Columbus Indiana And World War II « Thread Started on Dec 18, 2007, 11:47am »
I don't know if many of you have been watching Ken Burn's The War on all PBS stations. If not, you don't know what you're missing and I recommend you try to catch it (I think PBS is still playing it). Or, you can buy it on DVD. It is a magnificent look at 4 cities in the United States, and how the war affected those who went to fight, and those that stayed behind. I caught an interview with Ken Burns. He said that his dad was in the war and shared stories with him. He always promised himself that he would get his dad's stories recorded, but his dad died without him ever recording any of them. That really hit home with me, because my dad was in the War, and shared some great stories about his time spent on the USS Piedmont. As Ken promised himself, I did the same thing, only to never get anything recorded. It was then that Ken started piecing together the idea of the series.
While watching The War, I began to wonder: did any of the businesses in Columbus Indiana build products for the war? Cummins I'm sure did, but...what did they build for the war effort? Noblitt-Sparks is another business that crossed my mind. Did they build anything specifically for the war effort? Golden Foundry? What about other businesses that were here in Columbus during the war?
This category is a place for you to list your memories about what it was like growing up in Columbus during the war. Rationing, shortages, what products were made to support the war, etc. should be discussed here.
I know there were distinguished veterans of the war that lived in Columbus, but PLEASE, DO NOT discuss them in this category. There is another set up especially for that. However, if you find it difficult to talk about a war topic without talking about a certain individual, then please contact me and we will decide if it should go here.
I would rather see this category covering how the war affected the businesses and citizens of Columbus, as well as Bartholomew County. Was farming affected by the war, and, if so, how?
Were there any Japanese Americans living in Columbus at the time? Were they sent to the camps?
How were Columbus' German residents treated? Was there any predjudice shown towards them? And those who owned businesses--was their business affected because of their heritage?
Did any of Columbus' black residents enlist to fight? What stories surround their involvement?
This could very well develop into one of the most interesting, exciting, and awe-inspring topics of the entire message board. I look forward to contributing to this exciting topic, and reading your posts!
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #1 on Apr 7, 2008, 2:03am »
This is the beginning of an article, accompanied with pictures, that will eventually be moved over to the Historic Columbus Indiana website.
I had hoped to find more time to work on this article, but alas, it just hasn't happened.
So, I am going to post the little bit, a rough draft you might call it, of what I have so far...
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Columbus Indiana residents went about their typical Sunday routines with nary a thought about how drastic their lives would change in just a few short hours. Some made ready for church. Some drank coffee while listening to their favorite Sunday morning radio program. And still others took advantage of a day off from work and slept in. Sunday was a day set aside for families, relatives, and friends. Hardly any business opened their doors on Sunday, but some ventured out to do some window shopping in the heart of Columbus’ only business district, the main district being Washington Street from 2nd Street to 11th..
If the residents of Columbus weren’t listening to Sammy Kaye’s Sunday Serenade, radio time early that afternoon was spent listening to the football game between the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cardinals.
Whatever program the residents of Columbus were listening to, the NBC Red Network broke into local programming at approximately 1:26pm: “We interrupt this broadcast to bring you this important bulletin from the United Press… Flash… Washington… The White House announces Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor…stay tuned to your local station for further developments.”
The news only worsened as the afternoon wore on.
1:30pm: “From the NBC newsroom in New York… President Roosevelt said in a statement today that the Japanese have attacked the Pearl Harbor Hawaii from the air. This bulletin came to you from the NBC newsroom in New York.”
At 1:30pm, the CBS radio network broke into their program The World Today. Announcer John Daly: “The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor Hawaii by air President Roosevelt has just announced. The attack also was made on all Naval and military activities on the principal island of Oahu.”
Eight minutes later, an announcer with the NBC Red Network broke into local programming once again… “We interrupt this program to take you to the NBC newsroom: The White House also reported today a simultaneous air attack on Army and Navy bases in Manila. This report follows the President’s report that all Army and Navy personnel on the island of Oahu in Hawaii are now under air attack. This bulletin came to you from the NBC newsroom in New York.”
