Salvage for Victory

Less than thirty days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the War Production Board initiated “Salvage for Victory,” a campaign that asked Americans to collect, save, conserve, and recycle everything from fat and rubber to paper and various metals, all of which would be used to support the war effort. As with most of the programs implemented during World War II, several agencies were involved such as the Office of Production Mangement that sent pledge cards to retailers, and the Bureau of Industrial Conservation of the War Production Board (there’s a mouthful!) asking city mayors to save materials from dumps and incinerators.

Like today, celebrity endorsements were used to gain popular support. Actress Rita Hayworth donated her car’s bumpers and encouraged the public to do the same. James Cagney appeared in “shorts,” films that were shown prior to the main feature in movie theaters, reminding Americans of their duties to the war effort including rationing and scrap collection. Bing Crosby got into the swing of things by singing “Junk Ain’t Junk No More, a catchy tune with lyrics that explained the importance of scrap collection and what the items would be used for. 

Much is made about the collection of metals, but one of the most important and

voluminous collections was that of paper. As one source put it, “In this pre-digital age, information was stored on paper. Records were kept in manila folders. Salaries were paid by check. Appointments were scribbled in notebooks. Corporate communications circulated by typewritten memo. And food and supplies were packed in paper containers.” Added to that is the large number of lumberjacks who were drafted which translated into fewer trees cut down and produced into paper.

Enter the “Papertroopers,” school groups and boy scouts and girl scouts who went door to door collecting wastepaper, books, magazines, and newspapers. Paper which then became food containers, ammunition boxes, maps, bomb carriers, and more. Reportedly millions of pounds of paper were collected.

Prior to the use of vinyl, record albums were made of shellac, a natural resin secreted by a tiny insect called the lac bug. With a philosophy that entertainment didn’t have historic value and therefore not need to be preserved, Records for our Fighting Men was formed to collect records that would be recycled to make new records, and the money raised would be used to buy new records for the troops. Recording masters were made of aluminum and copper, two metals crucial to the war effort, so studios donated vaults full of old masters and stampers to the scrap drives, unfortunately resulting in the loss of the early works of many of the eras most famous singers.

Other items collected during drives included rags, rubber, and rope. Grease was typically taken to the neighborhood butcher who then turned the waste fat into authorities for production into ammunition and explosives.

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Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and

women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a former trustee for her local public library. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

A Lesson in Love

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Her friend talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, blonde leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YHgUb0

 
Photo Credits: 

Scrap Poster: Library of Congress (http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3f05676)

Wagon with Scrap paper and boys: West Virginia University 

Records: Pixabay/Tiber Janosi Mozes

Sources: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/salvage-for-victory-world-war-ii https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2015/01/scrap-for-victory https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/about/news/rationing-on-the-homefront https://wartimewisdom.com/blog/recycling

Sweetheart Jewelry During WWII

The Great War or “The War to End All Wars,” sent young men across the globe to fight. In addition to letters, many of the soldiers sent keepsakes home to families and girlfriends. Dubbed “sweetheart jewelry,” the items were often handcrafted while in the trenches. Twenty years later, the world was again at war, and the custom of sending these pieces flourished. By this time, a large percentage of the items were machine-made and sold to US soldiers.

Despite the moniker, sweetheart jewelry wasn’t given to just girlfriends. Mothers and sisters also received items from sons and brothers. Brooches, pendants, and bracelets were the most popular pieces, but with many base metals being tightly rationed, the jewelry was manufactured with Bakelite (a resin), celluloid, wood, mother-of-pearl, shell, ivory, rhinestones, enamel, and sometimes wire. Because sterling silver wasn’t rationed, the metal became popular among jewelers. Rarer pieces were made with platinum, silver plate, brass, gold plate, gold-filled, and even solid gold.

There are three main reasons the jewelry was popular.

• First and perhaps foremost, it was fashionable. With rationing restricting the ability to purchase
  
  new clothes and accessories, sweetheart jewelry allowed an individual to “bling” up their old outfits.
• Second, sweetheart jewelry allowed individuals to display their patriotism. Many of the pieces featured military insignia and other icons related to a loved one’s branch of service, with the flag and the American eagle most often depicted. Uncle Sam’s top hat, bows mimicking ribbon of the stars and stripes, and the victory “V” were also favorite designs. Several of the costume jewelry manufacturers of the time, including Trifari and Coro, made patriotic-themed pieces. Unsurprisingly, red, white, and blue were the most often used colors in jewelry.
• Third, sweetheart jewelry was popular because it reflected a sense of service. Women proudly wore the pin version of a man-in-service flag, the blue star in the center on a white background with a red border, to indicate a son or husband in service. The service pins, more rarely, could have two or three stars, and rarer yet, could contain a gold star to indicate a death in service.

