Home Front - 1942
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February
2 . Daylight saving time started, till Sept 30, 1945.
Ration canned meat and canned fish.
March
Work starts on the Alcan (Alaska-Canada) Highway - 1,500 miles
Civil Air Patrol patrols NYC to Cape May, NJ.
Civil Defense wardens resign protesting lack of equipment.
"There are a number of men in the Philippines who are not resigning and
who are not getting equipment either."
29. Ration fresh meat, butter, cheese.
Every man, woman, child issued two ration books:
Blue for 2 pounds of canned fruit and vegetables per month
Red for 28 oz meat, 4 oz cheese.
Dim out Virginia south, shield seaward facing lights within 12 miles of coast.
Marriage rate increased 300% over prior year : some on prospects
of separation ; some to avoid the draft.
GM produces 28,728 browning machine guns.
April
Citizens Defense Corps established (OCD)
Sugar scarce, banned.
28. Price control Act - 60% of foods maximum price set at March level.
29. Dim out of NYC, glow silhouettes ships for submarines.
May
Iron, more steel, zinc under wartime control.
4 . War Ration Book One issued, the "sugar book".
15. Gas rationing, 2-½ gal per week. Use "to attend church".
Sugar rationed at 1/2 lb per month. (a critical "from scratch" item).
Meat 7 lb, butter, coffee 1 lb per month.
16. Womens Auxillary Army Corp ((WAAC) established. Fort Des Moines, 150,000 WAC, freed 7 divisions.
31. Civilian production banned on 136 items : refrigerators, vacuums, vending machines, small appliances such as toasters, ...
June
4 . Dim out extended to whole east coast.
15. V-mail initiated (microfilm) 1.25 billion letters.
20. Book, Berlin Diary, released.
21. Belle Isle race riot.
Voluntary dimout failed in NYC, ordered by Army.
NYC and Miami say lights needed for tourism
July
OPA bands home delivery of packages.
Milk, ice, and bread delivery rediscovers horse and wagon.
Metal products banned - windows, caskets, toys, beer cans, ...
All other household use of metal limited to some fraction
less than 1940-41 production levels.
August
U-boats sink a ship about every 4 hours.
September
Fair Employment Comm reports 50% of all defense jobs remain closed to Negroes
October
3 . Prototype of V-2 rocket launched by Warnher von Braun
20. Meatless Tuesday initiated.
21. Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI hero, plane lost in Pacific. Rescued after 21 days on raft.
25. Draft age lowered to 18.
November
25. War Labor board allows employers to raise women's wages
20¢/hr if necessary to get labor. (average 40% under men.)
28. Coconut Grove Night Club fire in Boston kills 493.
29. Coffee rationing on cup-a-day for each person over 15 years.
December 1942
1 . Gasoline rationed with A,B,C stickers. 4 gallons per month, later 3 gallons.
2 . Enrico Fermi builds first nuclear reactor in a Chicago stadium.
5 . Men no longer allowed to directly enlist in Marine Corp.
Most were Selective Service volunteers.
To allow drafting married men, a wife to receive $28/mo from government,
plus $22 deducted from husband for a total of $50 per husband.
North Platte Canteen serves sandwiches and coffee to 6,000,000
in uniform on 10 minute stops, 32 trains a day.
Victory gardens in 1943 provided 40% of national needs.
Rationing ended in 1946.