Chicago in World War II, 1939-45
A patriotic fervor grips the city. Men and women answer the call of duty and go off to war, their fates unknown. Those that stay behind engage in war production, laboring in workshops, factories, and mills. From the small like screws, to the large like aircraft, with everything in between, Chicago-made goods play a vital role in supporting America’s war effort.
At the crossroads of the nation, the city is a major transportation hub. Trains rumble along urban tracks, moving passengers and goods in and out, connecting East and West. Likewise, the city’s ports and docks bustle with workers, sailors, and cargo. Moving bridges across the city’s rivers and canals open up to allow barges and naval vessels, even 28 submarines built by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, to pass.
Militarily, Chicago becomes an important training center. In 1941, the now beloved tourist attraction Navy Pier is taken over by the Navy and hosts several schools. Two makeshift aircraft carriers, the USS Wolverine and USS Sable, are docked at the pier. Their decks are used by aviation cadets from Naval Air Station Glenview for landings and takeoff. North of the city on bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan is Fort Sheridan, where soldiers undergo basic training and anti-aircraft school. Bullets zip through the air at targets towed by aircraft over the water.
Regardless of age, race, and ethnicity, the “City of the Big Shoulders,” as nicknamed by poet Carl Sandburg, came together, committed to victory.
Click on the following categories to read more about this fascinating chapter in Chicago’s history, through places that are gone and present, and the Chicagoans that lived through it!
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