Blackout Darkens St. Louis Skies

From the Dec. 16, 2012, St. Louis (Mo) Post-Dispatch "A Look Back:  World War II blackout drill darkens St. Louis" by Tim O'Neal.

Police sirens and factory whistles went off at 10 PM and lights went out all over the city.  Mayor William Dee baker was on top of the Civil Courts Building, viewing the now-dark city, called it a success.  Only a few alley lights in the neon sign on the Kessler Fur Co. at 1008 Locust Street were still lit.  The date was Dec. 14, 1942.

For weeks earlier, 7,500 local air raid wardens wearing "CD" armbands had been going door-to-door explaining the rules.  Newspapers and radio stations had also been hammering the message home.  This drill was part of a larger National Civil Defense program that was happening concurrently across seven Midwest states.

This happened even though an attack by German bombers in the hinterlands was essentially impossible.  German Heinkel bombers could just barely make it to Iceland from European bases.  And, Germany did not have any aircraft carriers.

The drill was signalled by five second blasts broken by three seconds of silence.

People at home turned out their lights, motorists pulled over and pedestrians even put out their cigarettes.

It Was War.  --GreGen