Set of 10: 1992 WWII 50th Anniversary Series

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AMERICAN FORCES LAND IN FRENCH AFRICA; EFFECTIVE SECOND FRONT, ROOSEVELT SAYS DIANAPOLIS 17 1992 alsA 46206 Allies land in North Africa November 1942 11S CH WOMEN IN THE WAR; "ROSIE THE RIVETER" ANAPOLIS 29 17 1992 46206Millions of women join war effort, 1942 Chris Lalle GREAT NAVAL AND AIR BATTLE RAGES IN PACIFIC;: 29 Yorktown los, Midway, 1942 Is, OANAPDIA 17 1992 46206 Chis lalle ARMY FLIERS BLASTED TWO FLEETS OFF MIDWAY IN INDIA ** 29 CODEBREAKING; THE DETERMINING FACTOR IN THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR' STONAKURKWATEUSS UBAN RUMONONARUKGTOON SHCS ESITERKWGAW YTT XGAV NPKRKXZLTE SI STOSURUM ONARDGA 25 URYG SATTERs WASYRYOEONEST1 Allies decipher seer ANMPOL et Pnemy odes, 1942 KODIA IS, 17 1992 46206 AMCHITA 300 ευτιΑΝ. ISLANOS se voRetow LCHED ve FOR SEARCHATTAC TAL VESS KURIL 200 ES enot va LeNE rOR To depte MAY A R e rs war se ANVtA 700 2JUNE TF-16 sePpanr FORCE ess n00 ALEVTAN 330 Snt BONIN ST s FCRCE- an haue SONY S an aov Aoto கரிகம SECONO PLEET 1600 E 400 Cammenced A TA wAY cuataon FORCE an TaNaNA o00 war MARSHALL ISLANDS Chis lalle 00000 Ocooo PATOL VESSE IN ANDIA JAPANESE MAKE LANDINGS IN ALEUTIAN ISLANDS; U.S. WARSHIPS SHELL FOE, AMERICAN TROOPS ATTACK ATTƯISLAND 170 fert Ranea DEFEAT JAPS 29 Fart UMNAK Censtanties Harber AMCHITKA NORTH PA C F nCEAN Japan invades Aleutian Islands June 1942 SIANAPOLIS 17 1992 46206 Chis lable IN MARINES GAIN HOLD ON 3 SOLOMON ISLANDS; SHIPS AND PLANES WAT BITTER FIGHTS 29 Marines land on Guadacana Aug. 7, 1942 IS, IN 17 1992 46206 ID Chis lable INDIAN CORREGIDOR SURRENDERS UNDER LAND ATTACK AFTER WITHSTANDING 300 RAIDS FROM AIR 29 Corregidor falls to dapanest May 6, 1942 DIANAPOLIS 17 1992 us IN 29 JAPANESE REPULSED IN GREAT PACIFIC BATTLE, DIANAPO U.S. wins Batde of the Cora Sea May 1942 17 1992 46206 ENEMY LOST 15 WARSHIPS IN CORAL SEA BATTLE, U.S. LOST 3, INCLUDING THE CARRIER LEXINGTON Cheis lalle IN ТОКYO BOMBED! ANAPOLIS 29 17 1992 46206 B-25s take off to raid Tokyo April 18, 1942 RAIDERS BOMB KEY MILITARY AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS US US Chis lalle ROOSEVELT PRAISES U.S. RATIONING EFFORT ANAPOLIS 29 17 1992 Co SA AE ך74גרר NTED STATES Dr Aerac CE OF PRICE ADMISTRATION NOT Foid if altered WAR RATION BOOK No. 3 PA RATION NT IN FULL 4. Gieation ARATION STANP 46206 (Last name) RATION STANP HO RATION STANP Food and other commodities rationed, 1942 chaicle 8. 8. 8. Q PN 88 8 WEV may sign in ae ehalf.) 8. 8. (Date) WV 55 8. 41 COFFEE Chuir Lable MILEAGE RATION 42 COFFEE 54 SPARE 43 COFFEE HEE w.ww . ....

