America Calling - Civilian Defense Reenacting

[freebird]

Does anyone collect geiger counters? I'm getting ready to post a nice set in the classifieds. They belong to a friend of mine who no longer wants them.

 

[Chas]

I wonder why anyone would want to re-enact one of the most hated individuals of the war. The Air Raid Warden. My mum had a run-in with one who reamed her out for having a little crack of light showing in her window.....in Cloverdale....British Columbia. They tended to be nasty busy bodies who had nothing better to do.

 

[DutchIndo]

I thought "Jody" was the most hated next to the "Remington Raiders".

 

[KilroyCD]

I wonder why anyone would want to re-enact one of the most hated individuals of the war. The Air Raid Warden. My mum had a run-in with one who reamed her out for having a little crack of light showing in her window.....in Cloverdale....British Columbia. They tended to be nasty busy bodies who had nothing better to do.

That's a rather broad brush you're using to paint the Air Raid Wardens with, and shows a complete igorance and lack of understanding of the subject. :rage: Portraying an Air Raid Warden in a living history role is all about educating the public. As a Civil Defense reenactor, one is portraying a largely overlooked aspect of the era. In certain parts of the US the Air Raid Wardens were indeed performing a vital role, and I'll elaborate on that shortly. Granted, I won't deny that there were some who were self-important busybodies, but to describe all of them that way because of a run-in your mum had with one individual is greatly unjust. It's like saying all dogs are vicious because you got bitten by one.
Now, the Air Raid Wardens (ARW) weren't always the most popular people around because they had a job to do and they largely did their job the way they were supposed to. In my research, I've come across many instances, especially in East Coast towns and cities where the ARW role was quite important, and in fact essential. I speak of the coastal towns and cities early in the war, when the German U-Boats were running up tremendous tallies along the east coast. It was because the towns didn't want to black-out because of losing tourism dollars. The situation got so desperate that the US was on the verge of losing the Battle of the Atlantic because of the U-Boats using the lights of the towns and cities to silhouette their targets. Over 600 freighters and tankers totalling over 3.1 million tons were sunk between January and August 1942, many within sight of the shoreline, and the situation became quite dire. We were losing ships far faster than they could be replaced. The ARWs in these towns had a job, an unpopular job, of making sure the blackout precautions were being followed. It was a matter of national security, and I'm aware of ARWs in one municipality on Long Island who were issued and carried nightsticks to help them to enforce the blackout.
Besides Air Raid Wardens, there were many other important roles Civil Defense personnel played, including Auxiliary Firemen and Auxiliary Policemen. Auxiliary Police helped guard vital rail lines, tunnels, bridges, munitions plants and even military installations. Auxiliary Firemen helped flesh out the ranks of firefighters, ranks thinned by the draft and enlistments. I could go on...
These people were proud of their service to their country, as many were unable to serve in the military because of being too old or too young, had a medical reason or were in vital defense jobs. But they could serve their country in the Civilian Defense.
So to belittle their importance with such a statement is an insult to those who served and to myself, and I strongly suggest you do a little reseach next time before you post such an inaccurate and inflammatory remark.

 

[Chas]

