What World War II Can Teach Us About Battling Coronavirus-- Part 4: The Automotive Council for War Production

This year, however, by contrast, the United States dithered for weeks as the virus picked up steam in January and February and it now to late to prepare for it.  We have to now take it as it comes and try to catch up.

And, American companies and industries are rapidly ramping up and changing to making items that will be needed in this new war.  However, they are scattershot.  An organized federal government approach is badly needed.  It appears that the federal government is now taking steps to organize our defense.

In 1941 America's automakers and their suppliers formed the Automotive Council for War Production, which put 192 manufacturing plants to work for the war effort.  They created a shared list of every machine tool not being used to capacity to squeeze out just a little bit more.  They also pledged to make their facilities available to other companies that might need them.

In the five weeks after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government  let out contracts worth $3.5 billion ($6.1 billion today).  Manufacturers were motivated by national unity and profits; a federal ban on the production of civilian cars all but ensured the automaking industry would turn to munitions.

--GreGen

What World War II Can Teach Us About Battling Coronavirus-- Part 3 : Preparing for War Well in Advance of It

Sadly, the United States has not had a chance to prepare in advance as was the case back in World War II.  Sure, from 1939 to December 7, 1941, we weren't at war, but we sure were on a war-time footing.  Anyone could tell that it was just going to be a matter of time before the United States got into it.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt got serious about stocking his armory (and drafting soldiers) more than a year before the Japanese attack, soon after France fell to Germany.  By April 1941, the government had ordered $1.5 billion (that's 26.4 billion in today's money) worth of plane engines, tanks, machine guns and other tools of war from the auto industry

By the time Congress declared war 8 months later, the auto industry was well into the process of realigning supply chains and preparing to arm America.

--GreGen

What World War II Can Teach Us About Fighting the Coronavirus-- Part 2: Scale, Speed and Success

The coronavirus calls for a different set of needed vital weapons to fight it than what was needed against the Axis.  World War II, however, played out over many years, the virus has really transformed lives across the world in just a matter of weeks.

American factories are not shut down because they are crippled.  They are shut down because workers need to keep their distance.  In 1941, most of the materials needed for the war effort were available right at home.  Now, those materials come from around the world.

Still, the way American industry mobilized for World War II was remarkable for its scale, speed and success.  This can likely be repeated in today's crisis.

--GreGen

What World War II Can Teach Us About Fighting the Coronavirus-- Part 1

From March 26, 2020, Wired  by Alex Davies.

With the fast spread of the virus, Ford has announced it won't be resuming production  of its trucks and SUVs.  However, they have started several projects  aimed at fighting the pandemic.  That means collaborating with 3M  on a new respirator design using stockpiled fans.  They are also working with GE Healthcare to increase production of ventilators.

In addition, Ford designers are producing  new sorts of transparent face shields to protect medical workers and first responders.  It hopes to soon be making  100,000 a week at a subsidiary
plant.

Tesla and GM are also helping.

This is similar to what the big companies did to battle the Axis.  They quickly switched from peace time production to war footing.  New factories were built.  Ford made aircraft (at its peak, turning out a B-24 bomber every  63 minutes at its Willow Run plant west of Detroit), Frigidaire made machine guns, lingerie factories churned out camouflage netting and parts made for vacuum cleaners went into gas masks.

Getting Big Business On Board.  --GreGen

How the COVID-19 Recession Is Like World War II

From March 2 Bloomburg Opinion by Tyler Cowen.

This crisis has a lot in common with World War II.  IN WW II, an enemy attacked and a significant portion of the U.S. economy was redirected to fight it.  With this "V" a significant portion of the economy has been redirected to fight it at home.

One piece of good news is that the American economy will see a boom once the fears are over.  This is also what happened after WW II was over.  Americans have already spent time not making major purchases, but when it's over, watch out!

I know we were planning on buying a new Chevy Malibu this week, but have put it off until the scare is over.

However, with WW II, it was known that the war was going to last a long while.  No one knows just how long this "V" is going to last.

--GreGen

Zestfully Clean on the Home Front in 1943

From the Jan. 2, 2015, Shorpy Old Photos.

ZESTFULLY CLEAN: 1943.

June 1943  "Arlington, Va.  Girls in two of the long line of showers at Idaho Hall, Arlington Farms, suburban Washington residence for women who work in the U.S. government for the duration of the war."

Photo by Esther Bubley, Office of War Information.

Comments:

Arlington Farms had various uses after the war before being razed in the 1960s and is now part of Arlington National Cemetery.

During the war, Arlington Farms was a major attraction for male military members for some reason.

A Lot of Women.  --GreGen

1944 Olympics in London Cancelled Due to WW II

Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, and after that scrambling to find replacement hosts for 1940, the IOC awarded London the 1944 Summer Games in balloting that also included Athens, Budapest, Detroit, Helsinki, Lausanne, Montreal and Rome.

