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Library » Subject Guides » Homefront Effort


COLLECTIONS

Homefront Effort

Fighting a war in two theaters utilizing 16 million in uniform led to shortages in labor, shortages in food and supplies, and a need to support the military and the civilian workforce.
As the United States industry moved to support the war effort, the armed forces were increasing at a rapid rate, leading to a worker shortage. Industry recruited new employees – women and minority men. More than 6 million women worked in non-traditional defense industry jobs during World War II. The integrated workforce would have an impact on Civil Rights and the Women’s Movements in the years to come. The defense industry had production goals, and companies, factories and even shifts would compete to meet the goals fastest. The need for more workers led to the largest migration of people within the United States in the history of the country. Industrial centers grew exponentially. Following the war, some residents chose to stay in their new locations.
The establishment of the WAAC/WAC, WAVES, SPARS, and women Marines led to thousands of women enlisting. Most served stateside, but many served overseas. Uniforms were created by famous designers to be serviceable but feminine, and the wearing of red lipstick, known as Victory red, was encouraged.
Food rationing, featuring ration point coupons limiting purchase of certain foods, led people to growing “victory gardens,” and more than half of the produce in the United States was grpwn in home gardens. Meatless meals and desserts that used less sugar were popular ways of stretching ration points. Price controls set by the government helped prevent inflation and price gouging. Gasoline and other materials were also rationed. Materials necessary to the war effort, such as metal and paper, were collected for donation. The purchase of new items was limited, and the motto “Use it up; wear it out; make do; or do without” was used to encourage consumer conservation. Posters were also used to remind people to conserve: “when you ride alone, you ride with Hitler” to save gasoline; and “Of course I can!” to make preserving food patriotic.
Civil Defense helped protect the home front and the military. Blackout curtains helped disguise the location of cities and the coastlines. Coastline defense included patrols and anti-aircraft emplacements. Air raid drills were conducted, and air raid shelters designated. Emergency alert radio systems were designed. Posters and news articles cautioned people that discussion of production or troop movements endangers our military: “loose lips sink ships” and “Telling a friend may mean telling the enemy.”
Volunteer work to show patriotism was encouraged, from nurse’s aides to Red Cross doughnut volunteers to USO Canteen volunteers. Popular volunteer activities included knitting socks for soldiers, collecting scrap and materiel needed for war production, and writing to serving military members. To enable the most mail using the least room, V-mail, which shrank the average letter size, was introduced.
Economic support for the war effort was provided in part by the selling of war stamps and war bonds. War bond tours to encourage continued purchase frequently featured movie stars and celebrities. Later in the war, returning military members joined the war bond tours.
To find other items that the Marshall Foundation has on the home front, search “home front” in the library catalog:https://www.marshallfoundation.org/library/results/

Digitized items in the George C. Marshall archives:

