Transcript File - Kimberly Gooch

World War II Ephemera
ANOTHER MAN’S TRASH TELLS US THE
STORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Kimberly Gooch, Grace Renninger, Shanice DeMorin, Ariella
Senzamici, Christina Morgan
War Propaganda Epherma
These “extra” stamps, as seen on the title page, were used during the
war to put on letters being sent to the men who were fighting.
According to the package, it helped “rush your letter to your man”.
This may not have been true, as there is a letter from the President
inside the cover and the money may have been going to War Bonds,
but either way it helped promote stamp buying and sending letters to
the men who were fighting overseas.
Anti Nazi Propaganda
In this poster from a USA magazine
cutout in 1942 we see an antiNazi/Hitler propaganda starting to
pop up, which help the American
public learn about what was going on
overseas and to help put a stop to it.
The subtle images of the swastika
and Hitler have a negative
connotation, and therefor is used as
propaganda against it. The American
public was able to use this poster to
show their support for the American
Troops overseas, and their views
against Nazism and Hitler.
Propaganda on the Home Front
In this rare advertisement from the U.S
Department of Agriculture, we see the U.S
using propaganda to encourage the public
to prevent forest fires in order to win the
war. It claims that forest fires help conceal
the enemy and becomes and easy target.
This pamphlet, encourages the public to
prevent forest fires so the Nazis and
Japanese will not be able to attack. There
are tips and notes in order to prevent fires,
and explanations as to why Americans
should keep them at bay. This shows how
the public was scared for an attack on the
home front and how they were doing
everything they can to prevent one, even by
preventing forest fires.
Postcard Ephemera
 Used for communication in Europe and US since late
1800s
 Publishing companies were established specifically
for making postcards, with millions being sold and
used (Publisher’s name on back left side can be used
to track dates)
 “Real Photo” postcards and writing on back depict
social history of WWII era
 Used as propaganda during war times and for
political purposes
Hitler Postcard
Propaganda postcard of
Czech Republic
featuring Hitler and
Nazis
Sent to New York, USA in
1938.
Classic US Military
Postcards
“Real Photo” Postcard featuring German Military
Letter Ephemera
 Once recipient has read it, it
no longer serves a purpose
and can be thrown away
unless it holds sentimental
value
 Up to interpretation. What
does “only meant to be used
once” mean? Are some
letters ephemera and some
not?
 Do not serve a traditional
non-fiction purpose but can
give us a glimpse of the past
Written by 2nd Lt. 76th
Hospital Train Unit, March
25, 1945
“Haven’t yet seen one gal in all my
travels who compares at all with you.
Our chief nurse says that you’re one of
the truly beautiful girls that she has
seen in her life. I was very pleased and
proud to hear this.
Everybody knows about your mink
coat and five new suits. Spend thrift
that you are. But I can’t help but love
you even tho I’d like to wring your
neck.”
Enclosed in Letter:
“Trier Germany. These men only captured 2-3 hours ago,
8,000.”
“Saw 8,000 Germans just captured. All in one field. We were at
the front! The anti aircraft guns were going off and the war was
being fought.”
“To show you the shortage of various things
over here it seems whenever I smoke a cigar
some Frenchman offers me a dollar for it. I
feel like a millionaire smoking cigars that are
worth a dollar even though I only pay 5 cents
for them. There are very strict regulations
over here to prevent one from selling such
rationed goods and these regulations are
very necessary for the soldiers would sell
everything they got if they weren’t in affect.
Inflation is a terrible thing and America
should be glad that the O.P.A has done so
much in curbing it.”
V-mail, short for Victory Mail, is a hybrid mail process used during the
Second World War in America as the primary and secure method to
correspond with soldiers stationed abroad. To reduce the logistics of
transferring an original letter across the military postal system, a
V-mail letter would be censored, copied to film, and printed back to paper
upon arrival at its destination.
Censorship
•
OPA issues fliers, posters,
etc. explaining how/when
to use ration stamps.
•
We can see what different
stamps were used for.
•
Household fats got a return
of 4 points a pound
•
Shows there was some
confusion on how rationing
stamps could be used.
•
Blue tokens for
processed foods, Red
tokens for meat
•
Made of cardboard
•
"We try to strip away
the intervening layers
and discover the
immediate witnesses.“
•
Stamps gain more
meaning when
combined with the
poster explanation on
slide 1
•
Stickers stuck onto the
windows of cars –
indicated how much gas
they were allowed
•
Tells us the professions of
people who owned which
cars
•
Tickets given to gas
attendents
•
Insight into lifestyle of
people during World War 2
A – gas is nonessential; B – gas essential to war
effort; C – Physicians, Ministers, service
professions; T – truckers; X – members of
congress
•
Stickers stuck onto the
windows of cars – indicated
how much gas they were
allowed
•
Tells us the professions of
people who owned which
cars
•
Tickets given to gas
attendants
•
Insight into lifestyle of
people during World War 2
A – gas is nonessential; B – gas essential to war effort; C
– Physicians, Ministers, service professions; T –
truckers; X – members of congress
Warnings and explicit
instructions show how much of a
problem “cheating the system”
was.
Signatures were required for each
delivery of oil.
•
Cover of a rationing
booklet, done by
Walt Disney, 1943
•
Children as an
audience
•
Propaganda
•
Example of Disney
work in war effort
•
Fliers for “Victory Garden”
contests.
•
Disney being marketing
war effort to both adults &
children
•
Record types of crops &
their weight
Anne Frank Ephemera
The Diary of a Young Girl 1947
Anne Frank received this diary for her 13th birthday.
“The seemingly everyday, innocent thoughts of a teen girl were published. But they weren’t so
everyday: they were the thoughts of Anne Frank, a 13-year-old in a unique position to make
the world understand what it was like to have to hide your entire existence in exchange for a
mere chance at surviving the Nazi regime. Her diary has since sold more than 30 million
copies and has been translated into 67 languages.”
Excerpts
 On Deportations
 “Our many Jewish friends and acquaintances are being taken
away in droves. The Gestapo is treating them very roughly and
transporting them in cattle cars to Westerbork, the big camp in
Drenthe to which they're sending all the Jews....If it's that bad
in Holland, what must it be like in those faraway and uncivilized
places where the Germans are sending them? We assume that
most of them are being murdered. The English radio says
they're being gassed.”

