When Milwaukee Went to War – On the Homefront During WWII

When Milwaukee Went to War
160 Pages
ISBN 9798670980203

When Milwaukee Went to war chronicles the many things that were made in the Milwaukee area for the war effort: Items as mundane as the inexpensive can openers that were issued with military rations and manufactured here by the many millions, and as complicated as the machinery produced by Allis-Chalmers to extract U-235 to produce the atomic bomb. The book also discusses the role that Milwaukeeans played “on the home front” during the war as they worked toward a common goal—victory.

As noted by president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943, "Every combat division, every naval task force, every squadron of fighting planes is dependent for its equipment and ammunition and fuel and food … on the American people in civilian clothes in the offices and in the factories and on the farms at home." As one of the principal industrial centers in the United States, the products produced in Milwaukee was critical to the war effort.

The book also discusses the local Milwaukee area environment during the war era, including the movement of women and African Americans into the workforce to replace the men who had joined the military, and the related societal impacts.

Thomas H. Fehring

About Thomas H. Fehring (Milwaukee, Wisconsin Author)

Thomas H. Fehring

Tom Fehring is an engineer by training and practice, having worked for thirty-five years at "keeping the lights on" at Wisconsin Energy Corporation and its various subsidiaries. Earlier in his career, he worked for a time at Falk Corporation, Briggs & Stratton and Ford Motor Company.

He was born and grew up in Milwaukee in the shadows of the A.O. Smith factory near 35th and Capitol Drive. Fehring attended Marquette University and attained bachelor and master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Along the way he married. He and his wife Suzan have raised three children.

Fehring considers himself an accidental historian. Early in his engineering career one of his supervisors helped to "plant the seed" that led to a fascination with industrial history. That supervisor encouraged him to give back to the engineering profession by volunteering his time and talents. Taking to the call, Fehring served for years as the history and heritage chair of the local chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He eventually was named to the Society's international history and heritage committee, which he chairs. Forty years later, industrial archeology continues to be his hobby and an important part of his life.

Fehring also serves on the Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Historic Preservation Commission. He has published two books on the Village's history.

Fehring first published a book on Milwaukee's industrial heritage in 1980. It was a modest effort, but was surprisingly well received. Since then he has continued to gather information and materials about the early companies of Milwaukee, the incredible machines that were built here over the years, and the innovative engineers who designed them.