WWII Rationing & Shortages: Gas, Meat, Sugar, Coffee, Cars, Metal, Oil, Nylon, Rubber

[appalachiablue]

Americans united in the spirit of common purpose & aided the war effort against fascism for 4 years.

Music, "In the Mood," big-band era jazz song popular in the 1940s, Glenn Miller.

[Jeebo]

1. We had a SANE, COMPETENT president then.

Now, we have a sociopathic megalomaniacal con man.

-- Ron

[appalachiablue]

17. FDR & cabinet were amazing, how fortunate for us.

[montanacowboy]

2. The birth of Margarine

There was no butter so they came up with "Oleo" It was a white greasy blob in a plastic bag with a tiny little orange circle of color. You kneaded the bag until all the white oleo turned a nice yellow butterish color.

We couldn't get meat, butter, cigarettes, no tires for your car and my Mother couldn't get any nylon stockings. We got little ration books and red tokens each month to use to purchase food and they had to last the month.

Also, remember sitting in the "blackouts" when sirens would go off and we had to retreat into the house and close all the black drapes and sit in total darkness until the siren would blare the "all clear". I can remember sitting on my Mother's lap in a rocking chair.

I purchased little green minuteman stamps at school and when I got a book full, I got a US Treasury Bond.

We collected newspapers and all sorts of things for rummage but I was never sure how that stuff was used.

It was a time of great sacrifice but great camaraderie. We were always so excited when one of our Uncles came home on leave so we could hear the stories. Those were the times I remember as a child when even during the scary war and sirens I felt safe and happy. That was another world in another time.

[appalachiablue]

5. What a great story, you remember much,

the Oleo, rubber, collections, your uncles coming home.

Mom talked of these and also blackouts along the Atlantic in NYC, Va. N.C when German Uboats were around.

During the war when dad was in the army Europe, she and friends drove from the east coast to California somehow where they got jobs in San Francisco.

Thanks much for sharing these wonderful memories Montana Cowboy. Super post!

[Jeebo]

7. Blackouts? Sirens? Black drapes? In the U.S.?

Are you sure you aren't talking about the U.K.? I just watched a great old movie last week, "Mrs. Miniver", which was set in the U.K. during the war, during the Blitz, but I never knew that happened here in this country. I always thought we were insulated from all of that by two big oceans. Even Pearl Harbor happened way the heck out in the Pacific Ocean. You're a little older than I am, I was born in 1949, so I have no memory of that war.

-- Ron

[montanacowboy]

12. Yes there were blackouts in the USA

And it was contingent upon where you lived. I happened to live in a highly industrial area where weapons of war were manufactured. My father worked on highly sophisticated parts for submarines and the large anti aircraft guns were manufactured. This was along the Ohio River just south of Pittsburgh where the Jones & Laughlin and Blaw Knox Steel Mills were located. There were lots of blast furnaces that made steel so it was an area that would have been a real target. Thank heavens it never happened. And yes, I am up there in years, but those years are as clear to me today as if they had happened last week.

[appalachiablue]

16. Mom told us about this during WWII, blackouts in Va. Bch,

NC, NY, NJ and New England because of German Uboats traveling the Atlantic to attack merchant ships, block supplies and more. (Earlier during WWI, the Germans also operated a U-boat campaign in the Atlantic off the eastern seaboard). She said they had to turn off all lights, pull down shades at night, etc.

- 'U-boat Attacks of World War II: 6 Months of Secret Terror In The Atlantic' NE Hist. Soc.

On Jan. 13, 1942, German U-boat attacks officially started against merchant ships along the Eastern Seaboard of North America. From then until early August, German U-boats dominated the waters off the East Coast, sinking fuel tankers and cargo ships with impunity and often within sight of shore.

In less than seven months, U-boat attacks would destroy 22 percent of the tanker fleet and sink 233 ships in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The U-boats killed 5,000 seamen and passengers, more than twice the number of people who perished at Pearl Harbor.

While thousands of New Englanders looked to the sky for enemy airplanes, few had any idea about the carnage wreaked in the waters nearby...

