Glossary of Common WWII Terms Found in High School Yearbooks

• Allies

  Term used to refer to the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, Canada and approximately 50 other countries who opposed the Axis nations during WWII.

• Axis Powers

  Term used to refer to the alliance between Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and Fascist Italy and their allies and satellite nations during WWII. The name was coined by Italian leader Benito Mussolini, and referred to the geographic line (or axis) formed by Germany and Italy that split Europe down the middle.

• Blackout Drills

  The US Office of Civilian Defense was formed in May 1941 to manage preparations for war-related emergencies on the Home Front at a local level. Blackout drills were conducted so people could practice their response to hearing an air-raid alarm, which was a series of siren blasts to notify residents in the event of a Home Front attack by the Axis. Towns elected an air-raid warden, and neighborhoods were notified in advance of the blackout drill. They were called 'blackout drills' because people were instructed to turn off all the lights in their homes and draw their blinds to that visible light would not attract bombs or gunfire from above.

• The Draft

  The Draft or the Selective Training and Service Act was the way the United States raised its armies in WWII. On September 16, 1940, the United States instituted the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for The Draft. This was the first peacetime draft in United States' history. Those who were selected from the draft lottery were required to serve at least one year in the armed forces. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, draft terms were extended through the duration of the fighting and the minimum age of service lowered to 18. By the end of the war in 1945, 50 million men between 18 and 45 had registered for the draft and 10 million had been inducted in the military. Due to The Draft, many recent high school graduates went directly from school into the military.

• Executive Order 9066

  An Executive Order given by President Of The United States Franklin Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, authorizing the internment (removal and confinement) of Japanese and Japanese Americans along the West Coast out of fear that they might side with Japan and against the U.S. in WWII.  Under this order, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans and resident Japanese were forced to leave behind their homes, property and possessions and relocate to ten remote internment camps for the remainder of the war. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan awarded reparations to the surviving former-internees and apologized for the U.S. government's policy of "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership."

• Fascism

  The political system of Nazi Germany and Italy during WWII. Fascism was founded on the principles of ultra-nationalism, ultra-militarism, anti-Communism, anti-Semitism and the belief that the state should have total (totalitarian) control over all aspects of public and private life. During WWII, fascists and fascism became a catch-all term for the Axis or Axis-allied nations the United States was fighting.

• GI

  Term commonly used to describe soldiers in the U.S. Army.  The term is often thought to be derived from "Government Issue," but may also have derived from "GI" for "galvanized iron" as used to denote equipment such as metal trash cans in U.S. Army inventories and supply records.

• Gold Star Flag

  A service flag with a gold star in the center of the banner, representing a service member that has died during service. Gold Star Flags were displayed in windows by family members, but also by businesses and schools who may have lost former employees or former students in the war. In many high school yearbooks from WWII, images of Gold Star Flags would be included alongside pictures or names of students who had died.

• Home Front

  Term used to describe Americans of all ages not serving in the military, but making contributions to the United States’ war effort in their job, school or community. Service on The Home Front – from working in war-time factories to collecting scrap paper or metal – proved essential to the United States’ victory in WWII. Service on The Home Front also opened the workplace to many women and minorities for the first time. A vast majority of Americans (114 million out of 130 million) experienced WWII on The Home Front. Most high schools during WWII featured prominent activities and clubs focused on supporting the war effort.

• Honor Roll

  In many high school yearbooks from WWII, the Honor Roll page was not reserved for students making good grades, but rather held over as a tribute or memorial page to former students who have died, been wounded or captured while serving. Many Honor Roll pages feature pictures of students taken from their days at school while others list brief biographies and collective condolences and inspirational passages.

• Japanese American Internment

  Following the Attacks on Pearl Harbor, racially-motivated suspicions about the loyalty of Japanese Americans reached near-panic levels. With the passage of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, ten War Relocation centers were established in remote parts of the country to house the nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese resident aliens forcefully removed from their homes and interned by the U.S. government during WWII. The ten War Relocation center sites were at Gila River and Poston in Arizona, Rowher and Jerome in Arkansas, Amache in Colorado, Heart Mountain in Wyoming, Manzanar in California, Topaz in Utah and Minidoka in Idaho. During WWII, the majority of Japanese Americans living in the U.S. resided on the American West Coast. Following the War, many Japanese Americans chose not to return to their homes and began lives in new cities. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan awarded reparations to the surviving former-internees and apologized for the U.S. government's policy of "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership."

