TM Additional material by Brandon Cope, Kevin Davis, Lead Playtester John L.Freiler Paul Davis, William Rieder, and Hans-Christian Vortisch. Playtesters Edited and Illustrated by Gene Seabolt Michele Armellini, Volker Bach, GURPS System Design Steve Jackson Allen Barrett, Managing Editor Andrew Hackard Scott Biddle, GURPS Line Editor Sean Punch Rupert Boleyn, Frederick Brackin, GURPS WWII Line Editor Gene Seabolt Barry Cooper, Project Administrator Monique Chapman Peter Dell’Orto, Design and Production Gene Seabolt Thomas Schoene, Print Buyer Monica Stephens John Johnson, GURPS Errata Coordinator Andy Vetromile Andi Jones, Sales Manager Ross Jepson Richard Taylor, and the Hellions. GURPS,Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. GURPS WWII,Pyramid,Dogfaces,and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPSWWII:Dogfacesis copyright ©2003 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Some art based on photographs copyright www.clipart.com. Some art based on photographs from the National Archives Records Administration, Air Force Historical Research Agency, and other U.S. military sources. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. ISBN 1-55634-636-0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 STEVE JACKSON GAMES INTRODUCTION . . . 4 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 1. THE AMERICANS AT WAR . . . . . . . 5 THERELUCTANTWARRIORS . . . . . . . . . .6 Over There! Over There! . . . . . . . . . .6 Wilson and the League . . . . . . . . . . .6 INTERLUDEOFEXTREMES . . . . . . . . . . . .7 The Roaring ’20s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 On the Anvil: The Great Depression . . . . . . . . . .7 Alphabet Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Isolationism, Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 THEAPPROACHINGSTORM . . . . . . . . . . .9 European Entanglements . . . . . . . . . .9 “AMatter of Time” . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 AIR RAID,PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! . . . . . . .10 Map of Pearl Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . .11 AMASSIVEMOBILIZATION . . . . . . . . . .12 Peril in the Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Bataan Death March . . . . . . . . . . . .12 GIVE’EMHELL, BOYS! . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Island Hopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Hard Lessons in Africa . . . . . . . . . .14 Aleutian Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 China-Burma-India . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Success in Sicily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Atlantic Lifeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Inertia in Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 THEWESTERNFRONT . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 June 6, 1944: The Great Crusade . .17 The Breakout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Market-Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 The West Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 The Air War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Battle of the Bulge . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Across the Rhine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 V-E Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Changing of the Guard . . . . . . . . . .20 THEATOMICBOMB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 A Deadly Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 The Manhattan Project . . . . . . . . . .21 VICTORYOVERJAPAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 The One-Two Punch . . . . . . . . . . . .22 “I Shall Return” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Iwo Jima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Rain of Ruin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 V-J Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 The Final Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 2. THE U.S. ARMY . . 24 BYTHENUMBERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Chiefs of Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 The War Department . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Department of the Navy . . . . . . . . .26 Phonetic Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 ARMSOFTHEARMY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Army Ground Forces . . . . . . . . . . . .27 BADGESANDDECORATIONS . . . . . . . . . . .30 Secret Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 2 CONTENTS Army Service Forces . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Race and Racism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 6. THE WESTERN STANDARDINFANTRYKIT . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, FRONT . . . . . . . 94 THEARMYAIRFORCE . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 ANDSKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Silver Wings and Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 OPERATIONOVERLORD . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Grease Monkeys . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Airborne Invasion . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Heavies and Little Friends . . . . . . .34 Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 D-Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Least Glamorous, Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Under Fire! