During WWII, most everything was rationed from nylon stockings to tires and meat for the war effort. The majority of all travel across the United States was offered by trains, but even that was prioritized for military personnel first then civilians. Gas rations were limited to five gallons per week, which greatly restricted how far you could travel by car. Therefore, any traveling over a great distance to be planned with great detail. And since many of the civilians were women with children traveling to meet their military husbands, the details were thrice as many! So, in 1942 the US Department of Labor, Children's Bureau, put out an instructional manual to assist young mothers for their arduous journey. This manual provides a glimpse into the American homefront of the 1940's during the greatest war the world had ever seen.