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ALLIES LAND IN NORTH AFRICA First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Operation Torch, the code name for the Allied invasion of North Africa, initiated the bitter struggle for control of the African continent. The Torch invasion commenced on Nov. 8, when three separate forces of American and British troops landed on the beaches of Africa. If all went according to plan, the invasion would accomplish sev- eral Allied objectives, including: trap German Gen. Erwin Rommel and his desert troops between invading forces of British and American troops; allow the Allies to tighten the blockade of Mediterranean and South Atlantic sea routes; and provide a base of operation for the push into southern Europe. Of immediate consequence was the surrender of Vichy French forces fighting in Africa. Their capitulation gave Hitler an excuse to totally occupy France. German troops marched through southern France, hoping to capture the formidable French fleet at Toulon. But the French, refusing British pleas to join forces with the Allies, scuttled 73 ships in Toulon Harbor on November 27. No. 92-110 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Heetwood MILLIONS OF WOMEN JOIN THE WAR EFFORT First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana With the nation's sudden entry into the war, women were determined to contribute to the war effort. For many, that contribution included a startling transformation from “Susie Homemaker” to “G.I. Joan.” In May of 1942, approximately 13,000 women answered a nation-wide recruitment call, and more than 700 women comprised the first group of volunteers to train at Fort Des Moines, lowa, for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, later the Women's Army Corps (WAC). Like their male counter- parts, the women in basic training drilled, ran obstacle courses, pulled KP and received an endless assortment of painful inoculations. Working as nurses, mechanics, cargo pilots and aerial surveyors, they freed able-bodied men for front-line service overseas. But many American women served Uncle Sam just as fervently without don- ning a uniform. They entered the work force en masse, laboring primarily in war plants to keep the military machines rolling. By 1943, women made up more than 30 percent of the work force. No. 92-108 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Fleetwood YORKTOWN LOST; U.S. WINS AT MIDWAY First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Commanding a colossal force of 160 warships, Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto was out to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet. With the bulk of the Japanese fleet at his disposal and depending on complete tactical surprise, Yamamoto was confident of attaining his goals. The element of surprise, however, would lie with the Americans. U.S. Intelligence had broken the main Japanese code and knew of Japan's intended attack on Midway. Yamamoto would find that, unlike Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy was waiting for him, ready and able. Commanded by Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, the American force was positioned some 350 miles north- east of Midway and included the carriers, Hornet, Enter- prise and Yorktown. On June 4, wave after wave of U.S. carrier-launched planes discharged their deadly arsenal upon the Japanese ships, often catching enemy planes, fueled and armed, on the decks. With his carriers, the Kaga, Akagi, Soryu and Hiryu at the bottom of the ocean, a defeated Yamamoto ran for home. Although the Yorktown was lost, the American victory was complete. No. 92-107 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Fleetwood ALLIES DECIPHER ENEMY SECRET CODES First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana In 1939, the British successfully deciphered Enigma, Germany's secret code. This vital breakthrough proved invaluable to Britain in the Battle of the Atlantic and, later, to the Allies in Sicily and Normandy. Enigma's Japanese counterpart was Purple, a system which functioned on the fundamentals of a telephone switchboard. Purple pre- sented monumental challenges to the U.S. Intelligence Service, but in September of 1940, the War Department's chief cryptanalyst, Col. William Friedman, cracked the code. The American deciphering program served its coun- try most illustriously just before the Battle of Midway in 1942. Intercepted Japanese communications revealed that an enemy task force was moving on a target referred to as “AF." An American cryptanalyst set a telegraphic trap which confirmed that “AF” was Midway. Subsequent Japanese communiques also revealed the date of the enemy offensive — June 4. A prepared American naval force intercepted and devastated the attack force turning the tide of war in the Pacific for the Allies. No. 92-106 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Heetwood JAPAN INVADES ALEUTIAN ISLANDS First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana In June of 1942, as a diversionary move for their Midway operation, the Japanese invaded the islands of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian archipelago. The islands were of little strategic significance, however, as their bitterly cold climate and rocky landscape rendered air operations dubious at best. Not until May of 1943 did American forces make a move to recapture the islands. The first assault was aimed at the snow-covered mountains of Attu, and the battles there ignited the biggest banzai charge of the war. Hundreds of frustrated Japanese made a desperate suicide charge at American lines. Over 2,300 Japanese were killed and 550 Americans died. By June 3, most the Japanese garrison on Attu was annihilated. With Attu captured, the Allies turned their military might 170 miles east toward Kiska and the main Japanese base. On Aug. 15, 1943, American and Canadian troops invaded the island, but a