Station programming on both NBC and CBS radio networks continued with their regularly scheduled programming well into the evening. Bulletins on both networks interrupted scheduled programming, and all Columbus Indiana residents turned through the dials of their radios, searching for any information about the Japanese bombing.
The streets in Columbus Indiana were all but deserted throughout the day. Some travelled from home to home, telling those that may not have heard of the news, but by 4pm, the little flurry of traffic initially staged at the onset of this terrible news ceased to exist. For all practical purposes, the streets of Columbus Indiana made one think of a ghost town.
But, around Columbus’ manufacturing businesses, this was hardly the case.
Cummins and city civic leaders, after hearing the news, immediately set out to erect some sort of temporary barricades around their plant, thus keeping any saboteurs away from doing any damage. For the very first time in its existence, employees and other personnel would find it mandatory to be checked before clearance into the plant.
Columbus Mayor Fred Owens announced a curfew to be in effect until otherwise noted, to become effective as of 1am Monday morning, December 8th, with anyone on the street not transacting business of some sort to be stopped by local police and questioned.
Just shortly after Mayor Owens announcement, Columbus’ Chief of Police, Clarence Everroad, issued the following statement: “Cooperating with State Police and federal law enforcement agencies, city law enforcement officers are asking the aid of every citizen in this emergency through observance of restrictions laid down by this department. Due to the fact that several Columbus factories are working on defense products these measures will be enforced. Do not park your car or loiter around any industry, power or filter plant."
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #2 on Apr 7, 2008, 5:06pm »
Quote:
This is the beginning of an article, accompanied with pictures, that will eventually be moved over to the Historic Columbus Indiana website.
I had hoped to find more time to work on this article, but alas, it just hasn't happened.
---------------------- But, around Columbus’ manufacturing businesses, this was hardly the case.
Cummins and city civic leaders, after hearing the news, immediately set out to erect some sort of temporary barricades around their plant, thus keeping any saboteurs away from doing any damage. For the very first time in its existence, employees and other personnel would find it mandatory to be checked before clearance into the plant.
Columbus Mayor Fred Owens announced a curfew to be in effect until otherwise noted, to become effective as of 1am Monday morning, December 8th, with anyone on the street not transacting business of some sort to be stopped by local police and questioned.
Just shortly after Mayor Owens announcement, Columbus’ Chief of Police, Clarence Everroad, issued the following statement: “Cooperating with State Police and federal law enforcement agencies, city law enforcement officers are asking the aid of every citizen in this emergency through observance of restrictions laid down by this department. Due to the fact that several Columbus factories are working on defense products these measures will be enforced. Do not park your car or loiter around any industry, power or filter plant."
...Much More To Follow...
Altho' I personally can not date this memory exactly, would think that it dates to this period of time------------I can remember that certain evenings were 'black out nights' in town. My dad was a 'block/neighborhood warden,' shall we say, and would walk our neighborhood to make certain that NO lights were visible in the homes.
I can remember my dad 'blacking out our basement windows' so that my mom could iron down in the basement, and I would guess, listen to the radio, during this 'black out' time. Seems to me this 'drill' was done regularly and frequently.
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #3 on Oct 27, 2008, 9:50am »
Making Sense of Normandy with E.Carver McGriff at the Bartholomew County Public Library
Hear a rare, first-hand account of the Normandy invasion when E. Carver McGriff discusses his book, Making Sense of Normandy: A Young Man’s Journey of Faith and War on Monday November 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the Red Room of the Bartholomew County Public Library.
McGriff was 19 years old when he left Indiana and his innocence behind and joined one of the most pivotal and bloody battles of World War II. McGriff’s book presents the harsh realities of combat and the struggle for emotional and spiritual survival. McGriff was an infantry soldier in Normandy where he was wounded and held as a prisoner of war by the Germans. He earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.