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Most Important: Transports . . . .35 Status/Cost of Living Table . . . . . . .57 Bunkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 The Wild Blue Yonder . . . . . . . . . . .36 Military Policeman . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Bunker Busting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Flyboy Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Scientist/Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 TERRAINANDTHEWEATHER . . . . . . . .102 Ratings and Flight Time . . . . . . . . .36 OSS Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 The Bocage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 THENAVY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Mobster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Death in the Firs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 The Surface Fleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 FBI Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 AWhite Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . .103 The Air Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 MAJORPERSONALITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Bastogne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Below the Waves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Other Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 TACTICSANDTECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . .104 Gedunk and Horsemeat . . . . . . . . . .38 Fighting the Krauts . . . . . . . . . . . .104 Battle Stations! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 5. THE U.S. Tank Fighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 THEMARINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 ARMORY . . . . . 66 I See You! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 On the Beaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Air-Ground Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 In the Skies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Personal gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 House to House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Leathernecks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 SMALLARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Field Expedients . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Other Naval Missions . . . . . . . . . . .39 U.S. Small Arms Table . . . . . . . . . . .70 Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 SPIRITOFTHEGI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Weapon Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Night-Fighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 VEHICLEDESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 SIGHTSANDSOUNDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 3. UNCLE SAM The Atomic Bombs . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Foxholes and Field Defenses . . . . .107 NEEDS YOU! . . . 42 New Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 News Flash!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Weapon Module Table . . . . . . . . . . .75 The GI Gourmet . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 ENLISTMENT/CLASSIFICATION . . . . . . . .43 New Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 THEAIRWAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 The Raw Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Previous Components . . . . . . . . . . .76 The Heavies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Component Modules Table . . . . . . .76 The Fighters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 The Old Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 THEMOTORPOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 7. THE HOME BOOTCAMP: BASICTRAINING . . . . . . . .45 Vehicles Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 The Drill Sergeant . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Medium Tank M-3 Stuart . . . . . . . .78 FRONT . . . . . . 110 90-Day Wonders and M-10 Gun Motor Carriage Ring-Knockers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Wolverine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 THEWARATHOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Advanced Training . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 M-7 HMC Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Field Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Grumman F4F Wildcat . . . . . . . . . .81 ADifferent Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 MOVEOUT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Lockheed P-38 Lightning . . . . . . . .82 Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt . . . . . . .83 Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 The Repple Depple . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 North American B-25 Mitchell . . . .84 The Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Combat: Up Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress . . . . . .85 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114 Rest and Relaxation . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Douglas C-47 Skytrain . . . . . . . . . .86 Strife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 GI SLANG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 DUKWAmphibious Truck . . . . . . .87 Rationing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116 LCVPHiggins Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Rationed Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 4. CHARACTERS . . 