Economic hardships had gripped the country for nearly a decade. The price of jewelry and related items made of sterling silver could be somewhat expensive. Additionally, the government levied a luxury tax on jewelry, adding to the cost; however, sales didn’t seem to suffer. It was more important for the women who received these items to create a connection with their loved ones thousands of miles away.

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Spies & Sweethearts (Sisters in Service, Book 1)

She wants to do her part. He’s just trying to stay out of the stockade. Will two agents deep behind

enemy lines find capture… or love?

1942. Emily Strealer is tired of being told what she can’t do. Wanting to prove herself to her older sisters and do her part for the war effort, the high school French teacher joins the OSS and trains to become a covert operative. And when she completes her training, she finds herself parachuting into occupied France with her instructor to send radio signals to the Resistance.

Major Gerard Lucas has always been a rogue. Transferring to the so-called “Office of Dirty Tricks” to escape a court-martial, he poses as a husband to one of his trainees on a dangerous secret mission. But when their cover is blown after only three weeks, he has to flee with the young schoolteacher to avoid Nazi arrest.

Running for their lives, Emily clings to her mentor’s military experience during the harrowing three-hundred-mile trek to neutral Switzerland. And while Gerard can’t bear the thought of his partner falling into German hands, their forged papers might not be enough to get them over the border.

Can the fugitive pair receive God’s grace to elude the SS and discover the future He intended?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/m0Od9l

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves.

Whether you choose her books set in the Old West or across the globe during WWII, you will be immersed in the past through rich detail. Follow the journeys of relatable characters whose faith is sorely tested, yet in the end, emerge triumphant. Be encouraged in your own faith-walk through stories of history and hope. Visit her at www.LindaShentonMatchett.com

Photos: Courtesy of the Wright Museum

POW Camps in America During WWII

In 1942, a quarter million German soldiers surrendered in North Africa. What was Britain supposed to do with them? Turning to their allies, authorities asked the Americans if they were able and willing to house the prisoners. Reluctant, because of concerns about Germans on US soil security and causing fear among the public, the American government initially agreed to take fifty thousand prisoners who were transported in liberty ships across the sea to New York City, Boston, and Norfolk where they were distributed to camps by train. Prisoners determined to be Nazis were separated from “regular” soldiers.

It didn’t take long for prisoner numbers to rise. First, to 60,000, then 100,000, and finally 160,000 by

September 1943. Eventually America would house more than 425,000 prisoners of war. Most of the prisoners were Germans, but there were also tens of thousands of Italians and Japanese who were held in over 700 camps.

Camps were generally located away from industrial or urban areas in states with mild climates to minimize construction and heating costs. Sites were selected near farms where POWs could be used to fill the labor void. It is thought that forty-six of the forty-eight US states had at least one POW camp.

Prisoners are always expected make escape attempts; however, fewer than 1 percent of all POWs in the US made the effort, less than the rate in the civilian prison system. Most attempts were unsuccessful. Perhaps the knowledge that the ability to make it across the Atlantic to Europe or south to Argentina, a country that had aligned itself with Germany, was slim. An incident that occurred on December 23, 1944 is somewhat amusing. Twenty-five German POWs escaped from Arizona’s Camp Papago Park by crawling through a tunnel. Their plan had been to travel by raft down a river. Unfortunately, when they arrived, they discovered a dry riverbed. They were caught in January 1945.

Prisoners were expected to go home immediately after the war; however, many continued to work through 1946 (a violation of the Geneva Convention’s requirement for “rapid repatriation”). It is uncertain how many POWs from US camps returned to reside in the US after the war.

_______________________

Spies & Sweethearts (Sisters in Service, Book 1)

She wants to do her part. He’s just trying to stay out of the stockade. Will two agents deep behind

enemy lines find capture… or love? 

1942. Emily Strealer is tired of being told what she can’t do. Wanting to prove herself to her older sisters and do her part for the war effort, the high school French teacher joins the OSS and trains to become a covert operative. And when she completes her training, she finds herself parachuting into occupied France with her instructor to send radio signals to the Resistance. 

Major Gerard Lucas has always been a rogue. Transferring to the so-called “Office of Dirty Tricks” to escape a court-martial, he poses as a husband to one of his trainees on a dangerous secret mission. But when their cover is blown after only three weeks, he has to flee with the young schoolteacher to avoid Nazi arrest. 

Running for their lives, Emily clings to her mentor’s military experience during the harrowing three-hundred-mile trek to neutral Switzerland. And while Gerard can’t bear the thought of his partner falling into German hands, their forged papers might not be enough to get them over the border.

 

 Can the fugitive pair receive God’s grace to elude the SS and discover the future He intended?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/m0Od9l

 

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves.

Whether you choose her books set in the Old West or across the globe during WWII, you will be immersed in the past through rich detail. Follow the journeys of relatable characters whose faith is sorely tested, yet in the end, emerge triumphant. Be encouraged in your own faith-walk through stories of history and hope.