That's a rather broad brush you're using to paint the Air Raid Wardens with, and shows a complete igorance and lack of understanding of the subject. :rage: Portraying an Air Raid Warden in a living history role is all about educating the public. As a Civil Defense reenactor, one is portraying a largely overlooked aspect of the era. In certain parts of the US the Air Raid Wardens were indeed performing a vital role, and I'll elaborate on that shortly. Granted, I won't deny that there were some who were self-important busybodies, but to describe all of them that way because of a run-in your mum had with one individual is greatly unjust. It's like saying all dogs are vicious because you got bitten by one.
Now, the Air Raid Wardens (ARW) weren't always the most popular people around because they had a job to do and they largely did their job the way they were supposed to. In my research, I've come across many instances, especially in East Coast towns and cities where the ARW role was quite important, and in fact essential. I speak of the coastal towns and cities early in the war, when the German U-Boats were running up tremendous tallies along the east coast. It was because the towns didn't want to black-out because of losing tourism dollars. The situation got so desperate that the US was on the verge of losing the Battle of the Atlantic because of the U-Boats using the lights of the towns and cities to silhouette their targets. Over 600 freighters and tankers totalling over 3.1 million tons were sunk between January and August 1942, many within sight of the shoreline, and the situation became quite dire. We were losing ships far faster than they could be replaced. The ARWs in these towns had a job, an unpopular job, of making sure the blackout precautions were being followed. It was a matter of national security, and I'm aware of ARWs in one municipality on Long Island who were issued and carried nightsticks to help them to enforce the blackout.
Besides Air Raid Wardens, there were many other important roles Civil Defense personnel played, including Auxiliary Firemen and Auxiliary Policemen. Auxiliary Police helped guard vital rail lines, tunnels, bridges, munitions plants and even military installations. Auxiliary Firemen helped flesh out the ranks of firefighters, ranks thinned by the draft and enlistments. I could go on...
These people were proud of their service to their country, as many were unable to serve in the military because of being too old or too young, had a medical reason or were in vital defense jobs. But they could serve their country in the Civilian Defense.
So to belittle their importance with such a statement is an insult to those who served and to myself, and I strongly suggest you do a little reseach next time before you post such an inaccurate and inflammatory remark.

Yeah, whatever. I think that you're overstating the "crucial role"; but that goes without saying. You have an identifiable bias in this discussion, not to mention a thin skin. As far as the contribution of CD to countering Operation Drumbeat, you are way off base with that. Convoys, intelligence and a/c countered the U-Boats. Still not sure how you connect CD to countering the U-Boat offensive of Jan-March 1942.

Much that happened on the home front was essentially window-dressing and for propaganda purposes; like collecting scrap iron etc. The utility of it was mainly in making people feel as if they were involved in some way, no matter how limited.

 

[MPicciotto]

Much that happened on the home front was essentially window-dressing and for propaganda purposes; like collecting scrap iron etc. The utility of it was mainly in making people feel as if they were involved in some way, no matter how limited.

And that was where the ARW again played a vital role. With a Warden on every block. A VOLUNTEER assuming the post at the behest of his neighbors formed a relationship even more cordial then the town cops could. In a time of fear for many people the Warden was a man on your street, a neighbor, the butcher or your haberdasher. Somebody you KNEW who has the authority yes to order you to black out your home but also the authority to call in Civil Defense forces in the other forms Kilroy listed. It was an intergrated defense force, much more so then FEMA and local emergency management is today. That Warden through his Chief Warden through the Defense Council Chairman or Police Chief through the county then state CIVIL DEFENSE agencies had a "line" right to the federal government in case of need. IF a bomb had been dropped on American soil that local warden had the ears of people right up to and including the La Guardia in Washington DC and the US Army Bomb Disposal Teams.

As Chris said the Civil Defense also had other tasks. The origins of a great many of our Police Auxiliary units and volunteer fire stations/rescue squads can be traced back to roots in WW2.

Civil Defense vs. U-boats: The Civil Air Patrol or CAP was originally a branch of the Civil Defense it was later transfered to an auxiliary of the USAAF. While a branch of the CD the CAP flew ARMED aircraft over the Atlantic and SANK one Submarine confirmed. I believe one or two possibles. They also notified the Navy of several other submarines. So the "intelligence" you attribute to winning the war against the U-boats had some origination with the Civil Defense. You marginalized the role of the coastal blackout in halting the U-boat attacks but the US Government did not. In Worcester County Maryland there was a THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR fine for operating headlights in the coastal region. I have a copy of the poster explaining the regulations and the fine.

You also state that the purpose of Homefront activities was in making people feel as if they were involved in some way

Here is my reply:

In modern warfare an unpopular war is a lost war.

