moral in America spring/summer 1942

Morale is difficult to measure on a national scale. Certainly the war news was bad - the news that was released - and there was an understandable negative reaction. Events like the Doolittle Raid and Midway and reports of other victories, no matter how small, got front page coverage. In spite of the hype about the danger of U-Boats, the extent of shipping losses was widely publicized, if at all. Long casualty lists were yet to appear and there was little of the weariness that might have settled in.

There were lots of things that contributed to high morale, depending on individual circumstances. Enlistees and draftees were caught up in training and the transition from civilians to military. On the home front, many unemployed and underemployed found themselves paid more money than ever before in their lives. My mother (age 17) recalls the Summer of '42 as when she had a date every month. My father was caught up in learning to fly and partying on weekends.

If there was low morale, I suspect it was on the front lines and in the Pentagon where people had a real picture of the military situation.

great reply David Wilma, what i ment was offcourse the moral on the homefront. WW2 created a lot of jobs in the USA that had been lost during the depresion. I read somewhere that ww2 was the closest USA ever have been to a well functioning socialist state

As the other post mentioned, 'morale' is a relative thing, especially in a huge country like the United States. Both national and personal circumstances came into play.

For many people, ten years of economic depression and misery were finally over. The factories were running again and jobs available.

Different people saw the world situation in different ways. Some were quite apathetic and focused on the days' many chores on the farm. Others were quite interested in world events.

In 1942 there was much uncertainty. While many men were being drafted, the army wouldn't reach its peak until 1945, so many more men were not in the service. In 1942 although the nation was officially at war, things hadn't as yet changed dramatically as they would later.

The govt was concerned about morale in 1945. The war with Japan had a long way to go, and govt leaders worried how much longer the people would accept long casualty lists and civilian deprevations.

Many people in that time were very optimistic. While they realized the world at that moment had very serious problems, they were confident those problems would be overcome and the world a better place afterwards. (When the Cold War issues erupted after WW II many people were quite upset and frustrated).

In the late 1930s, technology had been advancing, with many exhibits at the 1939 World's Fairs in NYC and San Francisco. People hoped that science and engineering would give them better lives; indeed, the quality of life for Americans went up dramatically in the 1950s as the fruits technology was implemented in products and services. (Some of that growth came out war necessity).

Morale was just fine. In the spring of 1942 I was living in Laconia NH and ten years old. I bought savings stamps at school and collected such vital war materials as tinfoil and milkweed floss. I was never in the slightest doubt that in five or ten years we would thoroughly defeat Japan, Germany, and Italy, preferably in that order.

It was not until I was a college student in the 1950s that I realized that we were losing the war in the winter of 1941-42.

all the best

I should have added that, even as a young boy, I was aware that life was better in 1942 than it had been three or four years previously. To me, and I suspect to many others, 1942 was one of those years in which it is clear to the people living through them that things are beter than they were yesterday and are going to get better in the future. It was a good time for a boy to be alive. (Absolute well being is not what matters. It is betterment that makes you happy.)

all the best

I dug out my older brother's letters to my folks (my mother saved them all) to see if they shed much light on the period. Not surprisingly, they mention very little about other than personal matters. However, he does reference my cousin, who was in a national guard unit that would be incorporated into the 25th Infantry Division, which would see plenty of service in the south Pacific, saying that he had heard from him and all the boys in his unit were eager to get into action

(snip excellent post)

It was notable in Normandy in 1944 that the divisions fresh from the US were far more gung-ho than the experienced US divisions from Italy and North Africa, and far more gung-ho than the battle-weary Commonwealth divisions (eg 7th Armoured), some of which had fought since 1940. This is hardly unexpected and was seen in WW1 too.

On the subject of morale, I read an interesting account of an elderly, middle class and very respectable English woman who lived through the London 1940-41 blitz. She reported in 1941 that 'everyone in our [apartment] block is terrifically proud that we have been the most heavily bombed area of London this week'. This was despite her losing her home and all her possessions. By 1944, however, she was tired and depressed and wanted the war over quickly.

It seems that the long grind is more depressing to morale than immediate danger, which can be exhilarating.

thanks for the great replies folks, was'nt tryning to bash USA or anything just currious about how the situvation was back in 1942, off course the war created a lot of jobs that had been lost in the 1930's

If you are 65 now, you were born in 1939 and were 6 years old in 1945. I'll say you must have been a precocious child if you read about the war news.

With the

What did you do to vent your anger as a 2-year-old?

I was 22 years old in 1942 and was enjoying life. Was married and had a job . In August 1941 I purchased a new car. As I recall chrome was getting short even then.

I lived on the west coast and do not recall any moral problems among the people I was around. It was not long before I found myself in uniform in the south pacific wondering how to get out of that place.

Did not see my wife for over two years. We did not like it but we knew it was for the duration. The troops then and now have a different life.

I was 2 years older than you and have the same memories. I also remember that an uncle got a jog with the Ordnance Dept inspecting the mfg of tires. First job in 15 years:> Regards Buddy B