Lititz During World War II

The first direct impact World War II had on the small community of Lititz occurred on October 16, 1941. On that date the schools were closed so young men could register for the draft of the U.S. Government Armed Forces. 663 men were registered by school personnel who felt obligated to their former pupils. All men between the ages of 21 and 36 had to register or face the penalty of five years in prison and $10,000 fine (roughly $210,000 in 2024 dollars).

Woodstream Corporation (then Animal Trap Company) was the first local manufacturer to devote its entire work force for war supplies. Belt buckles for soldiers’ uniforms and munitions of all types were now on the assembly lines. Woodstream received a commendation from the State of Pennsylvania for its war efforts. In 1943, Lititz led Lancaster County in the sale of War Bonds. Residents bought $23,000 worth in the first two weeks of sale.

 PHOTO: 1943 - Animal Trap Company accepting the Army-Navy E Award for their Excellence in production of war equipment (photo provided by the author)

Housewives donated more than a half ton of aluminum pots and pans, which were stacked in the lobby of The Lititz Post Office. The aluminum was melted down for war materials as was scrap metal and rubber. Hundreds of gloves, scarves, and afghans were knitted by local women and Girl Scouts to be sent overseas to the American GIs. Volunteers set up an airplane spotter post in the Village of Lexington in anticipation of enemy aircraft. The post was manned twenty-four hours a day by civic-minded men.

On January 27, 1942, the entire town turned off all sources of light as a blackout drill. It lasted fifteen minutes and was termed a success. As spring approached, the Lititz Chamber of Commerce offered free garden plots for Victory Gardens, with prizes given to the most productive gardeners. Since food had become a valuable resource, it was shared among all the townspeople. Sugar had to be rationed since it was imported and very expensive. Ration Books were given for sugar and gasoline. Three gallons of gas were the allotment for one week.

The Moravian Church was designated as the town's emergency medical center with the public schools as a backup.  Six casualty stations were manned by volunteer doctors and nurses in the case of an attack.

President Harry Truman announced Victory in Europe on May 8, 1945. The National Anthem was broadcast in downtown Lititz as factory whistles blew and school children cheered in their classrooms. However, since the U.S. was still at war with Japan, the war efforts in the town continued for three more months. After the long-awaited announcement from President Truman of Victory in Japan on August 14, 1945, the townspeople celebrated with "a mass of shouting and noise-making humanity." Hundreds of citizens marched through the streets ringing bells, honking horns and rattling dishpans and buckets. A parade was formed on Spruce Street led by the Community Band. Fire engines blew their sirens, Boy Scouts waved their flags, and local onlookers joined in on the march of victory.

The Lititz Record Express headline for the week was "PEACE! THANK GOD." For the next two days all industries and schools in Lititz were closed in celebration of the end of the war. By Thanksgiving, servicemen and women began arriving back home to Lititz, soon to begin a new life as civilians. Twenty men from the Lititz area died in World War II; twelve from the borough.

 

LHF Newsletter Summer, 1993 by Charlene M. Van Brookhoven