With England not a feasible host for the Winter Games, that event was awarded to Cortina d'Ampezzo,Italy.

The 1944 Olympics never had a chance.  World War II dragged on until the following year.

London would be awarded the 1948 Summer Games, the first in a dozen years and staged in austere conditions as the city continued to recover from the war.

--GreGen

1940 Olympics Cancelled in Japan Because of World War II

 The Olympics scheduled for this summer in Tokyo look like they will be put off until next year because of you-know-what.  This will not be the first time the Olympics have been cancelled or put off.  It also happened in 1916, 1940 and 1944 when they were altogether cancelled.

I wrote about the 1916 one during World War I in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

From the March 22, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Olympics:  Groundswell builds" by Eddie Pells, AP.

1940 SUMMER OLYMPICS

In an era when the selected nation go the option of hosting both the Summer and Winter Games in the same year, Japan was a surprising choice as the first non-Western country to be awarded the Olympics.

Tokyo was to be the summer host, with Sapporo getting the winter version.

Again, war got in the way.  After World War II began in September 1939  with Germany's invasion of Poland, the Olympics were cancelled altogether.

Tokyo would eventually get the chance to host the Summer Games in 1964 -- still the first Asian city to receive the honor -- while Sapporo landed the 1972 Winter Games.

--GreGen

Shorpy's Home Front: Heavy Milk and Cream Truck

From Jan. 7, 2015, Shorpy Photos "Marin-Dell dairy truck, San Francisco: 1945.  Photo shows a big truck for the company.  Marin-Dell Milk & Cream.  Truck is in front of a building with a big milk bottle with name, logo and the words "Sold Only At Independent Stores."

Marin-Dell was a San Francisco-based company.

Even at war, the U.S. had to get milk and cream to families.

--GreGen

Shorpy's Home Front: The Felix Fuld House in Newark, N.J.

Shorpy January 6, 2015  "Fuld House: 1944."

August 30, 1944 Felix Fuld Houses, Newark Housing Authority, 57 Sussex Ave., Newark, N.J..  Photo by Gottscho Schleisne.

Black housing.  There is a black sailor on the playground.  Segregation was in full effect during the war, even in the North.

Comments:  Torn down in 2007 and replaced by Nat Turner Park.

Felix Fuld was Louis Bambinger's sister's husband.   Together they owned Bambinger's, THE New Jersey department store.

--GreGen

The USS Arizona and Two Other Pearl Harbor Museums Close Due to the Virus

From the March 17, 2020, Honolulu Star-Advertiser "USS Arizona, three other Pearl Harbor museums closing due to coronovirus worries" by William Cole.

Along with the Arizona, which gets 4,000 to 5,000 visitors a day, the USS Bowfin (Submarine)  Museum and Park is now closed.

The Battleship Missouri Memorial has also closed.

The fourth museum in Pearl Harbor, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, is also closing.

This has been an especially rough time for the Arizona Museum Memorial after falling attendance and revenue resulting from the 15-month shutdown of onsite visits to the memorial from 2018-1019 because of problems at the pier by the sunken battleship.

A total of 1,177 men lost their lives when the USS Arizona blew up which still ranks as the U.S. Navy's biggest loss in a single action.

In 2019, nearly  1,8 million people  visited the Pearl Harbor site.

--GreGen

Another Oklahoma Unknown Buried: Hupert P. Hall of Kentucky

March 17, 2020--  The remains of Seaman 2nd class Hupert Preston Hall were laid to rest at the National Memorial of the Pacific, or Punchbowl, in Oahu.  He was 20 years old when he died on the USS Oklahoma.

On June 26, 1940, he came to Owensboro from his home in Cloverport to enlist  in the U.S. Navy in the hopes of learning a trade.

He was one of the estimated 388 bodies taken from the wreck of the ship when it was uprighted.

The Kentucky governor ordered all flags in the state flown at half mast March 17 in his honor.  He was from Floyd County.

--GreGen

Effort to Award Congressional Gold Medal to World War II Army Rangers Moves Ahead

From the March 16, 2020, Military.com by Richard Sisk.

It has bipartisan backers in both the Senate and House and is running against the clock to get it passed while some of them are still alive.    It is estimated that only about 40 survive.

The Rangers were in special operations.

A big reason for Senator Joni Ernst, (R-Iowa) is that former tech sergeant Lester Cook, one of the original group of Rangers formed in 1942 under the leadership of Captain William O. Darby, is still alive and living in Des Moines, Iowa.

--GreGen

Bits of War: A Piece of USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies, and NCIS Episode

**  March 12, 2020:  A piece of the USS Arizona is heading to Lake Havasu Cuty, Arizona.

**  Cabell County's last Pearl Harbor survivor has died at age 98.  West Virginia.  March 13, 2020  T.R. Tommy Wickline was 19 and on the USS Maryland that day.  He had enlisted in the Navy at age 16.