Matt

 

[David Conwill]

As my favorite history prof was fond of saying "Not too many German bombers made it through to Saginaw." But, I'm sure our British friends can explain the important contributions of the Air Raid Warden closer to the front. My mother's father was one - he couldn't otherwise serve because of his war-critical job and several kids, so he inspected M1 Carbines during the day and helped with the blackout at night.

If you really want to pick on a group of reenactors, I'll start a war profiteer/black marketer reenactment group for you to hate on.

-Dave

 

[KilroyCD]

As far as the contribution of CD to countering Operation Drumbeat, you are way off base with that. Convoys, intelligence and a/c countered the U-Boats. Still not sure how you connect CD to countering the U-Boat offensive of Jan-March 1942.

I'm saying that they were a part of it. You seemed to miss the point that the U-Boats were using the lights of the towns to silhouette the ships. By enforcing the blackout, the ARWs were able to help diminish this advantage to the U-Boats. I don't consider that to be "window-dressing" or "for propaganda purposes".

 

[LizzieMaine]

Absolutely right. There were documented incidents of U-Boat activity offshore here on the Maine coast -- with spies landing near Ellsworth, dead German sailors washing ashore here in Rockland, and in my own hometown, the Searsport oil depots were considered one of the most critical potential targets in New England, supplying strategic fuel for the entire Eastern seaboard. Strict enforcement of the blackout was a very real, very significant issue here, and CD wardens were taken very seriously. They played a very important, very real role in National Defense.

 

[Story]

I'm saying that they were a part of it. You seemed to miss the point that the U-Boats were using the lights of the towns to silhouette the ships. By enforcing the blackout, the ARWs were able to help diminish this advantage to the U-Boats.

As well as vehicle headlights along coastal roads.

We had just had the crapped kicked out of our military in the western Pacific. Watching your own merchant ships burn off the coast was a complete morale killer.

 

[Chas]

Absolutely right. There were documented incidents of U-Boat activity offshore here on the Maine coast -- with spies landing near Ellsworth, dead German sailors washing ashore here in Rockland, a

You're talking about "Operation Drumbeat" and the limited sabotage campaign waged by the Germans.

CD had butkus to do with countering the U-Boat threat. Sorry to be a wet blanket and all, but I tend to disagree with the "crucial role" argument. If you can show me a documented case where CD prevented a major case of sabotage, then bring it on, and I shall eat my words.

There is only one case that I know of where a German U-Boat was sighted by people ashore -Reinhardt Hardegen's U-123 sinking a tanker off of the Florida Coast, and that was early in the Drumbeat operation. I think the German U-Boats were pretty competent at not being seen. So what's the claim as far as CD is concerned?

If you're referring to the spectacular job of enforcing the blackout during "Drumbeat", then I would counter that the CD wasn't doing its job AT ALL. By the time they got around to enforcing the blackout Drumbeat was pretty much over. The convoy system and improved antisub patrols by the USN and USAAF deserve credit for putting a stop to the sinkings.

As far as spies and saboteurs go, none were captured by the CD. One turned his compatriots in, and the rest were picked up by the FBI.

As well as vehicle headlights along coastal roads.
We had just had the crapped kicked out of our military in the western Pacific. Watching your own merchant ships burn off the coast was a complete morale killer.

And the US got the crap kicked out of it on it's own doorstep too, and considering that Admiral King KNEW about the U-Boats heading for the US coast, that makes it even more of a crap kicking.

Recommended reading: "Operation Drumbeat" by Michael Gannon.

 

[LizzieMaine]

If you're referring to the spectacular job of enforcing the blackout during "Drumbeat", then I would counter that the CD wasn't doing its job AT ALL. By the time they got around to enforcing the blackout Drumbeat was pretty much over.

