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Army War Show --- Provisional Task Force 1942 When the United States suddenly found itself embroiled in another World War, anyone presently in the military suddenly had their time in service extended to the end of the conflict plus six months. Recruiting depots filled with volunteers and the draft was expanded. The Armed Forces of the United States began to grow by millions of men practically overnight. In many cases this was the first time that many of these men were to be away from home and their families worried about the training they would receive and how prepared it would make them for the coming conflict. Since everyone couldn’t visit a military installation to observe things for themselves, the Army, with the quick approval of General George C. Marshall, created the idea of a traveling show that would visit major cities throughout the United States putting on displays and demonstrations for the general public. The show would also serve as a morale booster by helping build the public’s confidence in the capabilities of the Army, and also show a bit to the training that their loved ones had to endure. By May 20, 1942 seven hundred men had been assembled at Ft. Meade, Maryland representing units from almost all branches of the Army including a small contingent from the Air Corps. Later, a mounted detachment of the Ninth Cavalry would join the unit in Pittsburgh. A special shoulder patch was designed for the unit and was approved on June 2, 1942. The patch had a red background and incorporated a white “V’ with a “…---“ below the letter representing Morse Code for the letter “V”. The design of the patch also caused the unit to be sometimes referred to as the “Victory War Show” (Figure 1). A schedule was worked out that allowed the show to visit 18 cities within a six month time frame. The first show was scheduled for the Municipal Stadium in Baltimore on June 12-15 and the tour would end at the baseball park in Atlanta, GA on December 16-20. This left less than three weeks for rehearsing and the troops “took their duties to their hearts from the start, plunging into the job with the same enthusiasm as their fellow soldiers assigned to combat duty.” It is interesting to note that the War Show never traveled to the west coast because of the lingering fear of a Japanese attack. The show made several appearances along the east coast of the United States even as the threat of U-Boats continued. The Army War Show was to be a fairly fast paced event providing 24 different segments of army life and training within a two-hour time frame. During the show, most demonstrations were to last only about four minutes each. In addition to the active show there was also a static display called the “Battle Depot” that the public could visit. The “Battle Depot” was usually held in six large circus tents near the stadium where the War Show was to be performed. This segment of the show allowed people to get up close, see the weapons and equipment from the show, and have any questions answered concerning their capabilities. Although it was to make minor changes during its run, a typical performance might unfold like this:
The show was held during the evening hours to get the full effect of the numerous explosions and the firing of weapons. The crowd-pleasing segment “Match Trick” demonstrated how a single, as well as numerous matches, could be seen in complete darkness. The task of organizing so many aspects of such a large show in such a short amount of time was a colossal task to undertake and the Army recognized the need to draw upon civilian experts to help everything run smoothly. Army transportation officers were to work closely with officials from the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Circus to help solve movement problems between cities. The director of ticket sales for the 1933 and 1939 World’s Fair helped handle the task of selling the expected three to four million tickets in the 18 cities that the Army War Show would visit. Civilians helped in other areas as well, particularly the administration, production, publicity, and promotion of the event. Numerous others joined in to help insure that the show would be a success by volunteering time and money. Local newspapers in each city usually devoted editorial and advertising space. Radio stations provided unlimited airtime for broadcasting, and advertising billboards were donated in each city. The show was even to have its own Army radio announcers, one of whom was Sgt. Bert Parks, who later went on to host numerous Miss America pageants. By the time the Army War Show made its fourteenth stop on its eighteen city tour, 285 radio programs had been broadcast about or during the show. Ticket prices for the event seemed to have varied from city to city. However, 55 cents was the standard price for general admission. Box seats were usually $1.10 to $2.20 each and $2.20 to $5.50 for reserved grandstand seats. In addition there were a few souvenir items that were available for purchase. The ticket itself was advertised as a keepsake plus, there was also a program that could be purchased for 25 cents. There were also pennants available that advertised various aspects of the show. In addition there was also a hard covered history of the show available to members of the unit. Proceeds from each performance would go to help the Army Emergency Relief Fund. The show was a huge success with sold out and held over performances in every city that it visited. Unfortunately, the show came to an end without much fanfare during a rainy December weekend in Atlanta. There was no special ceremony dissolving the unit nor were there any special certificates or documents given out to any member who had participated in the show. Basically, the unit just faded away with troops returning to their original duty stations. By the time the show had come to an end approximately 2,300 officers and men had served with the unit. Later, because of the show’s huge success and the clamor for more, local Army Commands would continue the tradition and provide the public with further war shows. But, the days of a central War Show that would travel throughout the country was over. War demands made the logistics of continuing such a venture impossible. Listing of cities visited by the Army War Show from June through December 1942: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Akron, Detroit, Milwaukee, Des Moines, Omaha, Chicago, Cleveland, Louisville, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Birmingham, Atlanta. SOURCES: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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