Thanks for leaving a light on for me. I've been out of touch due to a death in the family. I traveled to Tampa Florida for services and returned home last evening. Good to be home.
JR2, a new story from you is to be greatly welcomed and celebrated by the boys of the HWH squadron as well as those visiting from other units. You have left us a classic HWH tale that depicts the action as we see it on our monitors each and every time we play BoB. The difference between living a long life and taking a long time to die is a very deep and dramatic one.
Thanks JR2, nicely done indeed!
Interesting discussion on rationing and shortages during the war. While England and Germany suffered worse from those problems (as would be expected from nations under direct siege) some seem to beleive the US had none. This is of course absurd when one considers the huge production numbers achived by America's wartime industries. There was no way to reach the production levels the US did without the people's sacrifices in terms of food, clothing and other resources.
The government adopted rationing as it was the best way to ensure adequate supplies for the people. Rationing first applied to sugar in May 1942. Coffee rationing began also in 1942, with an allowance of one pound for a five-week period. Shoes were rationed starting in February 1943.
From 1942 through the end of the war Americans required ration stamps to buy products including meat, cheese, canned goods, sugar, butter, shoes and gasoline. Sugar was rationed at about 12 ounces per week. Automible owners could expect three gallons of gas a week. A pair of shoes needed to last a year including work shoes that typically wore faster. No new autos were built between 1942 and wars end.
Sometimes I get the sense that some folks look at the US mainland during the war and think we suffered little in terms of food and other shortages. It was simply not true. While we did not have to take some of the steps that some countries did due to our being protected by the Oceans (Not a factor any longer I'm afraid) the folks on the home front gave up much of their way of life during the war to ensure victory.
