Wolrd War II and American Automobility -- Images

Note -- photos taken from Library of Congress photo collection. I wish I would have used some of these in my book, The Automobile and American Life! Perhaps a 2nd edition!


Automobile salvage. When the scrap is sorted, powerful electric cranes load it into freight cars--each type and grade in a separate car. The crane transfers the scrap from the sorted pile to the car in a matter of moments. To conserve railroad car space and time, each car is completely filled before it is shipped
Creator(s): Perlitch, William, photographer
Related Names: United States. Office of War Information.
Date Created/Published: 1942 Sept.
Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print



Car pooling at Glenn Martin. Car pooling at the Glenn Martin aircraft plant. The personnel manager, who arranges rides for others, has also joined a "car pool" to save gas and rubber. He is shown entering a worker's car
Creator(s): Liberman, Howard, photographer
Related Names: United States. Office of War Information.
Date Created/Published: 1942 June.
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-fsa-8e11015 (digital file from original neg.) LC-USE6-D-005019 (b&w film neg.)
Call Number: LC-USE6- D-005019c-P&P
Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print



Proposed poster for car sharing. Artist's rendering of a proposed poster to promote car sharing. The true objective of group riding is the maximum use of the minimum number of cars. Effective group riding only begins with the swapping of rides. As more and more cars are not available for use in the future, the necessity for this transportation cooperation will become increasingly vital.




Soldier inspecting new bantam truck at Fort Myer, Virginia. This small light truck, known officially as the "Truck 1/4-ton 4x4," is a small, low-silhouette, narrow-tread, 4-wheel drive car without armor protection, which is designed to carry three men and their individual weapons. It can also be used as an ammunition carrier. It is not currently contemplated that the vehicle itself will be armed. If this vehicle proves satisfactory under the exhaustive tests now in progress, its place in the Calvalry Team will be to furnish road and cross-country transportation for small rifile units whose normal function would include reconnaissance, security and dismounted combat. Frequently these rifle units will be employed with mechanized cavalry elements, such as Scout Car platoons, to extend the reconnaissance and supplement the fire power of larger units. This newly developed 1/4-ton truck has many advantages over motorcycles and moto-tricycles: it can carry three men, where the others are designed for two; it has more cross-country ability and ruggedness than the motorcycles; it is relatively quiet; its light weight permits manhandling; it's to be employed to carry either three men or a cargo weapon; it's easily concealed. With a few exceptions, these small vehicles will replace on a one-for-one basis the motortricycles and motorcycles with side cars now in use
Creator(s): Dixon, Royden, photographer

Halftrac scout cars. Another engine for an Army halftrac scout car begins to take form. They're coming through faster and faster every day--engines and cars, both--as the Midwest plant turning out the complete jobs gives everything it has to speeding production. White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Creator(s): Palmer, Alfred T., photographer
Call Number: LC-USE6- D-003219c-P&P Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print