Forged for War
Mahoning Valley's transformation into World War II
"The war effort built Youngstown and Youngstown built the war effort"
Morgan Petronelli "Steel, a Bomb, and a City: Youngstown's History of War", The Jambar, Youngstown State University, Youngstown OH (February 2, 2017): 5.The Mahoning Valley played a crucial role in supporting the war effort during World War II
Youngstown began in 1797 when John Young purchased 15,560 acres of land to form the small township. Youngstown officially became incorporated in 1802. Location and abundance of coal and iron ore made it a prime location for the iron and steel industries to take root.
Early Youngstown
Building Infrastructure 1874
Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Om1636_1911220_003
West Federal Street 1873
Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Om1636_1911220_002
Social-Economic Influences
Influences of immigration, urbanization, and industrialization swept across Ohio marking a significant chance in the social and economic transformation into what would become an industrial powerhouse during World War II. Population growth was essential to the area’s society, changing it from and agrarian to an industrial economy. Youngstown began to expand outward with the introduction of new roads, canals, steamboats, and railroads. Entering the union in 1803 with roughly 50,000 people, by 1840 only New York and Pennsylvania exceeded the states population of 1.5 million.
Kayler, R. S. Railroad map of Ohio published by the state, prepared under the direction of commissioner of railroads and telegraphs. Columbus, 1898. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/98688545/.
The Mahoning Valley’s history of steel production reaches back to the mid- 1800s. Primarily a center of iron production after the Civil War, the valley began converting to steel manufacturing during the depression of the 1890s. The Ohio Steel Company was the first Mahoning Valley business to convert. It sold out to the National Steel Company in 1899, and converted the Brown-Bonnell iron plant into the steelworks with Bessemer converters. J.P Morgan, head of one of the largest U.S. investment firms in the United States, purchased numerous companies, including the Carnegie Steel Company in 1901, which led to outside control of much of Youngstown’s steel industry.
Becoming “Steel Valley”
A, B, C, and D blast furnaces, Campbell Works YS&T (ca. 1920s)
Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection, AC2_YHCIL_MSS0140_B01F14_015
Early Youngstown Steel Companies
In 1900, local investors James A. Campbell and George D. Wick created the Youngstown Iron Sheet and Tube Company (eventually dropping the word “iron” to head off complete outside ownership of Youngstown plants. The company quickly grew into one of the largest concerns in Ohio, and the largest locally owned steel company in the United States. Steel mills were also important to the local economy because they support ancillary businesses, such as companies that provide limestone from nearby mines for iron smelting, or construct equipment for the mills, such as the William B. Pollock Company which constructed blast furnaces, steel ladles and slag cars. Youngstown was also headquarters for a number of companies including upper and lower Union mills that fabricated steel products.
The upper and lower union mills were small iron and later steel producers/ rolling mills along the Mahoning River which were bought by Andrew Carnegie. In 1096, the Youngstown District which included the Ohio Works, Upper and Lower Union Mills formed parts of the soon to be U.S. Steel works and were eventually phased out by 1915 in favor of integrated mills- the blast furnaces, open hearths, and Bessemer Converters all in one place- as opposed to being separated by sometimes miles of land in Youngstown.
Ore Yard, Carnegie Steel Ohio Works 1916
Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection, AC2_YHCIL_MSS0012_B04F35_003
Youngstown Enters World War II
After the Great Depression (1929-39) the U.S. entry into World War II in the form of arms provision and aid to the Allies created an economic stimulus which ended the Depression. The U.S. officially entered the war effort in 1941 after the December 7th bombing of Pearl Harbor, “A day that will live in infamy.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt). The newly refurbished blast furnace at Republic Steel Warren was finished just in time for the war effort, dedicated in 1939, Production peak was over 400,000 tons of iron for the steel industry a year.
"No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society"
The blast furnace for Republic Warren was rebuilt by the William B. Pollock Company and featured a larger bosch, taller stack, and the latest in technology at the furnace top.
Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection, AC2_YHCIL_MSS0012_B04F08_014
Government Intervention and Support for Industrial Expansion
Expansion of the Steel Industry
The National Defense Program Act of 1940 was created by Congress to oversee war production, verifying credentials of employees for military contractors. ID cars with information including photographs and fingerprints were a way of insuring the employee was reliable. (Pitt University Archives, accessed 4/2/2024)
Lend-Lease Act- 1941 Passed March 11, 1941, FDR and Congress drafted “this act to set up a system that would allow the United States to lend or lease war supplies to any nation vital to the defense of the United States.” This included weaponry, machinery, tools, and materials necessary for the war effort. (National Archives, accessed 4/3/2024).
Financing and Subsidies Provided by the Government “Before the war, America’s military was small, and its weapons were obsolescent. The military needed to purchase thousands of ships, tens of thousands of airplanes, hundreds of thousands of vehicles, millions of guns, and hundreds of millions of rounds of ammunition. The military needed to recruit, train and deploy millions of soldiers to theaters of action on six continents. Accomplishing these tasks entailed paying entrepreneurs, inventors, and firms so that they, in turn, could purchase supplies, pay workers, and produce weapons with which America’s soldiers and sailors would defeat its enemies. Military expenditures rose from a few hundred million a year before the war to $85 billion in 1943 and $91 billion in 1944.” (Gary Richardson, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond accessed 4/3/24)
Lend Lease Bill, dated January 10, 1941.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, HR 77A-D13, Record Group 233, National Archives
Increase in Production Capacity and Employment Opportunities
In 1939, The United States was severely lacking in aircraft production totaling 2,141 units. Thanks to programs enacted by the government, by 1942 United States aircraft production reached 47,836 units, outproducing its nearest competitor, the Soviet Union, by nearly 2 to 1. By 1944, U.S. aircraft production had more that doubled to 96,318 units.
