War on the Homefront:
Connecticut Goes to War, 1860-1945

World War II, 1941-1945

Like all Americans, Connecticut residents responded to the bombing of Pearl Harbor with shock and anger. Men rushed to enlist and provisions were made for civilian defense, including, for the first time, protection from possible air raids. The economy received a boost as war industries increased production. Workers employed in Connecticut’s factories created an acute housing shortage; commuting increased and as a result Connecticut became more suburban. Many items became hard to get as supplies were routed to troops overseas. Rationing of fuel oil, gas, sugar and meat was imposed and victory gardens were planted. Morale remained high, in part because wartime prosperity contrasted sharply with the Depression of the preceding decade.

< During World War II, bond drives help to raise money to finance the war, just like the liberty loan campaigns during World War I. These employees of the American Brass Company are waiting to sign up for 10% payroll deduction. The men seated at the table are filling out forms for each employee.

Blood Drive
Tolland County, 1940s
CD Number IMG0062-1454

< The discovery of blood types at the beginning of the 20th century made blood transfusions possible. The first “blood banks” were set up in the late 1930s. During World War II, the American Red Cross collected 13 million units of blood for use by the armed forces, some of it from these Connecticut donors.

Franklin G. Post & Son Boatyard
Mystic, 1940s.
Photo CD Number: IMG0054-4173.PCD

< Franklin G. Post & Son was just one of many Connecticut boatbuilders who repaired and built coast guard and naval vessels during the two world wars. The vessels shown here include a sub-chaser tied at the end of the pier and coast guard patrol boat on the north railway.

< Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts participated in the war effort in many different ways. Boy Scouts took part in scrap drives, collecting tin, aluminum, rags and tires for recycling into war materials. Girl Scouts knitted socks for soldiers. The victory garden pictured here provided civilians with vegetables at a time when most food supplies were being sent to soldiers overseas.

< Supporting American troops abroad may have been the primary focus during World War II, but the sufferings of European civilians were another grave concern, especially as the atrocities of the German concentration camps became known. These students at the University of Connecticut are raising money for their counterparts in concentration camps.

Link to other essays in this Journey:

>> Introduction: Connecticut Goes to War, 1860-1945
>> The Civil War, 1861-1865
>> The Spanish-American War, 1898-1899
>> World War I, 1917-1919

>> Guideposts
>> Suggestions for further reading