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/u-boat-attacks-of-world-war-ii-6-months-of-secret-terror-in-the-atlantic/

[Newest Reality]

3. Gee,

Well, at least there WAS rationing.

It looks like there may be no choco rations at all.

The Ministry of Plenty can't be reached for comment on that.

The Ministry of Truth is saying there was no pandemic ever.

The Ministry of Love says we should all love Big Bother and take out some time for hating those who don't.

The Ministry of Peace says we have always been at war with Eastasia and should be prepared to fight.

It is rumored that we may unexist soon, but everything is ++Good!

[appalachiablue]

13. Dystopia here we come, unless Big, Big changes

[lettucebe]

4. I've got five War Ration Books and 2 Supplemental Mileage Ration books

Wonder if they'll still accept these?

[appalachiablue]

9. Good for you; any stories you want to share?

[DinahMoeHum]

10. Your local historical society or library might accept them. . .

. . .as a display.




#newrostrong

[roamer65]

22. The ration books only worked if they had the item available.

In many cases, they did not. I remember my grandma telling me that there was a lot of bartering, especially if you were a farmer with city dwelling family.

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. I still have one of my mother's ration cards, and my father's gas mask. All we're

asked to sacrifice is wearing a cloth mask and skipping a haircut. Sheesh.

What's happened to stalwart American resolve against a common enemy?

(Not a real question. I know)

[appalachiablue]

11. You are so right. Spoiled wimps, better toughen up.

[Hoyt]

8. Most people nowadays would feel deprived at 1930/40s levels of most things.

One advantage of an agrarian based society, that is long gone.

[appalachiablue]

14. Agree 'deprived' and spoiled; not good, at all

It's why I tell young relatives about all this and encourage them to start home 'democracy gardens' to learn the basics of supplemental food production. What's ahead, guaranteed difficulties on a large scale.

[Wellstone ruled]

15. Ration books,wow,

in our family we had members who were farmers and as a necessary War time group,we all worked together,every October was Butchering time,we raised about a hundred White rock Chickens for butchering and the three farmer Uncles swapped Beef and Pork for Chickens. Nine families worked together sharing ration stamps and meat as well as massive gardens. The Farm Guys were able to get Hundred pound Sugar at their local Feed Store as well as flour. Everyone shared and it worked out. The toughest was Gas for our Car. But,one of our Grand Parents built a Still for making ethanol for running his Tractor and the the old mans 29 Chevy ran pretty good with 50 50 mixture . Of course Gramps ran a Medicinal enterprise as well.

[appalachiablue]

18. Great memories; they were hardy pros, makes me hungry.

The 'medicinal still' of course.

[Wellstone ruled]

20. Yup strickly Medicinal.

Grams had the bottling operation in her Summer Kitchen. Home made Root Beer as well as their patented Lager .

[Warpy]

21. My mother dated some guy with more money than brains

who drove rustbucket Model T cars that weren't fussy about their diets and ran them on hair tonic, mouthwash, after shave, cologne, anything that would burn. When the engine finally died, he'd go buy another jalopy.

She said she went out with him because he always had a car and it always sort of ran.

[roamer65]

23. You couldn't even buy a car from 1942 to 1946.

Last edited Fri May 8, 2020, 02:40 AM - Edit history (1)

The few 1942’s brought out in late 1941 are worth a ton of money because they are so damn rare.

[appalachiablue]

24. VE Day, Victory In Europe, Nazis Defeated, WWII May 8, 1945

London.

[2naSalit]

25. That was interesting.

I have a cook book, my favorite, published in 1942, that has an interesting section after the index. It's titled 'Wartime Cookery", ten pages explaining what is in the canned food can by size, how to substitute honey for sugar and how to render fat and where to take it. It describes which meats are best to buy and other interesting survival tips.

I had several copies at one time, each edition had a section of that sort though they were things like blueprints for building a root cellar or how to butcher different animals and how to store the meat. I still use some of the recipes in the cookbook and get asked where I found such a great recipe. I never tell.