This example illustrates wartime production increases in steel of more than 13,971,838 weapons and land and sea transportation parts accorded the Armed Services of the United States as of 1944. Statistics show a 15% increase in these areas, fueled by increases in jobs in the steel mills, especially for African Americans and women. Example: employment in the mills jumped 50%, and the average workers pay rose from $1900 a year to $2,780.
"No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society"
Women Workers in the Steel Industry
In 1939, “Convulsions generated by the war emergency hastened the influx of women into the labor force. The War Manpower Commission revealed that female employment rose from 142,470 to 422,830, an increase from 16% to now 32% of all workers in 1944.” Government created a massive propaganda campaign urging women to show their patriotism by filling jobs in the war plants.
Labor Force Mobilization
Workroom propaganda banner (unknown)
The National WWII Museum, New Orleans.
"No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society"
Propaganda Poster World War II
Minorities in the Mills
Labor shortages during World War II created more employment opportunities for African Americans and Hispanics in the mills. In 1941 pressure mounts for Roosevelt to sign an order prohibiting racial discrimination in the war industry. He created the Fair Employment Practices Committee to investigate charges of bias. African Americans increased their share of total employment from 3.5% to 8.2% in 1945, this fulfilling their “patriotic duty” in numbers not seen to this point in history.
"No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society"
Working Conditions in Wartime Steel Mills
Prior to, and even during World War II there were many disputes between labor and management as political pressure continued to mount Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act. Passed on June 25, 1938 this Act limited the work week to 44 hours, or 8.8 hours per day. On June 26, 1940 the Fair Labor Standards Act was amended further limiting the work week to 40 hours, on October 24, 1940 the law went into effect.
The increasing strength of the unions led to many benefits for the workers including 8 hour shifts. Prior to this a shift could last 12 hours. Also included, as a result of union leadership, negotiations led to increased safety measures for workers, (hard-hats, steel toe and steel shank shoes, welders’ goggles, gloves, etc.) and equipment modernization which eliminated the chance of injury. No more working in your street clothes!
African Americans in World War II: Sailors from USS Rutland
The National WWII Museum, New Orleans.
Youngstown Vindicator, November 1, 1943. "Welderettes"
Courtesy of YHCIL Archives
Conversion of existing factories for wartime production:
The shift from civilian products to military equipment manufacturing
One of Youngstown's largest steel manufacturers was Republic Steel, a vital economic force in the Mahoning Valley area. Nationally, the company was a mainstay of steel production in the United States, producing steel used by the American automobile, defense, and air industries.
After the outbreak of World War II in 1941, the Corporation’s production increased by 33%. This increased production continued into the 1950s and 1960s as the company continued to be one of the leading developers of steel production technology.
Weaponry Production
Rubber and Steel
Examples of weapon systems produced in the Mahoning Valley
Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, mss0036
Dirigible construction at General Tire in Akron.
No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society
Assembly line for military grade Jeeps, Willys- Overland Company (ca. 1940s-50s)
No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society
Legacy of the Mahoning Valley’s Steel Industry
Economic Impact on Local Communities
Post war prosperity and the increase in Black and women workers had decreased the poverty line level to 11.4% nationwide. However, the poverty level was far from equal with African Americans at 27.5% and Hispanics at 20.5%, as opposed to whites at 6.9%. Prosperity is indicated by population growth. Between 1940 and 1950 the population of Youngstown increased by 0.4%. However, state population increased from 6.9 million to 7.9 million a total increase of a little more than 13%.
The average wage of the working man increased from $1.08 to $2.26 an hour between 1940 and 1960.
No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society
A Civilian Defense Parade in Warren, Ohio, May 1943.
No Strength without Union, 1982, Ohio Historical Society
Conclusion & Credits
Conclusion
Post The Mahoning Valley’s steel industry made significant contributions to supporting the war effort during World War II, providing essential weaponry production as well as economic growth and technological advancements that left a lasting legacy. Worker tenacity, safety, and technological advancements negotiated through increasing strength of the unions helped win the war for the United States and her allies.
Technical Advancements Achieved
Post Federal Defense needs shifted from ground war equipment production to sophisticated air, space, and underwater technologies. Advancements in the art of steel making, such as the electric arc furnace and the continuous caster made this shift possible. An example of this is the development of the B-1 bomber, the most significant tool in the arsenal of the United States Airforce in at least 40 years.
Steel Town Video
Steel Town 1944 was a U.S. Government War Department film depicting the inner workings of Youngstown Sheet & Tube and its effects on the culture of both workers and the general populace of the city. The film was meant to show the Axis powers America’s industrial supremacy as well as the souls of the men and women who helped the Allies win World War II.
Exhibit Credits:
Dr. Brian Bonhomme, Project Director
Sabrina Krause, Creator/ Digital designer
Dr. John Liana, Editor
Susan Lowery, YHCIL Archivist