Visit her at www.LindaShentonMatchett.com

Photos courtesy of US Army.

Army-Navy E Award During WWII

More than 85,000 US manufacturing facilities were involved in war production during World War II. From small plants with a couple of dozen employees, to mammoth, multi-location corporations, companies across the nation either converted from consumer products to war matériel or expanded their already commercial organizations. The war industry paid well, and after the economic struggles of the Great Depression, employees were thrilled to be making high wages, but just as important to many was the feeling of patriotism from doing their part to support the war effort.

Patriotism was well and good, but in 1942, the US government decided to recognize the work done by businesses and their employees with the Army-Navy “E” Award. An earlier award, the Navy “E” award was created after President Theodore Roosevelt. By the end of World War I, the Army “A” Award and the Army-Navy Munitions Board “Star” award had been added, and the three separate awards continued until July 1942, when they were merged into a single service-wide award under the War Department.

Factors involved in determining award winners included:

• Overcoming production obstacles
• Avoidance of stoppages
• Maintenance of fair labor standards
• Training additional labor forces
• Effective Management
• Record on accidents, health sanitation, and plant protection
• Utilization of subcontracting facilities.

Facilities that maintained an outstanding performance record for six months after receiving an “E”

award were granted a Star award, indicated by a white star on the pennant. Additional stars could be earned by continued performance for subsequent six-month periods until the flag carried four stars, at which time the interval was increased to one year.

A total of 4,283 plants received the “E” award, approximately 5 percent of the companies involved in war production. The final awards were distributed in December 1945. However, one award was not made until after the war because of its association to the Manhattan Project. Word could not get out about the RCA plant in Bloomington, Indiana that produced the top-secret VT proximity fuze, a fuze that detonates an explosive device automatically when it approaches within a certain distance of its (military) target. In fact, the project was so secret, the employees making the fuzes were not told what the final products were or what they were used for. Reportedly, the employees referred to the project as “Madame X.”

Initially, the presentation of the “E” award was made with formal ceremonies that included printed invitations and programs. Some of the programs were “elaborate booklets filled with photographs praising the war production efforts of the firm.” Receptions and dinners were held at high-end hotels such as an event for the Manufacturers Machine and Tool Co. Inc. in November 1942 that took place in the grand ballroom of the Hotel Astor. The multicourse dinner with drink pairings was preceded by a cocktail hour.

Probably as a cost-reduction move as well as to minimize lost production, in 1943, the government standardized the ceremonies and limited them to a maximum of thirty minutes. The program ended on December 5, 1945.

______________

Love and Chocolate: A Second Chance Romance

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/mdQerZ

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves.

Whether you choose her books set in the Old West or across the globe during WWII, you will be immersed in the past through rich detail. Follow the journeys of relatable characters whose faith is sorely tested, yet in the end, emerge triumphant. Be encouraged in your own faith-walk through stories of history and hope.

Photo Credits:

Manufacturing Worker: Pixabay/Janno Nivergall

All other photos property of the author

Air Raid Sirens During WWII

In ancient civilizations, drums were used for both music and to deliver messages, including reports about invading armies. As time passed, bells replaced drums. The Middle Ages saw a rise in the use of bells, especially in churches where they were used as an early warning system and general messaging. Several sources indicate that during the mid-1600s, men responding to fires in New York would ring a bell as they approached to alert nearby residents of the danger.

Then came 1799.

A rise in science occurred during the 18th century. Inventions were created, then other scientists offered improvements on those innovations. One such device was the siren. First invented by Scottish physicist John Robison in 1799, French engineer Charles Cagniard de la Tour enhanced and named the siren (most scholars say he took the name from Greek mythology). His siren used a bellows apparatus to force air through its rotor. The pitch could be raised or lowered by increasing or decreasing the speed of the rotor. For the first time, scientists could create tones of specific frequencies. At some point, it was realized sirens could be used to alert citizens of fires and tornadoes.

After World War II commenced, thousands of sirens were installed in cities across Europe to warn of

air raids. All other uses were prohibited. In England, the air raid wardens arranged for the sounding of sirens. Inhabitants were expected to take cover before the raid started. A second “all clear” siren indicated when it was safe to leave shelters.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, authorities on America’s West Coast realized that Japan’s military capabilities could result in an air strike to that part of the country, perhaps even farther inland. Fearing that chaos would ensue with the air raids, officials issued strict instructions about what to do and how to behave. Having anticipated America’s entry into the conflict at some level, President Roosevelt created the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) in May 1941.

One of the more well-known branches of the OCD is that of the air raid wardens. Wardens oversaw the education of their assigned blocks and offered regular practice drills, which typically lasted for thirty minutes. When the siren sounded, wardens would spring to action, patrolling their streets to ensure no lights were visible. By 1943, nearly six million men and women had volunteered.