54 LVTAmtrac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Civil Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 PTBoat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Gold Star Mothers . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 CREATINGACHARACTER . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Gato-Class Submarine . . . . . . . . . . .91 Starting Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Fletcher-Class Destroyer . . . . . . . . .92 8. CAMPAIGNS . . 119 Female Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Essex-Class Aircraft Carrier . . . . . .93 CAMPAIGNSTYLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 The Glory of War . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 War Is Hell! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Walking Wounded . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 CAMPAIGNSETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Target: America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 In Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Props and Game Aids . . . . . . . . . .125 REFERENCES . . . 126 INDEX . . . . . . . . 127 CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION A GURPS BOUT As this book goes to press, the United States stands poised for a Steve Jackson Games is committed to full sup- new war. By the time that you read this, the fighting may well be over, port of the GURPS system. Our address is SJ and we will know what balance of glory, justice, and bitter regret that Games, Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please it held in store. For now, though, this unpopular decision has spawned include a self-addressed, stamped envelope a surge of criticism of this nation and its approach to global conflict. (SASE) any time you write us! Resources include: Some of these critics, at home and abroad, have accused the nation Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). of romanticizing and inflating its role in past wars. They point out that, Our online magazine includes new GURPSrules at the end of WWI, Germany already was reeling when U.S. troops and articles. It also covers Dungeons and Drag- arrived at the 11th hour. This is true. What they omit is that the Entente ons, Traveller, World of Darkness, Call of powers were reeling, too, and the Kaiser’s men still held almost every- Cthulhu,and many more top games – and other thing they had conquered. They could have, probably would have, held Steve Jackson Games releases like In Nomine, out for a costly negotiated peace if the United States had not set aside Illuminati, Car Wars, Toon, Ogre Miniatures, a commendable sense of discretion for a commendable sense of valor. and more. Pyramidsubscribers also have access Similar accusations target the nation’s part in WWII. By that fate- to playtest files online! ful Sunday in Hawaii, Poland and France had fallen, the Battle of New supplements and adventures. GURPS Britain had been won, and Hitler’s panzers had closed on Moscow. continues to grow, and we’ll be happy to let you Soviet and British troops already were giving their lives to turn the tide know what’s new. For a current catalog, send us – at Stalingrad and El Alamein – when the first U.S. riflemen finally a legal-sized or 9”· 12” SASE – please use two joined the fight against the Nazis. In some minds, every U.S. battle stamps! – or just visit www.warehouse23.com. would play out an almost foregone conclusion. The stakes would be Errata.Everyone makes mistakes, including us, more about when the Axis powers would fall, not if. Other men, not but we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date Americans, had died to strip most of the “if”from the equation, at least errata sheets for all GURPSreleases, including this in Europe, but the United States would claim most of victory’s glory. book, are available on our website – see below. All this, too, is true. It’s also incomplete. Putting aside the fact that Gamer input. We value your comments, for U.S. industry and financial credit had propped up the Allied cause from new products as well as updated printings of the start, this indictment of U.S. motives misses a simple, telling truth: existing titles! After the attack on Pearl Harbor, not a single American soldier died in Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at defense of his country. Not one. Every single Englishman, Russian, and www.sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, Frenchman gave his life knowing – and only after – the peril to home and much more. GURPS has its own Usenet and country was immediate and real. Americans fretted over an inva- group, too: rec.games.frp.gurps. sion – just as we fret about another terrorist masterstroke now – but GURPSnet.This e-mail list hosts much of the then as now the hyperbole was less about the reality of the hour than online discussion of GURPS. To join, e-mail our fear for an unforeseeable future. It was about getting pumped up to [email protected] with “subscribe GURPSnet- take care of business early. It was about dying for their grandchildren – L” in the body, or point your web browser to us – rather than their children. gurpsnet.sjgames.com. They were not heroes, the men who did this, not in the classical The GURPS WWII:Dogfacesweb page is at sense. Many of them entered their first battle with visions of valor and www.sjgames.com/gurps/ww2/dogfaces/. glory; few held on to those ideals for their second. They were ordinary, frail