**  Christopher Lloyd to star in upcoming "NCIS" episode where he will be playing a USS Arizona survivor.   Looking forward to this one.

--GreGen

B-17 Crash Raises Questions About Vintage Plane Safety-- Part 4: Only Nine of These Still Fly Now

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said that if an issue is discovered during the investigation that might apply to the fleet, the agency will take appropriate action.  Vintage planes need to be certified as airworthy by the FAA and are subject to periodic inspections.

Owners can obtain s FAA "living history flight exemption" to offer flights to paying customers, but they must comply with extra federal requirements for safety and maintenance.

"I would not have any hesitation about flying in these aircraft," said Dick Knapinski, a spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, an organization of aviation enthusiasts and airplane restorers.

The association flies one of the few remaining B-17s.

Its B-17 was scheduled to visit Hyannis, Massachusetts, over the weekend but did not plan to offer passenger flights out of respect for those connected to the B-17 crash.

The Connecticut crash reduces to nine the number of B-17s actively flying according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, near Dayton, Ohio.

--GreGen

USS West Virginia Unknown Returns Home: Bethel Walters

March 11, 2020, Texhoma Home Page.  "WW II sailor returns home to Texas with hero's welcome 78 years later" by Zach Verdea.

His family went to Hawaii to collect his remains and came back to Dallas with them.    Fireman 1st Class Bethel Walters died December 7, 1941, on his ship the USS West Virginia and his body was recovered but his identity not known until recently.

He was escorted from Dallas to home in Bowie, Texas, by family, friends and the North Texas Patriot Guard Riders.  All along the way, people welcomed him home and especially upon arrival in Bowie.

He will be buried Saturday.

It Is So Wonderful What the U.S. Is Doing With the USS West Virginia and USS Oklahoma Unknowns.  --GreGen

B-17 Crash Raises Questions About Vintage Plane Safety-- Part 3: Twenty-One Accidents with WW II-Era Bombers Since 1982

Arthur Wolk continued:  "No one alive went through the military training program for these aircraft. The engines are old with no new parts being manufactured for decades.  Even in service, these planes needed the resources of a government to keep them flying.  The aircraft and engines were never intended to last this long so intense maintenance and inspections are vital to continued safety."

Since 1982, the National Transportation Safety Board has investigated 21 accidents involving World War II-era bombers.  They resulted in 23 deaths.  Three of those accidents involved B-17Gs, not counting the one that crashed Wednesday.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, asked that the NTSB during its investigation of the Connecticut accident look at the inspection and maintenance requirements on vintage planes and whether they need to be more vigorous.

--GreGen

B-17 Crash Raises Questions About Safety-- Part 2: A Fiery Crash Killed Seven

But a deadly crash in Connecticut last week of the same B-17 that Gloria Bouillon rode in has cast a pall over the band of brothers and sisters who enjoy riding in vintage planes and raised questions of whether machinery over 70 years old should be flying passengers.

The propeller driven 1945 bomber crashed Oct. 2 at the Hartford airport, killing seven of 13 people aboard after a pilot reported engine trouble on takeoff.  The cause of the fiery wreck is under investigation.

Arthur Alan Wolk, a lawyer who specializes in crash litigation in Philadelphia, said Friday that the accident shows the risks associated with flying old planes:  They break.

He said the rules for operating vintage aircraft are stringent, but he questioned whether compliance and training are adequate.

"No one alive ever flew or maintained one of these aircraft in service," he wrote in a blog post.

--GreGen

B-17 Crash Raises Questiona About Vintage Plane Safety-- Part 1: Going Up In One Is a Real Step Back In Time

From the October 10, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Jennifer McDermott.

The roar of its four engines, the plexiglass nose, the bristling machine guns-- for history buffs and aviation enthusiasts, few thrills compare with that of a flight aboard aircraft like the B-17 Flying Fortress, the World War II bomber that helped smash the German war machine.

"It made you feel like you were back in the 1940s," said commercial pilot Gloria Bouillon, who rode in one last month and called it the best flight of her life.  "They had it set up just like it would be on a mission.  You could put your head out of the hatch.  It was windy.  It was noisy.  You could smell the fuel.  It was much different from a flight now."

--GreGen

Only Two USS Arizona Survivors Remain: Ken Potts and Lou Conter

From March  Connecting vets by Julia LeDoux.

Ken Potts vividly remembers that morning on December 7, 1941.

Potts, who is a member of American Legion Post 13 in Provo, Utah, was bringing fresh produce to the USS Arizona when the first Japanese planes started their attack.  When he arrived, his ship was already on fire, but that didn't stop him from climbing aboard and rescuing some of his shipmates.

"I don't remember being afraid.  I don't think I had time to think of being afraid,"  Potts told the Provo Daily Herald in 2018.

The other survivor of the Arizona is Lou Conter, a member of the American Legion Post 130 in the department of California.

--GreGen