• Minuteman Flag

  A blue flag with thirteen white stars surrounding a Revolutionary War 'Minuteman' soldier. During WWII, the United States needed extra funding for the war effort, so there were drives to raise money through the sale of War Bonds. Minuteman Flags were awarded by the United States Treasury Department to businesses and schools with 90% or higher participation in war bond purchases; that is, 90% of employees or students purchasing a certain amount of war bonds in a selected period.

• Prisoners Of War

  During WWII, over 120,000 Americans that were captured alive were held as Prisoners Of War (P.O.W.'s) by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan or one of their allies. Conditions for P.O.W.'s were often harsh, yet differed widely depending on when and where the soldier was captured and by whom. P.O.W.'s held by Nazi Germany were given some protection under the Geneva Convention, however, P.O.W.'s captured by Japan were seen as unworthy of respect and were very often tortured or killed. High schools often listed the names or photos of former students who were taken as P.O.W.'s in their yearbooks or annuals; very often on Honor Roll pages.

• Propaganda Posters

  During WWII, most countries, both Axis and Allies, produced posters, newsreels, films and radio announcements to encourage their citizens to support their wartime policies and the war effort. These sets of messages, aimed at influencing the opinions and behaviors of large numbers of people, are known as Propaganda. Propaganda Posters were also aimed at young people and are visible in many WWII high school yearbooks. Some high school yearbooks also reference Propaganda Posters in their style and lay-out, having a school mascot or the school namesake stand in for a well-known patriotic figure or image.

• Rationing

  During WWII, supplies of food, gasoline, sugar and even some articles of clothing were rationed (limited and controlled) so that the American military would have everything it needed to fight while also giving citizens on The Home Front 'their fair share.' Starting in 1942, everyone in the United States – from the youngest infant to the oldest person in the community – received ration books, inside of which were coupons which were needed, along with money, to purchase any goods that were rationed. Even if you had enough money to purchase something, if you did not have the right amount of ration coupons, you would not be allowed to purchase it. Due to strict gas and rubber rationing, Americans were also forced to do less driving as the average household was allotted less than 5 gallons of gasoline per week. Due to rationing, every purchase a person made required extra thought as to whether it was essential or not. The effects of rationing are seen throughout many high school yearbooks from WWII, as students worked in Victory Gardens to harvest extra food, certain sports teams no longer traveled to play away games due to the lack of gas and proms and seasonal dances cut back on decorations and fancy dress attire if they were unavailable.

• Scrap Drives

  Production of all the weapons, vehicles and supplies needed by the United States’ military in WWII created critical shortages of materials. To overcome these shortages, war planners searched for substitutes to use, however, they also relied heavily on ordinary Americans to collect, save and recycle scrap paper, metal, rubber and even grease from cooking to support the war effort. These collection and recycling efforts were known as Scrap Drives with students and young people usually taking the lead in the collection of old or scrap materials in their neighborhoods and schools. Similar to War Bond Drives, schools or classes would have competitive Scrap Drives to see who could collect or recycle the most scrap.

• Segregation

  Prior to the Brown v. Board Of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954, the United States possessed no one national policy regarding Racial Segregation in schools. During WWII, Racial Segregation in education varied widely with 17 states requiring it, 16 states prohibiting it and 15 others that either did not legislate on the matter at all or left it up to the individual school districts themselves. In some schools as well there was partial integration of classes, but separate clubs and social activities – such as sports and prom courts – maintained for the different races. Prevailing attitudes about race in the 1940s can also be seen in some high school yearbooks which featured 'black face' minstrel shows or caricatured Native Americans as mascots. During WWII, African American and minority leaders and organizations established the "Double V" or "Double Victory" campaign, calling for victory against the enemy overseas and victory against racism at home. This new consciousness and the defiant rejection of unjustifiable racism planted important seeds for the post-War civil rights movement.

