by Nancy McCammon-Hansen
War and politics make strange
bedfellows, so they say, but war can also bring about major changes to
“business as usual” in a community. Such is the case of Fort Wayne during World
War II. Close to a year ago we brought you a blog post about the work that Jeanne S. Miller and Lorraine H. Weier had
completed after two years working on documents of the World War I era Allen County
Council of Defense (COD). This year they turned their attention to World War II
and so we asked them to share a little of what they learned about that time in
Fort Wayne history.
On March 25, 1942, the “New York Times”
published an article stating that the possibility of an enemy attack on the
continental United States was slim at best. Distances were too great between
the continents and even a one-way flight did not seem likely. The United States
military did not share this view, nor did Fort Wayne’s residents, who knew that
the many defense industries located here could make the city a likely target
for an air strike or poison gas attack, especially after the bombing of London
in 1941.
Protection of the city was the one and
only purpose of WWII’s Fort Wayne Civilian Defense as opposed to the multiple
roles that the WWI era organization fulfilled. By WWII, the national government
was more centralized, with federal agencies and bureaus that could handle the
work that local efforts had accomplished in the past.
Although no air raids against the city
occurred, and the NYT was correct, the efforts of the 8100 unpaid citizen
volunteers, in league with paid fire and police personnel, led to “many
mythological barriers of religion, race and neighborhood prejudice” being
“broken down by wide participation. The training and service united the people
in their will to victory. It maintained their morale. It taught them discipline
and initiative, and skills which would be of use to future generations should
another nationwide emergency arise,” said Jeanne and Laurie when asked to
reflect on the times and referencing the August 19, 1944 issue of “Civilian
Front”.
Just as in WWI, leadership roles were
filled by “captains of business and the professions”. Mayor Harry Baals was
Director and Police Chief Carter Bowser Commander of the Control Center. Men
dominated the group but two women did hold responsible positions: Margaret Ann
Keegan chaired the Salvage Committee and Ann Waterfield the Red Cross Motor
Corps. In all there were 4,137 wardens, 513 auxiliary police, and 532 auxiliary
firemen.
“The enthusiasm for volunteering is
illustrated by Mrs. Laura Trowbridge, 311 Brandriff Street, pledging her
services, at age 101, to help civilian defense.”
Jeanne and Laurie said there is no
clear answer as to why business leaders also held the leadership positions in
the Civilian Defense organization, but they speculated that leaders in the
group had already demonstrated their abilities and had the experience that
would mean they would “naturally be selected for this new task which would
require a great deal of organizational ability. The regular police and fire
fighting forces were the core of the organization. They already had experience
dealing with catastrophes and were most frequently involved in training
volunteers to respond appropriately in the event of disaster. The desire to
show the soldiers abroad, who were risking so much, that the people at home
were likewise doing their part must have been an important motive. One might
call this patriotism or service to country, or even self-preservation, but
there were many volunteers who cooperated and served without complaint.”
Civilian Defense started on one’s home
block. Each block had a warden and an assistant warden who, as residents of the
block, likely knew most of the people who lived or worked there. These two
inspected each home or building on the block and were warned by the mayor that
no “Gestapo” methods were to be employed in fulfilling the task. Since no one
knew when an emergency could arise, and because the wardens were trained to
look out for the welfare of those in their area, cooperation was high. The WWII
era Civilian Defense workers had no authority to investigate loyalty to the
government and so prejudice against those of German descent was not as blatant
as in WWI days.
In 1942, Civilian Defense conducted
surprise blackouts in all parts of the city. Block wardens were responsible for
making sure no lights were shining to make the city visible to enemy planes.
Vehicles were drive without headlights and streetlights were also extinguished.
Air raid warning sirens announced the commencement of a blackout and the
approach of an enemy bomber. Minute by minute warnings came via radio. Fire and
police were dispatched to find the location of bombs.
A Control Center coordinated
transportation and communications. First aid stations, doctor, nurses and
ambulances were made ready. As one of the most important and best documented
activities of this time, military officials were in the city to determine the
effectiveness of the efforts, naming Fort Wayne as an example to be emulated in
other parts of the country.
Civilian Defense oversaw US government
properties in the city such as 77,748 four-gallon fire extinguishers, 2,825 gas
masks and 4,820 military steel helmets. Chicago, which had less need for
helmets, somehow acquired more, upsetting our local officials.
The phone number “119” (no, that’s not
a typo—it was 119) put the public in immediate touch with fire stations and the
Control Center for the reporting of fires and bombs. Materials that the duo
cataloged did not uncover where the idea of the “119” phone number originated.
Fort Wayne even “went Hollywood” with
the production of the film “Bombs Over Fort Wayne”. Created and produced by
Civilian Defense with assistance from WOWO, the film was a look inside the
Control Center during a simulated air attack at the corner of Calhoun and
Pontiac. After distribution to many other locales, Fort Wayne received a letter
of commendation from James M. Landis, the national director of Civilian Defense
in Washington, D.C.
Two copies of the script are in the
History Center’s archives but no known copy of the film itself is in existence
to the best of our knowledge.
All of the training for an air raid
paid off in 1943, not when the city was bombed but during a major flood.
Auxiliary firemen secured boats and hoses, rescued stranded people and animals,
measured the river as it rose, flushed debris from streets and mapped damage.
Sometime in 1943, efforts switched to
welcoming veterans home from the war and providing services to them. Families
of soldiers were assisted in getting help from the appropriate social service
agencies, a corps of chaplains was formed to help deliver the news of
casualties to families, and work to provide solutions to postwar social and
economic problems begun. As the threat of enemy air raids receded, a history of
the war effort was written and donated to the Historical Society by the Fire
Department.
A Veterans Aid Committee administered
benefits to servicemen as late as July, 1945 and in a story in the April 8,
1944 edition of the “News Sentinel”, the wardens are quoted as saying, “’Let
there be no forgotten soldier during or after the war’ is the objective of
Civilian Defense in its program for service men and their families.”
Jeanne and Laurie both remember WWII,
although from different perspectives.
Laurie’s family lived on a farm in
Illinois. She recalls food stamps were needed for items such as beef, sugar and
coffee. Gasoline was also rationed but farmers could get all they needed to run
their machinery. Auto speeds were limited to 35 mph to save on gas. Feed sacks
replaced fabric to make aprons and tablecloths. Laurie walked to school because
there were no bicycles available for purchase.
“…I always walked down the country
roads to my one-room school house, often seeing Stars in the farm windows of
those neighbors who had children in the service. I had two cousins in the
service overseas. Whenever family or friends gathered, the conversation would
always begin, ‘Did you hear from Joe or Harold this week?’.”
Jeanne was a teenager at this time and
remembers R. Nelson Snider, principal at South Side High School, announcing one
morning over the loud speaker that President Roosevelt had asked Congress to
declare war. Jeanne’s father was chairman of Selective Service Board 98 and so
conversation at home concerned the draft. The schools cooperated with the need
for military personnel by allowing accelerated courses and early exams for
those wishing to enlist.
“Occasionally a young solder or sailor
would visit the school while on furlough before being sent overseas. How
handsome they were in their uniforms. Patriotism in the school was high. We all
knew about the evil Hitler and Mussolini and wanted to stop those dictators. We
were less aware of what that would take. The war seemed far away and even
exciting. Not until newspaper headlines and movie theater newsreels announced
casualties, including the death of my first cousin, Charles Pask, did the
enormity of it all strike home to me.”