men doing a grinding job and bitching about it every step of the Page References way. Only their fatigue-hollowed features drooped more than their Rules and statistics in this book are specifi- grimy battledress, making “dogfaces”one of the more heartfelt nick- cally for the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition. names that they used for themselves. They hated every minute of it, but Any page reference that begins with a B refers to they pushed on, fueled by a red, white, blue, and olive-drab mindset the GURPS Basic Set – e.g., p. B102 means that their neighbors, then and now, only thought they fully understood. p. 102 of the GURPS Basic Set,Third Edition. The author would like to dedicate his book to these men. I think he Page references that begin with CI indicate already has, in the clear-eyed yet loving portrait found herein. GURPS Compendium I. Other references are – Gene Seabolt CIIto Compendium II, VE to Vehicles, W to A A WWII, W:HS to WWII:Hand of Steel, W:IC to BOUT THE UTHOR WWII:Iron Cross, and W:RH to WWII: Return to Honor. The abbreviation for thisbook The grandson of a D-Day veteran, Shawn Fisher is a former Army is W:D. For a full list of title abbreviations, see infantryman who teaches history while pursuing a graduate degree in p. CI181 or visit the updated web list at history and education. His previous work can be found in Pyramidand www.sjgames.com/gurps/abbrevs.html. GURPS Best of Pyramid 1, Who’s Who 1, and WWII:Hand of Steel. When not feeding his obsession with WWII, Shawn devotes his spare time to paintball, wargaming, and recreational shooting. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Elizabeth, in Searcy, Ark. 4 INTRODUCTION 5 THE RELUCTANT WARRIORS In the years leading up to the 20th century, the United When the 1st Battalion, 308th Regiment, 77th Infantry States had dabbled in its own imperialist fantasies – flexing its Division pushed forward into the Argonne Forest, its flanking muscles in Cuba, the Philippines, Mexico, and elsewhere – units fell behind. After it lost contact with its headquarters, a but to a large degree maintained a wary isolationism. It did not German counterattack left the battalion surrounded. stick its nose in other people’s wars as long as they did not Unsure of his exact location, and unwilling to surrender, interfere with U.S. interests. Maj. Charles W. Whittlesey’s only means of communication Thus, as Europe transformed itself into a vast killing field was by carrier pigeon. Aformal request for his surrender was in 1914, America watched. The U.S. public gladly took part in answered with, “Go to hell.” Entente propaganda – renaming dachshunds and sauerkraut The U.S. command organized the first aerial resupply in and all other things German, while vilifying the Kaiser and his history to keep his small force of men alive until nearby units “Huns” as murderous sadists – but chided Europeans for their relieved them. Of the nearly 600 doughboys in the battalion at seeming inability to avoid regular, catastrophic descents into the beginning of the operation, only 200 walked out of the armed conflict. pocket five days later. The ordeal of the Lost Battalion would This strong isolationist streak failed to fully recognize be acknowledged with five Medals of Honor. that commerce made a European war into American business. Equally impressive is the story of Alvin York, of Pall The ebb and flow of overseas trade directly impacted U.S. for- Mall, Tenn. Denied conscientious-objector status, Cpl. York tunes. Thus, “neutral” U.S. interests had exported more than had a change of heart during training, and ended up saving his $3 billion in goods to Entente powers by 1916, not including platoon when it was pinned down by German machine-gun government loans and other gifts such as pennies collected fire in the Argonne as it tried to reach the Lost Battalion. In from school children for the Red Cross. that action, he killed 28 enemy soldiers and captured more Gradually, the United States considered more direct aid. than 100. Promoted to sergeant, he was awarded the Medal of In 1916, Congress passed the National Defense Act, which Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de increased the size of the Army and National Guard and creat- Guerre, and the Italian Groce di Guerra. ed the Reserve Officer Training Corps. In 1917, when Ger- Within a few days, the Americans had moved past the many resumed unrestricted submarine warfare that targeted Argonne and were nearing Meuse. The 1st Army was within neutral and hostile shipping alike, the United States broke artillery range of Sedan by early November, shelling German diplomatic relations. supply lines. The fresh U.S. troops were key in breaking the Most of the American public still thought that their nation stalemate in Europe’s trenches. should not join the war. Then, the Zimmerman telegram was In the skies, U.S. Air Service Lt. Eddie Rickenbacker had unveiled. In it, Germany offered Mexico financial and politi- earned the moniker “American Ace of Aces” by accumulating cal backing for an invasion of the United States. 