3e Emprunt De La Defense Nationale – Credit Lyonnais
4-116 Speech for Third War Loan Drive, September 23, 1943
4-222 Radio Statement by General Marshall on the Fourth War Loan Drive, January 31, 1944
7th war loan Now all together
85 million Americans hold war bonds
A Safe And Patriotic Investment
A.E.F. to the President
An Investment Guaranteed By The State
Appeal to Women
Are YOU in this?
Attack attack attack Buy war bonds
Back The Empire With Your Savings
Back Them Up – My Duty
Be a victory farm volunteer in the U.S. Crop Corps See your principal
Be generous in victory Give a virginian’s share Your community war fund
Beat back the Hun with Liberty Bonds
Bowl them over more production.
Bring him Home with a Victory Load
Buy More Liberty Bonds
Buy War Loan
Clear-The-Way-!!
Compagnie Algerienne
Compagnie Des Notaries De Paris & Du Department De La Seine
Comptoir National D’escompte De Paris
Credit Commercial De France
Crush The Germans
Deliver us from evil Buy war bonds
Dinner as the Weapon, Kitchen as the Battleground: Food Rationing in World War II and Its Effect on Women
Don’t Let that Shadow Touch Them / Buy War Bonds
Emprunt De La Defense Nationale
Emprunt De La Liberation – On Les A
Eux Aussi! Font Leur Devoir
Fight or Buy Bonds
Fire Away! Buy Extra Bonds
Five Shillings And Help Your Country To Win
General Marshall speaking at “Back the Attack” Show for war bonds on Washington Monument grounds
General Marshall speaking at “Back the Attack” Show for war bonds on Washington Monument grounds
General Marshall speaking at “Back the Attack” Show for war bonds on Washington Monument grounds
Get your farm in the fight! use conservation methods for bigger yields now
Give to your war fund for our own for our allies
Grow your own be sure! garden for victory in 1945
Halt the Hun!
Help Crush The Germans
Help him win by Saving and Serving
Historians on the homefront American propagandists for the great war [by] George T. Blakey
Homefront
Invest 5/- To-Day In The War Loan
Invest In The War Loan
Invest Your 5/- Today
Joan of Arc Saved France
Just be sure you put at least 10% of it in War Bonds; Top that 10%!
Keep him flying! buy war bonds.
Keep us flying buy war bonds.
Keep Your War Savings Pledge
L’emprunt De La Liberation
L’or Combat Pour La Victoire
Lend Your Savings To The Nation To-Day
Let’s End It – Quick With Liberty Bonds
Miracle of World War II how American industry made victory possible
My Soldier
Next! Japan 6th War Loan
Norman Rockwell’s World War II : impressions from the homefront / Susan E. Meyer ; foreword by Robert F. McDermott
Oh please do! Daddy
Oil for victory the story of petroleum in war and peace … by the editors of Look
On Les Aura!
On Souscrit A La Banque D’alsace Et De Lorraine
Our Daddy is Fighting at the Front for You
Over the Top for You
Plant a victory garden our food is fighting. A garden will make your rations go further
Pour Celle Qui Chaque Jour Grandit
Pour Le Supreme Effort
Pour Que Vos Enfants Ne Connaissent Plus Les Horreurs De La Guerre
Protect his future buy and keep war bonds
Remember Belgium
Remember! The Flag of Liberty
Republique Francaise
Ruffle Aprons to Rivet Guns
Save freedom of speech Buy war bonds
Save freedom of worship Buy war bonds
Silver Bullets That Will Stop The Germans
Someone blabbed Don’t talk about ship movements! Don’t talk about war production! Button your lip!
Souscrives Au 4e. Emprunt National – Credit Lyonnais
Souscrivez A / L’emprunt De La ‘Victorie’
Souscrivez Pour La Victoire
Speed The Silver Bullet
Steel rails to victory
Take Up The Sword Of Justice
That Liberty Shall Not Perish From The Earth
The British Sovereign Will Win
The Man, Be He Rich Or Poor
The mobilization of the United States in World War II : how the government, military, and industry prepared for war / by V.R. Cardozier
To have and to hold Buy war bonds
To have and to hold! War bonds
Turn Your Silver Into Bullets
Uncle sam sets the best table Chip in for the chow Buy war bonds now
V for victory : America’s home front during World War II / by Stan Cohen
V is for victory : the American home front during World War II / Sylvia Whitman
V was for victory : politics and American culture during World War II / John Morton Blum
Vital for Victory: American Women on the Homefront During World War II
Votre Argent
Vous Aussi Faites Votre Devoir
W. Waring Jett delivering $500 War Bond to General Marshall as a contribution to the Fourth War Bond Drive
Wanted Men Munitions Money
War Loan Invest To-Day
We’ll have lots to eat this winter, won’t we mother: Grow your own, Can your own
Weapons for Liberty
Winning the War with Women
Women! Help Americas Sons Win the War
You can’t afford to miss either! Buy bonds every payday
You Have In Your Pocket Silver Bullets
Your War Savings Pledge

Collection Formats:

War Department Chiefs and Executives, October 19,
Collection: F. Gorham Brigham Collection

Documents


Organization Chart Offices of the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff & Secretary, General Staff, September 15,
Collection: F. Gorham Brigham Collection

Documents


Organization Chart Offices of the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff & Secretariat, General Staff, March 1,
Collection: F. Gorham Brigham Collection

Documents


Statistics Branch War Department General Staff organization chart
Collection: F. Gorham Brigham Collection

Documents


Secretariat, War Department General Staff, June 7,
Call Number: GCM 7890 Collection: F. Gorham Brigham Collection, George C. Marshall Photographs

Photographs


Handshake after award from Gen. George C. Marshall, 1945
Collection: F. Gorham Brigham Collection

Photographs


Legion of Merit awarded by Gen. George C. Marshall, 1945
Collection: F. Gorham Brigham Collection

Photographs

Legion of Merit awarded by Gen. George C. Marshall


Newspaper clipping of Pershing attending Brown-Marshall Wedding, October 12,
Collection: George Catlett Marshall and Katherine Tupper Marshall Collection

Notice of Marshall-Brown wedding


Invitation list to wedding of Katherine T. Brown and Lt. Col. George C. Marshall, 1930
Collection: George Catlett Marshall and Katherine Tupper Marshall Collection

Documents

Inivtation list to the wedding of Katherine T. Brown and Lt. Col. George C. Marshall


Marshall Day at Virginia Military Institute, May 15,
Author: Virginia Military Institute
Collection: George C. Marshall Collection

Documents

Marshall Day Virginia Military Institute


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