- October 9, 1942
 On Nazi Punishment
 “All college students are being asked to sign an official
statement to the effect that they 'sympathize with the Germans
and approve of the New Order. Eighty percent have decided to
obey the dictates of their conscience, but the penalty will be
severe. Any student refusing to sign will be sent to a German
labor camp.”

- May 18, 1943
Describing her Despair
 "I've reached the point where I hardly care
whether I live or die. The world will keep on
turning without me, and I can't do anything to
change events anyway. I'll just let matters take
their course and concentrate on studying and
hope that everything will be all right in the
end."
- February 3, 1944
 "...but the minute I was alone I knew I was
going to cry my eyes out. I slid to the floor in
my nightgown and began by saying my
prayers, very fervently. Then I drew my knees
to my chest, lay my head on my arms and
cried, all huddled up on the bare floor. A loud
sob brought me back down to earth..."
- April 5, 1944
Works Cited
 Guidara, Andrea. “The Social History of
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Postcards in Beverly.” 30 March
2009. Web.
30 Nov 2014.
Middleton, Mike. “Classic Military Postcards.” Blogspot. 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 30
Nov. 2014.
“Original WWII Era German Military Themed Postcard.” Postcard. Bunker
Militaria. Web. 30
Nov. 2014.
“The History of Postcards.” Emotions Cards. 2003. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
"Diary Excerpts." Anne Frank. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
<http://annefrank.com/about-anne-frank/diary-excerpts/>.
Otto Frank Talks about Anne's Diary. Perf. Otto Frank. Anne Frank House.
Film
"Popular Items for Wwii Ephemera." Etsy. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
<https://www.etsy.com/market/wwii_ephemera>