September 1, 1939, marked the beginning of the largest armed conflict in human history. Sixty-one countries participated in World War II, encompassing 80% of the global population, with combat operations taking place across the territories of 40 nations. Estimates of the conflict’s death toll range from 50 to 75 million people. The Soviet Union suffered particularly heavy losses, as it was the stage for some of the most ferocious fighting. Nearly half of all fatalities were citizens of the USSR. The United States made a crucial contribution to the victory over Hitler and his allies, and New York City was no exception. The war transformed it into a central hub for the U.S. home front. Read more about the involvement of the city, and Manhattan specifically, further on manhattanyes.com.
A Brief Overview of the War
World War II lasted from September 1, 1939, to September 2, 1945. It all began with Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland. The primary causes of the war are considered to be: the harsh terms imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919; the militaristic and imperialistic policies of major powers; the global economic crisis; and the ambitions of leaders in Germany, Italy, and Japan to reshape the world in their favor.
The USSR signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Alongside Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as their satellite states and allies, fought on the Axis side. The Allied coalition was led by the United States, Great Britain, and China. For nearly the first two years of the war, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin pursued an aggressive expansionist policy, warring against Finland and occupying Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Bessarabia, and Northern Bukovina. Hitler was displeased by this extensive territorial acquisition, which led him to launch a war against the Soviet Union in 1941. Consequently, the USSR joined the Allied coalition in 1941.
In 1945, Red Army soldiers, while conducting military operations in Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland, entered German territory. Simultaneously, Anglo-American forces, aided by partisans, managed to liberate Italy from fascist and Nazi troops. In April-May, Soviet forces defeated the last remnants of the German army. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945. Japan capitulated after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The U.S. Enters the War
In 1939, the United States was largely unprepared for war. The American army was small and poorly equipped. Everything changed after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the central base of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. This assault compelled the country to formally enter World War II.
Then-U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt persuaded industry leaders to convert their factories for military production. He ensured an uninterrupted supply of necessary raw materials to these plants and inspired the population to sacrifice many everyday comforts. The nation quickly geared up for active combat. Americans fought in France, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. U.S. troops were also deployed in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. In total, over 400,000 Americans died during World War II, and more than 600,000 were wounded.
Manhattan’s Role
After the U.S. entered the war, New York City, with its 7 million residents, diverse industries, bustling harbor, and high intellectual capacity, directed all its efforts to support the military. Over 900,000 New Yorkers directly participated in combat operations. The port city became the primary point in the country for soldiers embarking on ships headed to Europe. Additionally, approximately 63 million tons of munitions were shipped from New York Harbor to the battlefield.
The Carl L. Norden Corporation, headquartered in Manhattan, invented an incredibly accurate bombsight. The borough’s garment factories cut and sewed military uniforms. Manhattan also produced metal products, spun glass fibers, optical lenses, food supplies, tarpaulins, tents, backpacks, mattress covers, and leggings, among other items. In the halls of Manhattan’s New-York Historical Society, volunteers rolled 4 million bandages.
However, perhaps the city’s most significant, though ethically criticized, contribution to victory was the “Manhattan Project.” It hastened Japan’s surrender and, after years of fighting, brought an end to the bloody conflicts and turmoil of World War II, albeit in a brutal manner. The project’s history dates back to 1939. That year, the legendary German physicist Albert Einstein wrote a letter to U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In it, he expressed his concerns about Hitler’s efforts to develop a new weapon of mass destruction using uranium. Alarmed U.S. officials decided to preempt the Nazi dictator and assembled the world’s best physicists to participate in the secret “Manhattan Project.” Initially, its headquarters were located in Manhattan, hence the name.
In August 1942, the program to develop nuclear weapons formally began. By bringing together the world’s leading scientific minds and leveraging the powerful industrial capabilities of the U.S., the first atomic weapons were created in less than three years. Ultimately, on August 6, 1945, under President Harry Truman, the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, and on August 9, “Fat Man” on the city of Nagasaki.
The attack on the Japanese cities was, in a way, retribution for the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, while approximately 2,300 American military personnel died at Pearl Harbor, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki instantly killed an estimated 70,000 residents of Hiroshima and 60,000 in Nagasaki. Furthermore, from August to December 1945, about half a million more people in both cities died from injuries and radiation-induced illnesses.
Everyday Life on the Home Front
Undoubtedly, the daily lives of Manhattanites, and New Yorkers in general, changed significantly after the country entered the war. An important change was the introduction of security measures. There were fears that New York City—a port, the nation’s most populous city, and its financial center—could become a target for air or submarine attacks. Indeed, in the first four months of 1942, German submarines sank 87 ships in the Atlantic Ocean. To protect the metropolis, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia ordered blackout drills so that the enemy could not see the New York skyline after dark.
An even more widespread change was rationing. Since most consumer goods were needed for the army, civilian families received very limited supplies. Each month, the population received ration books specifying the allowed amounts of butter, sugar, meat, canned goods, gasoline, heating oil, firewood, clothing, and shoes. Some items became completely unavailable during wartime; for instance, new housing construction was halted, and the manufacturing of cars, vacuum cleaners, and kitchen appliances ceased.
Despite its many factories, New York City received relatively few orders for military equipment and materials in the early years of the war. This led to unemployment until the government rectified the situation in 1942. As the number of orders increased, so did the demand for labor, especially since men were enlisting in large numbers. Women were compelled to perform heavy physical labor, often working overtime. Women who did not work risked being seen as unpatriotic idlers, even if they were raising young children.
City dwellers had little time for leisure, except for rare trips to the movies. Most films at the time focused on the heroism of soldiers to boost public morale and increase recruitment. Patriotism was promoted through all available means: art, advertising, print media, and more. Citizens were encouraged to increase production, buy war bonds, and collect scrap materials. For example, city residents donated critically needed items for the front, such as rubber, tin, waste kitchen fats (a raw material for explosives), newspapers, lumber, and steel, which were then recycled for military use.