After the war McGriff returned to Indiana, earned his Business Administration degree from Butler and was in the business sector for ten years. He left the business world behind in 1959 and entered Garrett Theological Seminary. He graduated in 1962 receiving his Masters of Divinity degree “With Distinction.” McGriff then went on to earn an MS from Christian Theological Seminary and in 1970 he received his Doctor of Divinity from Indiana Central University. In 1993 McGriff was recognized by Christian Theological Seminary with their Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 1967 McGriff became senior pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Indianapolis, one of America’s largest Protestant congregations.
During the Civil Rights and Vietnam War era McGriff was moderator of an award-winning current events weekly television show in Indianapolis and he was also a regular participant on Indianapolis religious television.
McGriff retired from St. Luke’s in 1993 after seeing a dramatic growth in membership and initiating unique ministries. McGriff’s retirement years have given him the time to write several books including Making Sense of Normandy which was published in 2007.
In 2003 he was recognized by Garrett Theological Seminary as one of their Distinguished Alumni.
This free presentation is part of the Distinguished Speaker’s Series sponsored by the Bartholomew County Library Associates. Mr. McGriff will have copies of his book for sale the evening of his talk.
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #4 on Nov 3, 2008, 8:44am »
Hello, I can remember the war. I know every thing was rationed. Sugar,coffee and meat.Gasoline,tires and shoes.Women could not buy nylons, so a liquid leg make-up was used on the legs to make believe you had nylons on. The only thing,was it rubbed off on things.We had ration stamps.We had black-outs at night.I would lay in bed at nights and hear the planes from Atterbarry go over. Not knowing if they were the enemy or not (I was a 5yr.old)I would be terrified.We had no car, but Mom got gasoline for her Maytag washer.We traded stamps with other family's for things we could use and they did not use Katie.
Joined: Nov 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 103 Location: Columbus
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #5 on Dec 31, 2008, 11:21am »
Dear friends, WW2 was felt by everyone in this country. Rationing was brought on us by material needs for the war effort, but also to keep the citizens aware of the hardship of war. Rationing limited the quantity of products we could buy. Meat was one of those restricted items. My dad put his mind to helping our family get meat and others benefited also. The story below is a part of the “Memories of my young life “ that I wrote a few years back.
Rabbits; dad had rabbits. Last count I remember was about 250 rabbits. He raised them in the garage and butchered them for dinner meat. He would come home from work and have orders for 5 to 10 almost every night. I helped him dress them, and I delivered them next day on my bike. He got $1.25 each I think. No meat stamps needed. I don’t remember if I got any of that money myself, probably not as it was family income and helped buy other foods. Bob Lane "Old fifth street gang member."
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #6 on Jan 4, 2009, 6:18pm »
Bob, I can remember eating a lot of rabbit,squirrel and fish,during the war. Meat was rationed,but even if it was not we would not have had the money to buy it.The men went hunting and fishing,to supply food for their family's.I remember my Grandmother boiling Groundhog ,with lots of black pepper on the wood stove,then putting it in a pan with sweet potatoes and baking it.I never ate it,but everyone raved about it.I guess when you are hungry you will what ever. I still like rabbit. Katie
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #7 on Jan 27, 2009, 1:34pm »
I just got done reading this really good book about World War II and i thought i would pass it on to the mass majority. I thought You would all enjoy it! Let me know what you think..
World War II Books and Trivia <http://www.riebel-roque.com/> at www.riebel-roque.com <http://www.riebel-roque.com/>
Joined: Nov 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 103 Location: Columbus
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #8 on Jan 30, 2009, 5:46pm »
Katie, the rabbit dad raised was not wild rabbit. Domestic rabbit had a softer , more mellow taste as I recall. We had both as dad liked to hunt too. Bob Lane
Re: Columbus Indiana And World War II « Reply #9 on Jan 30, 2009, 7:32pm »
wild rabbit you had to do alot of cleaning and removing buck shot but when cooked had a good flavor.they both made good pan gravy.yum I like tame more better as you said it was a milder taste .White Star meat market used to sell tame rabbit when I was growing up in the 40s and 50s
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