Home Sweet Home Front

Over the years many books have been written on World War II, especially about the battles overseas. This book was written, in part, to honor those that helped fight the war, not on the battlefields, but also in Dayton, Ohio. By focusing on the home front, the military aspect of the war has been somewhat diminished compared to other books about the era. Wright, Patterson and McCook Field, although of utmost importance in the United States effort to win the war, takes more of a backseat here. Instead, the changes that occurred in the everyday lives of those who were left behind are discussed. It may seem strange to compare the men and women who served in the armed forces with those who stayed behind, but the truth is that both made sacrifices for the greater good, including the supreme sacrifice of giving up their lives. During the war 292,000 American soldiers died, with another 671,000 wounded. On the home front, nearly 300,000 war workers died while on the job, with more than one million disabled and three million injured. Many "soldiers" on the home front gave freely of their time, working 48 hour a week, volunteering as civil defense wardens or making bandages for the Red Cross in the evenings and on weekends. Many types of food were rationed, as was gasoline, tires, automobiles, and even safety razors. Scrap drives were held in an effort to collect metals to make new weapons, hosiery to make parachutes and fat to make glycerin for gunpowder. Even the children got into the act, being trained as "defense messengers", earning money for the purchase of war bonds, and forming clubs like the Dayton Junior Commandos, all in an effort to help shorten the war. The citizens of Dayton who lived during the war were, and still are, extraordinary people who helped shape the way our city and our nation is today. It is to them that this book is dedicated.