[ARC5] The comms war - VHF & HF (a bit OT).

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 8 Jul 2012 at 9:11, J. Forster wrote:

> I believe a few things (rubber, gasoline?) were rationed in the US,

A "few"? No. Hardly!

To begin with, radio parts, meters, tubes, etc. Also many food items: meat, 
butter, sugar, chocolate. Whole automobiles and applicances. 

>From Wikipedia; "typewriters, coffee, sugar, gasoline, bicycles, clothing, fuel 
oil, silk, nylon, stoves, shoes, meat, cheese, butter, lard, margarine, canned 
foods, dried fruits, jam, and many other items. 

Also, manufacturers were ordered to stop making metal office furniture, 
radios, phonographs, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, 
and sewing machines, among other things. 

A national speed limit of 35 mile per hour was instituted to save on gas and 
tires, not to mention cars. After March of 1942 dog food could no longer be 
sold in tin cans. If someone wanted to buy toothpaste, he had to turn in an 
empty tube.

Sugar was the first item rationed, all sugar to civilians being completely cut 
off at the end of April 1942, although limited amounts could be bought, with a 
ration book, after May 7 of 1942.

A Ration Board member had this to say: "We discovered that the American 
people are basically honest and talk too much."

In addition, any Doctor over the age of about 25 was immediately drafted 
and sent overseas. The shortage of qualified doctors in the U.S. was acute.

For the U.S. to ship the many millions of tons of "stuff" to the UK and to 
Russia cost us more than either of those two countries will ever know...or 
admit.

Despite the fact that we weren't being bombed, it wasn't easy for any of us. 

Some here may not know that German submarines were detected in the 
Mississippi River, and that the coastal towns' stupidity in NOT dimming their 
lights cost us many, many merchant ships sunk within sight of land, even in 
the Caribbean.

There were repeated articles in "The National Geographic" on this issue, with 
many heart-rending photos.

Ken W7EKB