The US Home Front 1941–45

The rapid fall of France to the German Blitzkrieg invasion of May–June 1940 shook but did not destroy the strong isolationist, even pacifist sentiment among the American public. Suddenly, Great Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, and looked toward the United States for support – which was given, in the form of vitally needed supplies. As early as 1939 patriotic and service organizations had begun to spring up across the United States in preparation for a European war, and these efforts redoubled as the reports of the Battle of Britain and the Blitz on British cities were reported by American radio correspondents into American homes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was criticized by many as a war-monger for his patient efforts to carry the people with him in turning the United States into the “great arsenal of democracy” during 1940 and 1941; but at the stunning news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941 patriotic feeling soared in American society, and the United States became fully committed to the war against the dictatorships.

Americans' willingness to carry out blackout and civil defense drills; to recycle metals, paper, and even cooking fats; to work longer hours, while having fewer consumer goods to buy with their salaries – all these demonstrated the nation's strong support for the war. There were more fundamental changes than these habits of thrift: World War II brought about a political, psychological and economic shift to the right in the United States.

The preparations for waging a world war brought new life into depressed and dormant communities across the country. The outbreak of World War II saw enormous numbers of new military airfields and other bases established in many states. The Southeast region became the main focal point for training fighter and bomber aircrews, and the need for more airfields forced the military to convert many sleepy county airports into functioning military facilities. For instance, at the beginning of 1940 there were just eight military installations in the state of Florida; by 1943 there were 172.

The federal government encouraged Americans to conserve and recycle all materials that could be used for wartime production. It turned out that lots of everyday household trash had value: kitchen fats, old metal shovels, even empty metal lipstick tubes. The federal government also compelled Americans to cut back on foodstuffs and consumer goods, and ration cards became necessary to purchase such staples as coffee, sugar and meat. The rationing of gasoline and vehicle tires was particularly shocking in a nation of huge distances and a tradition of freedom to travel. Virtually all kinds of manufactured metal goods became hard to replace. These wartime shortages caused a mounting frustation, since they came at a time of high levels of employment: for the first time in years people had money to spend, but there were few goods available for purchase. When the war finally came to a close in 1945 and industries returned to consumer production, Americans would go on a buying spree of unprecedented proportions.

The necessities of war even influenced American fashion. In the spring of 1942 the War Production Board became the nation's premier clothing consultant by dictating styles for civilian apparel that would conserve cloth and metal for the war effort. For example, menswear rid itself of vests, elbow patches on jackets and cuffs on pants. Women's clothing also relied on fewer materials, and skirts became shorter and narrower. De rigueur for patriotic women were efficient, two-piece bathing suits, which created the biggest public stir since Mrs Amelia Bloomer; Mr Marcus of the famous Nieman-Marcus department store called these swimsuits ""patriotic chic.""