American Women in World War II: On the Home Front and Beyond

[rangerrebew]

American Women in World War II: On the Home Front and Beyond

American women played important roles during World War II, both at home and in uniform. Not only did they give their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers to the war effort, they gave their time, energy, and some even gave their lives.

Reluctant to enter the war when it erupted in 1939, the United States quickly committed itself to total war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That commitment included utilizing all of America’s assets—women included. The Axis powers, on the other hand, were slow to employ women in their war industries. Hitler derided Americans as degenerate for putting their women to work. The role of German women, he said, was to be good wives and mothers and to have more babies for the Third Reich.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/women-wwii

[thackney]

American film actress Veronica Lake, illustrates what can happen to women war workers who wear their hair long while working at their benches, in a factory somewhere in America, on November 9, 1943.

[Victoria33]

Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941.  I was 8 years old.  I remember parents using coupons for sugar, flour, shoes, gasoline.  Mom got more sugar since she canned food.  I remember the sugar sacks in the meat curing room outside at home.  We had a full garden and two pigs each year, and chickens and fruit trees that did bear fruit.  All that was canned for the winter.

I remember a dress made out of flower sacks.  I thought coupons were natural as I didn't know another way to get those items.  The first time I had a store bought dress was when I was going away to college in 1951.  My parents took me to Dallas, to Sanger-Harris department store and told me to get any dresses/coat I wanted.

It doesn't seem a long time since then, but it is.  Veronica Lake was my favorite actress.