World War II Woman

Shhh

Shhhhh

Security concerns about troop movements was of the utmost importance during World War II.

Those of us receiving letters from our relatives and friends in the service could expect to see sentences blacked out with a thick pen, and, in some instances, the letter could arrive with sections gouged out with scissors. The military went to great lengths to keep the whereabouts of our troops secret. But sometimes the servicemen found ways.

In my book, We Knew We Were at War: Women Remember World War II, we learn of a Navy commander who signaled his family back home where he was. He wrote in a letter to his mother that he had recently visited Aunt Susie. Since his mother had a dear friend, Susie, living in England, she had little trouble figuring out where her son was.

We were constantly reminded of the need for secrecy. Posters in trains, buses, subways, and trolleys were a part of our lives. “Shhh, someone may be listening,” “Careless talk costs lives,” and “A slip of the Lip Might Sink a Ship” are but a few. For more posters of World War II, go to www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters and also check out my book at www.PegGeorge.com. 

Aside from using great care in our conversations, the ability to receive communications from our servicemen was sometimes limited. We had no way of knowing where they were or what their lives were like. Should a major battle be underway, such as the Battle of the Bulge, mail from the front could take several months. The same for many of our naval personnel. Mail was transmitted only when the ship came into port, so families could go as long as two months without hearing from their loved ones. But when the mail did come, the packet could be very thick.

What a contrast World War II was to the war of today. Now emails and weekly phone calls occur frequently, and many families know just where their loved ones are – sometimes not very comforting knowledge.

Please feel free to share your comments here on the blog for others to enjoy and to learn of your experiences.
 

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