so they’ll have enough!” These and other “campaigns” illustrate the patriotic attitude of the majority of those on the homefront.

Scrap was a large part of stock-piling materials. Radio programs asked housewives to save bacon grease, children organized scrap drives in which they scoured neighborhoods and city dumps gathering paper, tires, metal, fat and other items that their owners had no more use for. Families tore up the grass in their yards to plant “victory gardens” so that they could feed themselves while taking as little from the soldiers as possible.  Hardly a woman in America could say that she was not related to, or at least acquainted with,  a man who was fighting. This war was very close to home.

World War II brought much upheaval and many changes to the civilized world. While, aside from Pearl Harbor, America herself was not prey to a major direct attack, the people left at home were just as committed to winning the war as their sweethearts, husbands and sons fighting overseas. These civilians had a clear objective, a clear enemy and a strong determination to beat the Axis powers that wanted to take over the free world. The war was not distant, it affected every life in the United States, whether that life was linked to someone overseas or not. There was a clear call for civilians to step up to the plate and help the boys in the Pacific and in Europe—and civilians were willing. Even when, during the four years that the war dragged on, the initial outrage of Pearl Harbor was forgotten, the men, women and children left at home did not slack off or let themselves doubt the righteousness of America’s cause. They knew that if America fell, the free world fell. World War II was fought and won on the homefront through sacrifices and hard work just as it was fought and won in Europe and the Pacific by the fighting men.