Chapter 10, page 313.
The U.S. entered World War II in 1941 after the Japanese attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
As with World War I, men between 18 and 45 were drafted into the military. This photograph shows drafted military inductees boarding a bus in Norway, Maine. Many eventually fought overseas.
Primary Sources for Finding Katahdin Chapter 10, Section 4
Item 9419
Item 4313
Chapter 10, page 320.
Walter Hustus of South Portland, who served on a bombing crew, was one of numerous American military men captured during the war.
Hustus was captured by the Germans and held in a prison of war camp in Austria. He was released unharmed at the end of the war.
Item 17029
Chapter 10, page 320.
American POW Walter Hustus sent a message to his family in South Portland on his release. He wrote, "Dearest folks I'm all O.K. In U.S. hands so don't worry. Homeward bound, Darling Son Walter L. Hustus."
Transcription
The link above will download a PDF file. Help with PDF.
Item 17243
Chapter 10, page 315-316.
Women played a significant role during WWII. This was the first war that women were permitted to enlist in the military, and they did so in record numbers.
Most were stationed at bases within the U.S., including Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth.
Item 15795
Chapter 10, page 315-316.
Women also played a vital role on the homefront. Louise Surrette of Bangor, for example, went to Connecticut to work during the war.
In Maine, women worked at Bath Iron Works, in factories, paper mills, and on farms.
The Maine Cooperative Extension Service and the Women's Emergency Farm Service helped place women on farms throughout the state. The women filled in and helped milk cows, rake blueberries, and tend and harvest produce like corn, potatoes, apples and other vegetables.
Item 1147
Chapter 10, page 315-316.
People hung this poster in the window of their home to advertise their contribution to the war-work effort.
Item 9329
Chapter 10, page 318-320.
The U.S. experienced a shortage of some items during the war due to the pressure of providing for so many soldiers overseas.
Each family was allocated a limited amount of some items, including meat, sugar, and gasoline. Every person- man, woman, and child, had his or her own individual ration book.
Mairon E. Bagley's ration book contains identifying information to insure that she was the person using the rationing stamps.
Transcription
The link above will download a PDF file. Help with PDF.
Item 9186
Chapter 10, page 318-320.
Gasoline rationing requied these purchase permits.
Item 13570
Chapter 10, page 316.
Almost 3,000 German prisoners of war (POWs) were sent to Houlton from in 1944 and 1945.
Prisoners helped the community by harvesting potatoes, logging and packing vegetables, in exchange for a small salary.
Item 10894
Chapter 10, page 316.
A German prisoner at Camp Houlton painted this still life.
Item 13561
German prisoners picking potatoes, Houlton, 1945 / Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum
Chapter 10, page 316.
Two German POWs are shown in an Aroostook County potato field. The POWs helped the Houlton war-work effort during the last years of the war.
Item 4165
Chapter 10, page 321.
Peace finally came in August of 1945 after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
Mainers, like Americans everywhere, were eager to see the end of the war and welcome home their loved ones from overseas.
Celebrations throughout Maine lasted for days. Church bells chimed, confetti was strewn, and crowds filled the streets. Happy reunions, like the one shown in this photograph, occurred in homes all over the state.