The Home Front
Modern warfare requires participation of the whole nation. Those who
confront the enemy must be supported materially as well as spiritually
by those who are left at home. When the United States entered the war against the Axis powers, it had to mobilize national resources, manufacturing facilities, food, labor, and transportation as quickly as possible. In order to raise hugh sums of money to pay for the war, the old methods of collecting revenue had to be overhauled. By mid 1943, the American people answered the challenge before them, by converting their peacetime industrial establishment into the mightiest Home Front Army that the world would ever see.

In Germany, Nazis begin The Final Solution, i.e., the systematic murder of Jews in gas chambers.


1942

Clocks across the Unites States are turned ahead one hour for Daylight Saving Time and will remain so throughout the war.

Under the War Production Board (WPB), the nation produced more than
$47 billion worth of materials, including 32,000 tanks, 49,000 airplanes and
merchant ships totaling 8 million tons. By the end of the war the nation
produced 86,000 tanks, 295,000 airplanes and 70,000 warships and 5,000
merchant ships Although the manufacturing of many domestic commerical
goods were limited to facilitate the manufacturing of war items, the total industrial production of the nation almost doubled during the war.

Food Administration. To continue aiding the Allies and supplying the American armed services required careful planning especially since farmers were hampered by a dwindling work force and shortages of new agricultural machinery and parts to repair old machinery. Approximately 30 percent of the American meat supply went to the armed forces. In a little over a year's time, America shipped to more than 7 billions pounds of food to Great Britain,the Soviet Union and China.

Rationing of foods and materials needed for the war effort begins, as sugar, coffee, fuel, oil, gasoline, butter, meats cheese, canned foods and finally shoes are rationed.

Gasoline rationing took place in 17 eastern states. Drivers were limited to 3 gallons of gas a week for non essential driving. Gas ration coupons were issued by mid year. By the end of the year, the whole of the United States is subject to gas rationing.

The Office of Price Administration (OPA) imposed rationing on such foods as sugar, coffee, meat and butter. The OPA also fixed prices and rationed other scarce commodities, such as tires and gasoline.

The War Manpower Commission's (WMC) responsibility was to determine how to distribute the labor force, made up of approximately 50 million men and about 20 million women.

Congress lowers the draft age to 18.

National War Labor Board is created.

Internment of Japanese Americans. Bending to the pressure of believers of a Japanese American threat, President Roosevelt formally authorize the removal of Japanese Americans from their homes and land in the Pacific Coast states (and Arizona) to interment camps in Colorado Utah, Arkansas and other inland locales. There was only a mild public outcry and very few Americans understood or cared about the full implications of such an action. Some 100,000 of the Nisei are relocated.

United States wins Battle of Midway. U.S. carrier--based planes bomb Gilbert and Marshall Islands. U.S. bombers led by Major General James H. Doolittle make surprise raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities U.S. warplanes defeat the Japanese advance at the Battle of the Coral Sea, stopping the southward Japanese advance, Japanese naval forces are crippled at the Battle of Midway.