Depends on the part of the country you're talking about. Here on the Maine coast, aggressive blackout enforcement drills began the week war was declared, and by the end of December 1941 local wardens were out in force. The local papers during the winter of 1941-42 are full of CD announcements and accounts of blackout violators being brought sharply to heel: they weren't just cited and fined, they were denounced by name in the public press.

Matters may have been more lax elsewhere, but you can be assured that the blackout was strictly enforced from Frenchman's Bay to the Gulf of Maine -- people here knew their ports were vulnerable, and for the most part cooperated voluntarily. Those who didn't had the book thrown at them hard. The wardens were doing their job -- it may not have made them beloved personalites, but neither were they hysterical "Warden Hodges" types, screaming "Put That Light Out" for no good reason.

 

[Fletch]

An unheralded player in CD was television. In 1942-'43 at least two of the handful of stations then on the air – WNBT-New York and W6XYZ-Hollywood – devoted all or part of their very limited air time to air raid training programs. Trainees watched on donated TV sets gathered in public places, typically police station houses. Mobile unit technology, already well along by then, played an important part in the programs.

 

[MPicciotto]

While at an air show in Geneseo NY I spoke with a lady who told me the following story her mother told her about either a drill or alert that took place in Rochester and her experience with the Air Raid Warden:

She was about 14 and home alone at the time, her parents being out for some reason. The sirens sounded and she said she was terrified. Here was this 14 year old girl, alone in a blacked out city. The ARW came along to check on her. Knowing that her parents were away that evening and that she might be scared. The ARW calmed her down and she survived the night and of course we know now that no raid occurred. But she didn't know that at the time!​

Sometimes the ARW is actually a very liked person who was viewed by the citizens under his charge as a close friend and guardian.

Matt

 

[KilroyCD]

There is only one case that I know of where a German U-Boat was sighted by people ashore -Reinhardt Hardegen's U-123 sinking a tanker off of the Florida Coast, and that was early in the Drumbeat operation. I think the German U-Boats were pretty competent at not being seen. So what's the claim as far as CD is concerned?

I don't believe anyone said anything about seeing U-Boats from the shore. I said they were sinking ships within sight of the shoreline, which means that the the shoreline could be seen from the U-Boat. It also means that people could see the burning ships at sea. Just ask my father, who worked at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City New Jersey in 1942. He saw burning ships offshore and could hear the rumbling boom from torpedos finding their mark. It was the Civil Air Patrol, which was part of Civilian Defense in WWII who spotted several U-Boats. Look it up. The documentation is out there.

As far as spies and saboteurs go, none were captured by the CD. One turned his compatriots in, and the rest were picked up by the FBI.

Did anyone say that they were? You seem to equate visible results with performing an important role. Just because CD Auxiliary Police didn't catch any saboteurs didn't mean they weren't performing an important duty. Futhermore, by having the CD on patrol it released more military men for other duties.

Recommended reading: "Operation Drumbeat" by Michael Gannon.

I suggest you read "U-Boats Offshore" by Edwin P. Hoyt.
If I may add a paragraph from the book, "If the defenders at sea seemed fettered by inexperience, so were those ashore. Norfolk took Civil Defense seriously, and in February (1942) began the training of Air Raid Wardens. Some 1800 wardens received five hours instruction in their duties that month.
Auxiliary Police were training to take the places of the men called away to war and to augment the force, just in case of need. Auxiliary firemen were being trained by the fire department."
Now, if I'm not mistaken, having Police as well as Fire Fighters is vital in peacetime or in war. Though the CD played a supporting role in the grand scheme of things, it was still a vital role.
Now, I'll site an example of the level of integration between the military and Civilian Defense in one specific place, and that's Fort Miles in Lewes, DE. Fort Miles was the headquarters, both military and civilian, for the defense of the Delaware Bay up to the Delaware River. There was a Civilian Defense HQ there that answered to the military. ALL of the civil defense along the coastline of the Delaware Bay, from the Air Raid Wardens and Auxiliary Police in the bayside towns to the Auxiliary Police who helped guard Fort Miles alongside the Military Police, were integrated into the defense of that region.
Again, a supporting role, but important nonetheless.
Chas, you may call my statements "an identifiable bias", but who has been conducting research into CD for nearly ten years, and who has been talking to and interviewing people who served in the Civil Defense? Can you say the same?

