While home front Americans only grumbled about food rationing, they despised gasoline rationing. Even during the Depression, most Americans kept their cars; the once sparkling new sedan might have turned into a jalopy, but the drivers hung on to them,if they could. As humorist Will Rogers pointed out, "We'll hold the distinction of being the only nation in the history of the world that went to the poor house in an automobile." If the Great Depression failed to kill Ameica's love affair with their automoblies, neither could World War II.
Gasoline rationing came about because of a rubber shortage rather than a gasoline shortage. When Japanese troops poured into the Dutch East Indies and Malaya, in early 1942, the United States lost 90 percent of its rubber imports, which led to the rationing of this essential military commodity. After rubbber rationing proved insufficient, the government decided to ration gasoline to keep the rubber from hitting the road.
Gas rationing required every automobile to have stickers pasted on the windshield. If a car's owner used the vehicle for pleasure trips only, he received an "A" sticker entiling him to one stamp good for three to five gallons a week, depending on location. People using their automobiles for work received the "B" sticker, which took into consideration the distance they had to travel to work. Police, fire, and other emergency vehicles received unlimited amouts using the "X" stamp, as did politicans. Begun on December 2, 1942, nationwide gasoline rationing reduced automobile milage one-third by the end of 1943.
Rationing, no matter what the commodity, was about as popular as Prohibition and like the "Noble Experiment" rationing led to much wheedling by almost everyone and major black-market activites by the same group that had profited from Prohibition -- the Mob. Organized crime operated many black-market rings and also sold counterfeit ration coupons. Yet, only 1.5 percent of convicted black-marketeers went to prison, the rest paid fines.
With only certain commodities rationed, shortages of unrationed items often plagued consumers. Housing proved one of the worst shortages, particularly in Wahington, D.C. and anywhere new defense plants sprang up. Cigarettes often came up short along with the matches to light them. The War's most famous disappearance involved Lucky Strike Green. American Tobacco Company ads announced, "Lucky Strike Green has gone to war," then explained that the need for dyes in the war effort caused the company to change the package design of Lucky Strikes from the traditional green color to a white package (the one still in use today). In fact, American Tobacco had planned to redesign the package to attract women; the war gave them patriotic cover. Of course, Lucky Strike Green never returned from the war.
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