24 kills, for which he received the Medal of Honor. (He would That quieted the naysayers, and after several U.S. mer- earn yet another nickname, “Iron Man Eddie,”after surviving chant ships were sunk by German submarines, Congress 24 days afloat following a 1942 B-17 crash in the Pacific.) declared war in April 1917. When the armistice ended the hostilities on Nov. 11, 1918, more than 115,000 Americans had died in only a few O T ! VER HERE months of fighting. OVER THERE! WILSON AND THE LEAGUE The first elements of the American Expeditionary Force Asincere altruist, Pres. Woodrow Wilson had entered the Great War with the noble goal of “peace without victory.” He arrived in France two months later. By December 1917, more than 200,000 Americans were serving alongside British and envisioned a magnanimous Entente ending the balance-of- French units, mostly in secondary roles with little fighting power equations that had caused the conflict in the first place. involved. Afew expatriates who had been fighting in British His stubborn adherence to these principles made him blind to or French service joined their country’s forces, and tried to political realities – his Entente allies intended to slake their teach the new men the grim realities of the Great War. deep thirst for vengeance upon Germany. A colonel at the time, George C. Marshall planned the Though he managed to create the League of Nations – an first big U.S. offensive, an assault on the St. Mihiel salient that international body to mediate disputes before they reached the commenced on Sept. 12, 1918, with the fresh “doughboys” point of war – Wilson failed to get his own isolationist coun- managing to capture 15,000 Germans and 450 guns. try to join it. He had too many political enemies in Congress Eventually, U.S. troops on the Continent would number and elsewhere, and the treaty was not adopted. In turn, the 42 divisions and play a substantial role in the Meuse-Argonne U.S. refusal to participate greatly weakened the League. Offensive of September and November 1918, an operation It did not take long for any objective observer to realize which provided America with two military legends: the Lost that the Great War would not go down in history as Wilson’s Battalion and Sgt. Alvin York. “War to End All Wars.” Few at the time realized, however, how quickly the stage would be set for its ominous sequel. 6 THE AMERICANS AT WAR INTERLUDE OF EXTREMES Americans had avoided all but a quick, bitter plunge into The passage of Prohibition caused organized crime to the war that ravished Europe’s powers, but in that brief taste, become powerfully entrenched in the American social land- U.S. veterans and their families came away with a haunting scape. Americans decided privately whether to be “wet” or impression of the horrors inherent in modern armed conflict. “dry,” regardless of the law. Bathtub “rotgut” fetched as much The country’s 17-month foray into the Great War would influ- as $15 a bottle; prolific amounts of homemade booze, and ence its culture for the following decade. These changes, in mob violence over the sale of it, simply worsened the alcohol turn, would brew an unprecedented socioeconomic crisis. problem. Shootouts between rival gangs, or mobsters and government agents, gained national attention. Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933, a grand failure in social reform. O A : N THE NVIL T G HE REAT D EPRESSION The Roaring Twenties came to a crashing close. The U.S. stock markets had come to reflect the decade’s irrational exuberance. Prices grossly inflated by years of rampant speculation on margin plummeted to reality as 16 million shares changed hands on the “Black Thursday” of Oct. 24, 1929. The sell-off triggered a worldwide depres- sion. By mid-November, the nation’s economy had shrunk by some $30 billion. Production fell by 50%, and at its peak unemployment climbed well over 30%. Stockbrokers jumped from windows, and ex-millionaires sold their expensive cars at scrap prices. The country fell into chaos and panic. Farmers dumped milk in ditches in an T R ’20 HE OARING S effort to drive up the price, and ranchers slaughtered their herds in the field rather than feed them to be sold at a loss. All Americans erased the memory of stinking mud and corpses the while, urban poor fought for scraps in trash cans; one such by drowning in champagne and perfume. The 1920s ushered in brawl involved 50 men at the rear of a Chicago restaurant. an eye-opening era of escapism and pleasure-seeking. Flappers, Bread trucks and grocery stores required police protection, speak-easies, motion pictures, and radio swept away stuffy Vic- and landlords were murdered when they tried to evict destitute torian sensibilities and ushered in a new era of pop culture. Mil- tenants. In at least one case, the tenants were acquitted. lions of Americans began going to the movies every week. Riots broke out in the nation’s capital when a WWI-veter- Radio was little more than a hobby early in the decade, but by an “Bonus Army” begged for early pensions. Pres. Hoover the late ’20s millions of Americans tuned in to popular radio ordered the Army to run the ex-servicemen out of town. Their shows. Organized sports thrived in the golden decade of Babe shanty towns were attacked by troops with tear gas and tanks Ruth’s home runs, Knute Rockne’s Fighting Irish, and Jack under the command of Douglas MacArthur and two other Dempsey’s titanic boxing bouts. young officers, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton Jr. Advances in transportation made the world seem a little Even Mother Nature seemed to conspire against the Unit- smaller, too. Henry Ford’s Model T put automobiles within ed States, when a severe drought turned the central plains into reach of the average family’s income, linking American indi- the “Dust Bowl.” Topsoil from overworked fields in Okla- viduality with the freedom of the open road. Automobile own- homa, Arkansas, and Kansas was blown as far away as the ership jumped from 8 million to 23 million in the decade. Atlantic Ocean, where it settled on the decks of ships. Dust Charles A. Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic in 1927, storms blocked out the sun from New Mexico to Texas, cov- and landed in Paris as a legend. His 331/2-hour flight fascinat- ering streets and highways in drifts of dirt 6’deep, scouring ed the world, and for the first time aviation was being consid- the paint from road signs. ered as a serious form of passenger transportation, even The WWII generation endured a youth forged on this though The Spirit of St. Louiscost a steep $10,500. anvil of strife and misery. THE AMERICANS AT WAR 7 A S I , A LPHABET OUP SOLATIONISM GAIN With Franklin Roosevelt’s election as president in 1932 Although costly to American interests abroad, U.S. inter- came the first of many “alphabet soup” programs. So named vention in international affairs was hamstrung by congres- for their confusing acronyms, each such initiative was created sional efforts to avoid alliances and treaties that required to fight the Depression by creating jobs and jump-starting mutual aid. In the 1920s, the United States not only refused to industry. One of the most successful was the Civilian Conser- join the League of Nations, but also failed to join the World vation Corp. From 1933 to ’42, the CCC employed nearly Court. Arms-limitation treaties were acceptable, and various 3 million young men to improve and protect the natural neutrality acts prevented exports to belligerents except on a resources of the nation. The CCC boys built bridges and roads, “cash-and-carry” basis. In the 1930s, all forms of aggression planted trees, cleared land, worked on flood-control projects, (such as seen in Manchuria, Ethiopia, and Spain) were met and fought forest fires from the Virgin Islands to Hawaii. with displeasure and rhetoric, but also no real action. This was Volunteers committed to six-month hitches, with a maxi- duly noted by the Japanese, Mussolini, and Hitler. mum service of two years. The pay was $30 to $45 a month, Throughout the 1930s, America ignored the storm brew- most of which was sent home to support their families. Amil- ing in Europe and Asia. The long-standing tradition of Amer- itary officer commanded each camp, assisted by a cadre of ican isolationism – going back to George Washington’s civilians, a doctor, and a few NCOs. Clothing, food, educa- farewell address, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Roosevelt tion, and medical care was provided at no cost. Each 200-man Corollary –was deeply ingrained. As the war in Europe broke camp contained a few flimsy buildings, including a canteen out, the America First Committee – made up of influential fig- that sold luxuries such as soda pop, comics, and snacks. ures such as Charles A. Lindbergh and Robert E. Wood of Aworkday in the camp begin at daybreak, with a bugle Sears, Roebuck &Co. – cautioned against American involve- call to breakfast, then calisthenics or boxing before the boys ment. The AFC would claim 600,000 members at its zenith. went off to their job site. Classes at night taught welding, first Hitler’s rise to power and the death of the Weimar Repub- aid, automobile mechanics, and carpentry. More than 100,000 lic barely registered on the American public. By the time that boys learned to read in the CCC. Hitler became chancellor, he was still hardly known, compet- Despite frequent attempts by the Army and Marine Corps ing against the newly elected FDR for celebrity. Hitler’s to co-opt the camps, no military drill was allowed in the CCC. expansionism, at first aimed at the German economy, won Eventually, the CCC would be credited with making rapid him favor in America. He was viewed as a doer and go-getter, expansion possible for the U.S. military in the early 1940s, traits generally admired by Americans, and earned a wary and it was hailed as one of FDR’s most successful programs, 1938 nod as Time’s “Man of the Year.” His foreign policies one quite similar to the Nazi labor service (see p. W:IC34). did not frighten the man on the street much. Unemployment, food costs, and housing eclipsed the racist rantings of comical strangers in far lands. When Hitler grabbed land from his neigh- bors, Americans hardly blinked, except those who applauded the Third Reich’s nationalist resurgence. The German-American Bund, with Fritz Kuhn at its head, claimed more than 200,000 members. American Nazis even had their own summer camps across the country; most notable was Camp Siegfried, on Long Island, with nearly 50,000 campers every week- end swilling German beer and goose-stepping to Wagner operettas. Outside this group, Hitler’s crafty moves to acquire the Rhineland and Aus- tria generally met with skepticism among those few Americans who took notice. Those were European problems, to be settled by Europeans. Also a factor in this isolationist thinking was the miniscule U.S. military. The Army was by far weaker than that of any other major power, with fewer than 200,000 men. The Army Air Corps had fewer than 25,000 person- nel, and the Marine Corps fewer than 20,000. The backbone of defense policy at the time, the Navy had only 130,000 men and fewer than 180 warships, mostly outdated destroyers. As the president well knew, America was in no position to dictate to foreign powers. 8 THE AMERICANS AT WAR