After the war, the sirens were used in the initial days of the Cold War, but since then, most have fallen silent, except those used to warn of impending tornadoes. It is unknown how many sirens still exist across the nation.

Do you live in an area that uses sirens?

__________________

Love and Chocolate: A Second Chance Romance

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/mdQerZ 

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves. 

Whether you choose her books set in the Old West or across the globe during WWII, you will be immersed in the past through rich detail. Follow the journeys of relatable characters whose faith is sorely tested, yet in the end, emerge triumphant. Be encouraged in your own faith-walk through stories of history and hope.

Photo Credits:

Bell: Pixabay/TooMuchCoffeeMan

All others property of the author

Rally 'Round the Flag!

“Victory depends in large measure on the increased war production we are able to get from our factories and arsenals…This is total war. We are all under fire…soldiers and civilian alike-no one is a spectator. To win we must fight, and to fight, we must produce.”

~President Franklin Delano Roosevelt~

Courtesy: 
Wright Museum of WWII

More than 85,000.

That’s how many manufacturing facilities were involved in war production. From small plants with a couple of dozen employees to mammoth, multi-location corporations, companies across the nation either converted from consumer products to war matériel or expanded their already commercial organizations. The war industry paid well, and after the economic struggles of the Great Depression, employees were thrilled to be making high wages, but just as important to many was the feeling of patriotism from doing their part to support the war effort.

Patriotism was well and good, but in 1942, the U.S. government decided to recognize the good work done by businesses and their employees with the Army-Navy “E” Award. An earlier award, the Navy “E” award was created after President Theodore ordered an “E” to be painted in white on warship gun turrets for those crews that had performed well in the Spanish-American War. The “E” was also authorized for wear by the enlisted gun crews earning the award as a round patch with a white “E” worn on the sleeve above the cuff.

By the end of World War I, the Army “A” Award and the Army-Navy Munitions Board “Star” had

Courtesy
Wright Museum of WWII

been added, and the three separate awards continued until July 1942 when they were merged into a single service-wide award under the War Department.

Circular No. 228 was issued to announce the award which listed the many qualifications for eligibility including specific elements regarding quality and quantity of production:

1. Overcoming production obstacles;
2. Avoidance of stoppages;
3. Maintenance of fair labor standards;
4. Training additional labor forces;
5. Effective Management;
6. Record on accidents, health sanitation, and plant protection; and
7. Utilization of subcontracting facilities.

For the Army, the nomination originated with the field procurement officer in regular contact with the plant, and the Navy followed a similar procedure. The boards for Production awards were comprised of high-level admirals for the Navy and colonels and generals for the Army.

Facilities that maintained an outstanding performance record for six months after receiving an “E” award were granted a Star award, indicated by a white star on the pennant. Additional stars could be earned by continued performance for subsequent six-month periods until the flag carried four stars, at which time the interval was increased to one year.

A total of 4,283 plants received the “E” award, approximately five percent of the companies involved in war production. Of that number, eight won six Star awards, four retained their original Navy “E” awards, and four retained their Army-Navy award. Seven hundred and sixty-three corporations received one star, 723 were granted two stars, 776 were awarded three stars, 820 received four stars, and only 206 were granted five stars. The final awards were distributed in December 1945.

One award not made until after the war because of its association to the Manhattan Project was to the RCA plant in Bloomington, Indiana that produced the top-secret VT proximity fuze, a fuze that detonates an explosive device automatically when it approaches within a certain distance of its (military) target. In fact, the project was so secret, employees making the fuzes were not told what the final products were or how they were used. Reportedly, the employees referred to the project “Madame X.”

_____________________________

The Mechanic & The MD

All’s fair in love and war. Or so they say.

High school and college were a nightmare for Doris Strealer and being an adult isn’t much better. Men won’t date a woman of her height, and they don’t understand her desire to repair car engines rather than work as a nurse or a teacher. When her father’s garage closes, and no one will hire a female mechanic, she joins the Red Cross Motor Corps, finally feeling at home. Until she comes face to face with her past in the form of Ronald McCann, the most popular boy in school.

On the brink of a successful career as a surgeon, Ron's plans crumble when he’s drafted and assigned to an evacuation hospital in England, the last place he expects to run into a former schoolmate. The gangly tomboy who was four years behind him in high school has transformed into a statuesque beauty, but a broken engagement in college leaves him with no desire to risk his heart ever again.

Will the hazards of war make or break a romance between this unlikely couple?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3RNpjY

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves. Whether you choose her books set in the Old West or across the globe during WWII, you will be immersed in the past through rich detail. Follow the journeys of relatable characters whose faith is sorely tested, yet in the end, emerge triumphant. Be encouraged in your own faith-walk through stories of history and hope. http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com