 

[carter]

Some interesting reading regarding Civil Defense

We often fail to realize how long civil defense has existed historically in some form as well as how large the role of civil defense was during WWI as well as WWII. The following links may be of interest. I particularly recommend the first as the writer was a high school student when he participated in civil defense. He later joined the US Navy in 1945.

http://www.lansdownecivic.com/Pages/hometown_stories/4_defense.html

http://tvh.bfn.org/civil.html

A brief overview from Wikepedia

History

Pre-World War
There is little history of civil defense in the United States before the twentieth century. Indeed, since time immemorial cities built walls and moats to protect from invasion and commissioned patrols and watches to keep an eye out for danger. But such activities have not traditionally been encompassed by the term "civil defense." The U.S. has a particular lack of early civil defense efforts because the American homeland was seldom threatened with a significant attack. Despite these considerations, there are still examples of what would today be considered civil defense. For example, as early as 1692, the village of Bedford, New York kept a paid drummer on staff, who was charged with sounding the town drum in the event of a Native American attack--a very early precursor to the wailing sirens of the Cold War.


World War I
Civil Defense truly began to come of age, both worldwide and in the United States, during the first World War--although it was usually referred to as civilian defense. This was the first major Total war, which required the involvement and support of the general population. Great Britain was subjected to bombing raids by both dirigibles and airplanes, resulting in thousands of injuries and deaths. Attacks on civilian ships, like the Lusitania, presented another threat to civilians. The British responded with an organized effort which was soon copied in the US. This was formalized with the creation of the Council of National Defense on August 29, 1916. Civil defense responsibilities at the federal level were vested in this council, with subsidiary councils at the state and local levels providing additional support--a multi-level structure which was to remain throughout the history of United States civil defense.

As the United States had little threat of a direct attack on its shores, the organization instead "maintained anti-saboteur vigilance, encouraged men to join the armed forces, facilitated the implementation of the draft, participated in Liberty Bond drives, and helped to maintain the morale of the soldiers."[2] This freedom to focus beyond air raid attacks gave United States civil defense a much broader scope than elsewhere. With the end of military conflict, the activities of the Council of National Defense were suspended.[3] Thus, World War I marked the first time that organized civil defense was practised on a large scale in the United States. Although civil defense had not yet reached the scale and significance it soon would, many of the basic features were set in place.


World War II
Posters like this were used to promote "Civilian Defense" during WWII and Comprehensive Emergency Management.World War II, which began in the United States with a devastating surprise attack on American soil, was characterized by a significantly greater use of civil defense. Even before the attack, the Council of National Defense was reactivated by President Roosevelt and created the Division of State and Local Cooperation to further assist the Council's efforts.[4] Thus, the civil defense of World War II began very much as a continuation of that of World War I. Very soon, however, the idea of local and state councils bearing a significant burden became viewed as untenable and more responsibility was vested at the federal level with the creation of the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) within the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP) in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) on May 20, 1941.[5] The OCD was originally headed by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and was charged with promoting protective measures and elevating national morale.

These organizations and others worked together to mobilize the civilian population in response to the threat. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP), which was created just days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, commissioned civilian pilots to patrol the coast and borders and engage in search and rescue missions as needed. The Civil Defense Corps, run by the OCD, organized approximately 10 million volunteers who trained to fight fires, decontaminate after chemical weapon attacks, provide first aid, and other duties.[6] These efforts did not replace the kinds of civil defense that took place during WWI. Indeed, WWII saw an even greater use of rationing, recycling, and anti-saboteur vigilance than was seen in WWI. As the threat of air raids or invasions in the United States seemed less likely during the war, the focus on the Civil Defense Corps, air raid drills, and patrols of the border declined but the other efforts continued. Unlike the end of WWI, the US did not dismiss all its civil defense efforts as soon as WWII ended. Instead, they continued after the end of the war and served as the foundation of civil defense in the Cold War.