• Service Flag

  A small, patriotic banner displayed during war-time to indicate that a member of one's family was serving in the conflict. A blue star or several blue stars in the center of the red and white banner indicates the number of service members currently serving. A gold star in the center of the banner represents a service member that has died during service. Service Flags were displayed in windows by family members, but also by businesses and schools whose former employees or former students might be serving.

• USO

  The USO (United Service Organizations) is a private, non-profit organization that in WWII provided morale and recreational services to U.S. and Allied troops throughout the world.  Established in February 1941, the USO presented more than 400,000 shows both overseas and on the Home Front. During WWII high school performers in bands, orchestras and theatre also provided entertainment through the USO, traveling to local bases or training facilities to entertain the troops.

• V For Victory

  A slogan and propaganda campaign widely-used during WWII. The V For Victory slogan was made popular by various Allied leaders performing the V-Sign hand-gesture in photographs, most memorably British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The V-Sign can also be seen as an organizational lay-out and photo style in many high school yearbooks.

• V-Mail

  During WWII, V-Mail or "Victory Mail" was a space-saving process in which servicemen overseas or friends and loved ones on The Home Front could write a letter on a regular-sized, one-page V-Mail blank which would then be photographed and reduced in size so that it fit on a roll of microfilm. Over 1,700 V-Mail letter s could be stored on a single roll of microfilm. V-Mail would then be shipped back home and re-enlarged to be received by loved ones. High school yearbooks from the war years often included either real V-mail letters written by servicemen to friends still at school or V-Mail-style letters addressed to all former students who were serving.

• Victory Corps

  A volunteer service group created in 1942 to mobilize high school students’ support for the war effort on The Home Front while also preparing members for future military service. Membership within the Victory Corps was open to both male and female students with both white and African American schools participating. In order to be eligible to join, a student needed to participate in a physical fitness program, enroll in a war-effort class and volunteer for at least one extracurricular activity in support of the war. Victory Corps members had their own uniforms, ranks and special insignia patches related to the classes they were taking as well as the extra-curricular training they were receiving.

• Victory Corps

  During WWII, one of the U.S. government's efforts to make sure that there was enough food for everyone — civilian and military alike — was the campaign for Victory Gardens. The idea for Victory Gardens was that everyone could raise some fruits or vegetables. Victory Gardens were a way for Americans on the Home Front to feel patriotic and contribute to the war effort. During WWII, Victory Gardens provided 40 percent of the vegetables grown in the country. There were almost two million Victory Gardens in America during the war, from suburban backyards to small city plots of land. Many Victory Gardens were planted by students; some were even planted at schools.

• War Bonds & Stamps

  During WWII, the United States spent more than $300 billion fighting the Axis Powers and supplying our Allies. To help fund this massive effort, the U.S. Treasury Department offered Americans a chance to buy series of saving bonds known as War Bonds. A War Bond was a way for ordinary Americans to invest in the war effort with the promise that the U.S. government would repay their investment in ten years time. Everywhere they went Americans were encouraged to help support the war effort by purchasing War Bonds. Children and students did their part, too, purchasing .25¢ War Stamps to paste into War Bond booklets; a certain number of War Stamps would add up to equal one War Bond. Schools held their own War Bond drives and students would bring in nickels, dimes, and quarters to see if their school or class could out-raise other schools or classes.

• War Relocation Authority

  The War Relocation Authority (WRA) was a United States government agency established to handle the internment of Japanese (as well as some German and Italian) Americans during World War II. Formed on March 18, 1942 as part of Executive Order 9102, the WRA created and managed a total of 10 internment camps in remote areas of the United States. On July 13, 1945, the WRA announced that all but one camp, Tule Lake, would be closed by the end of the year. The last camp closed in March 1946, and President Truman officially terminated the WRA on June 26, 1946.

• Waste Fat Collection

  In many high schools during WWII, there were Scrap Drives to collect and recycle materials needed for the war effort. One specific, though at first glance unlikely, material that was collected in these drives was left-over grease from cooking and food preparation. Waste-fats and grease contain the chemical glycerin – a component used in the production of ammunition and explosives. Some high schools during WWII had official Grease Clubs to meet this need.