1942 – Page 16 – Old Magazine Articles

When Fashion and Uniforms Meet…(Click Magazine, 1942)

When the general appearance of women’s uniforms prescribed for voluntary war work by various charitable organizations were deemed unfashionable, uncomfortable or simply embarrassing, the well-known fashion stylist and costume designer Irene (Irene Lentz, 1900 – 1962) stepped up to the plate designing an all-purpose green wool suit, topped-off by a beret:

The noted Hollywood stylist, Irene, performed a real service for defense when she designed her all-around defense suit. Of sturdy gabardine, worn with long cotton service socks and plastic shoes, it is nevertheless as attractive as any civilian suit, and more practical than most. In this outfit, women war workers will not feel self-conscious and ill at ease.

Women, Fashion and Uniforms on the Home Front
(Rob Wagner’s Script Magazine, 1942)

Two short, gossipy paragraphs from a Hollywood literary magazine printed early in the American home front experience concerning women war-workers, fabric rationing and the long-standing debate between ready-made uniforms vs custom-made uniforms:

Feminine uniforms are causing great dismay. Women of small means complain that while they would like custom-made uniforms, they can’t afford them. Nevertheless, designers are doing a capacity business, turning out ultra-chic numbers for those in the money…

Click here to read an article about women’s uniforms during W.W. I.

John Frederics and the Hats for the Fall
(Click Magazine, 1942)

Here is a an Elizabeth Hawes (1903 – 1971) fashion review covering some of the hats for the autumn of 1942. They were all the creations of John-Frederics (1902 – 1993) – some are simply fantastical while others are a tad less dramatic, but not lacking in style.

Click here to read about the hats of 1947.

The Man Behind The WAAC Uniforms
(The American Magazine, 1942)

Although the WAAC uniforms were designed by Dorthy Shavers (1893 – 1959) of Lord & Taylor, this short article credits U.S. Army Colonel L.O. Grice – who actually served more in the capacity as the Army’s artistic director who supervised the designer.

He picked everything from purses to panties for Uncle Sam’s powder-puff army…

Click here to read about the WAVE’s uniform…

The Training of Tank Crews
(Collier’s Magazine, 1942)

For the Americans, World War II was just four months old when these three color pictures appeared depicting the most up to date (and economical) methods used in the training of Stuart Tank gunners.

Washington, D.C. pt. II
(Click Magazine, 1942)

Another article about wartime Washington can be read here… Click here to read about the end of the Great Depression…

Eyewitness to Pearl Harbor
(Rob Wagner’s Script Magazine, 1942)

Attached is an eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack as relayed to family members in a letter written home a few weeks after the assault:

The noise was like ten thousand factories gone nuts….Quicker than I can tell you, a bomb blows up the barracks with the gang in it, a ship explodes in front of me, a hangar goes up in flames…

The very next day President Roosevelt stood before the microphones in the well of the U.S. Capitol and asked Congress to declare war against the Empire of Japan; CLICK HERE to hear about the reactions of the American public during his broadcast…

Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941

Click here to read about the Battle of Midway.

Eyewitness to Pearl Harbor
(Rob Wagner’s Script Magazine, 1942)

Attached is an eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack as relayed to family members in a letter written home a few weeks after the assault:

The noise was like ten thousand factories gone nuts….Quicker than I can tell you, a bomb blows up the barracks with the gang in it, a ship explodes in front of me, a hangar goes up in flames…

Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941

Click here to read about the Battle of Midway.

What Hitler Wanted
(Omnibooks Magazine, 1942)

Hearst reporter H.R. Knickerbocker (1898 – 1949) had been closely watching Hitler since 1923 and pointed out that on April 29, 1941 the Axis forces had printed a trial balloon on the pages of the JAPAN TIMES ADVERTISER that clearly indicated the peace terms that were acceptable to the Nazis. Attached is Knickerbocker’s outline of this proposal, as well as the correspondent’s astute commentary that he had prepared for his 1942 bestseller, Is Tomorrow Hitler’s?

From Amazon: Is Tomorrow Hitler’s?:

The German economist who made the Reich’s rearmament possible was named Hjalmar Schacht, click here to read about him…

Hitler’s 1942 Challenges
(Newsweek Magazine, 1942)

The dilemma before Hitler is that he must marshall all his air strength to crush Russia. He cannot do so without weakening his air units in France or the Mediterranean. Such a move would threaten him either with an Allied invasion of the Continent or the disruption of the Axis supply lines to Africa… The Luftwaffe had lost 15,000 planes in Russia – and with them the hope of regaining air superiority in Russian skies.