Put to the test or not, the role of those involved in Civil Defense was to be prepared as best they could for any eventuality. We can salute the commitment and dedication of those people.

 

[Story]

Our buddies at MAC are also offering more to do for fans of the “Greatest Generation” – and it can’t be said enough what a huge deal it will be for historical conservation when Fire Tower #23 is restored. These towers (there were many: one now houses the air-conditioning/electrical storage at the Grand Hotel, several more on the island of Wildwood have been torn down, and there were dozens more in Delaware) protected the Delaware Bay and River from German U-boats during the war. One can only hope more people learn the amazing story of how these towers protected the Homefront. For one thing, many people alive today have no idea just how many U-boats were spotted off the coast of New Jersey: the enemy reaching the Naval Base at Philadelphia was a real threat. The 1940’s version of Homeland Security (rather than being an Orwellian misnomer, as it is in many ways today, back then it really meant keeping the homes of this country secure from attack) began with civilians keeping watch overnight in the windy heights of a barebones, concrete tower. The towers could talk to each other, and then (and this is kind of key) talk to very large, very scary, very effective cannon-type guns… which could then blow said U-boat clear out of the water.

http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/30062-cape-may-countys-other-history-world-war-ii

Coastal U-boat watch tower

www.delmarvahighways.com/de1fenwick.htm

 

[MPicciotto]

Story,

Since you have an interest in the fire control or observation towers and the associated coastal artillery they were linked with it is only right that I post this link to my FAVORITE state run museum;

www.fortmiles.org

This is the historical location that Chris has mentioned before. They have one of the 12" bore guns on display and in firing condition!! If they could get it moved then they would have one of the 16" guns also. The 12" gun is back in the battery where a 12" gun was originally and one entire half of that battery (they were mirror image originally) will be restored to spec. The other half will be additional museum display space.

Matt

 

[Story]

Matt,
Thanks. More on the topic, including a pic of an updated M1897 75mm (probably belonging to the 113th Infantry Regiment, a New Jersey National Guard unit).

http://www.capemay.com/Editorial/June06/wwIItower.html
As you can imagine, nights here on the island were especially eerie.

"We would be taking a stroll through town," Doris recalls, "And the siren would sound, and in an instant the entire town was in pitch darkness. All the street lights were dimmed anyway, but when the siren went off, it would be total darkness. You had to pull the shades over the windows. Wardens would patrol the streets. If you had even a crack of light shining out, they’d bang on your door, and well, you had better cover it up. We ate in our basement because it was the only place in the house where the light wouldn’t shine out."

Doris did her bit on behalf of the war effort as well. As an operator for Bell Telephone on Ocean Street in Cape May (now the library), she spent time working at Fort Dix where she often communicated in code to throw off any unwelcome ears – loose lips sink ships, you know.

I can remember, as a kid, this being still buried in sand and back 50 yards from the low tide mark. Ugh. Getting old.

http://www.cdsg.org/cdsgrep/capemayr.htm

 

[Story]

Civilian Air Patrol

A CAP crew first interrupted a sub attack on a flight out of Rehoboth Beach, saving a tanker offA CAP Aircraft Harasses A Submarine Cape May, N.J. Since radio calls for military bombers were often unproductive, unarmed CAP fliers dived in mock attacks to force subs to break and run.

The CAP coastal patrol flew 24 million miles, found 173 submarines, attacked 57, hit 10 and sank two. By Presidential Executive Order, CAP became an auxiliary of the Army Air Forces in 1943.

Pretty ball-sy, considering U-boat crews usually mounted MG34s for air defense.
kywgcap.org/his/