1943: THE VERY SCARY FIRST YEARS OF WWII ON THE HOME FRONT

I have written many columns dealing with life in Hamilton Township (and all of America) recalling sugar rationing, coffee rationing, rationing in general, Nazi submarines off the Jersey Coast, Japanese shelling Pacific Coast refineries, Japanese floating huge gas balloons armed with explosives and sent aloft to reach the west coast of the U.S., and as above, the AIR RAID! What a scary event that was to me as a young boy of 10! In my over indulgence of my comic book heroes Captain America, Captain Marvel, The Human Torch, and other comic characters who were also fighting the Axis powers during that era, my imagination ran amok. I was sure there were Nazi spies over at Kuser Farm.....and what about Vosseler's Grove over on Watson Avenue? The advent of that dreaded "AIR RAID!" signal from both Colonial and Rusling Volunteer fire companies added to that fear.