This piece originally appeared at State Capacitance.
The second World War called for national sacrifice: hundreds of thousands of soldiers gave their lives, while millions of civilians ate rationed food and skimped on goods needed for the war (such as rubber and paper).
Total war also involved less traditional sorts of sacrifice, with citizens donating their goods directly to the military – sometimes even donating their pets.
Most of these donations were requested by the federal government. However, many patriotic Americans sprang into action and donated anything they felt the military ought to have. They didn’t wait on mere formalities, such as finding out if the government actually wanted it.
There were a wide variety of donation drives throughout WWII. These included campaigns for rubber, paper, kitchen fats, women’s stockings, and numerous other goods. The military asked for specific items: for instance, the Navy asked for high-quality binoculars.
Even pets were enlisted into the war effort. In the Dogs for Defense program, the military asked families to send their dogs to serve as sentries (and similar roles).
Besides all of these formal drives, Americans felt free to donate other goods, whether the government had asked for them or not.