combination of daring and Aleutian fog allowed the Japanese to evacuate their personnel and escape unharmed. The Aleutians, however, were free. No. 92-105 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Heetwood MARINES LAND ON GUADALCANAL First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Taking the offensive in the Pacific theater for the first time, Americans paid dearly during the bitterly contested cam- paigns of Guadalcanal. In July of 1942, the Japanese began constructing an airfield on Guadalcanal which would solidify their control of the Solomon Islands and provide a clear path to Australia. Mindful of these possi- bilities, American forces invaded the island on Aug. 7 and within a few hours captured the air base and renamed it Henderson Field. Controlling it and the surrounding islands would be another matter, as the Battle of Savo Island, two days later, proved. Patrolling the area off Savo Island on the morning of Aug. 9, two U.S. cruiser groups came under attack from what was deemed an inferior Japanese force. In one hour, the Japanese sunk four heavy cruisers, one destroyer and killed 1,270 men. Back on Guadalcanal the marines began to fan out, fighting through the hot, malaria-infested jungle. Six months later, the Americans could claim victory. No. 92-109 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Fleetwood CORREGIDOR FALLS TO JAPANESE First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana In December of 1941, Japan invaded the Philippines. In January of 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, with Ameri- can and Filipino soldiers and civilians, fell back to the Bataan peninsula to make a defensive stand. In the ensuing months, the Japanese subjected the occupants of Bataan to relentless offensives. In March, MacArthur — under orders from his president — withdrew to Australia. His departure was a crippling blow to his troops. On April 8, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright and approximately 15,000 soldiers and civilians withdrew to the island of Corregidor, a natural fortress containing an intricate system of tunnels and emplacements. The remaining garrison on Bataan surrendered the following day. For the next several weeks, Wainwright struggled to keep Corregidor, vital gateway to Manila Bay, in Allied hands. But by May 5, the defenders were engaging the enemy in combat less than a mile from the entrance to the island's most protected underground passage. On May 6, Wain- wright surrendered his garrison. No. 92-104 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Heelwood U.S. WINS BATTLE OF CORAL SEA First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana In May of 1942, a massive Japanese invasion fleet, assisted by the carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku and 125 naval aircraft, sailed for New Guinea's Port Moresby. Charged with halting this Japanese advance, Rear Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher aimed his contingent of American and Australian ships toward the Coral Sea and the Japanese. Two American flattops, the Lexington and the Yorktown, and 141 aircraft would play a decisive role in the first naval battle where neither opponent came within sight of one another. After sparring for five days like heavy- weights in the early going of a fight, the two evenly matched foes squared off for the final round. On May 8, the battle was decided and losses on both sides were significant. The Lexington, ravaged by Japanese bombs and torpedoes, was abandoned and scuttled. The Japa- nese carrier Shokaku took three direct hits and, unable to launch its planes, retreated. When the smoke cleared, the Japanese forces were limping home, their southward trek stopped dead in the water. No. 92-103 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Heetwood ОУ B-25s TAKE OFF ON ROAD TO TOKYO First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana One of the boldest, most spectacular aerial operations in military history commenced on April 18, 1942, when 16 B-25s rumbled off the pitching decks of the U.S.S. Hornet and proceeded toward their target — Tokyo. Dodging furious anti-aircraft fire, they dropped their loads on several enemy military installations and sped away, hoping to reach the Chinese mainland before their fuel ran out. Few aircraft made it. Of the 82 volunteer crew- man, 70 made it back to America. The brainchild of Lt. Col. James Doolittle, mission commander, this bombing raid struck at the very heart of Japanese society. Shocked and staggered by this attack on their supposedly invin- cible empire, and finding themselves without the benefit of air-raid shelters, the people of Tokyo scattered and ran mindlessly through the city's streets in a state of panic. In the aftermath, Japanese officials scurried to the Emperor's palace to apologize for the “negligence" that had allowed this attack on their homeland. The officer charged with Tokyo's air-defense committed suicide. No. 92-101 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Teetwood FOOD AND OTHER COMMODITIES RATIONED First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana On the home front, Americans fought the enemies of extravagance and waste, using tighter belts, thrift and ration coupons as their weapons. The federal government began the rationing system to ensure fair division of essential items and to keep inflation from skyrocketing. Sugar was the first item to be rationed, and in May of 1942 Americans received their first supply of ration coupons based on their testimonies recorded in sworn depositions —of how much sugar they had at home. Other items were speedily added to the list of rationed goods: coffee, meat, gasoline and canned goods. Precious ration books with coupons — red for butter, fats and meat, and blue for canned goods — brought Americans an average of 10 ounces of sugar per week, 28 ounces of meat per week, a pound of coffee every 35 days, and three to five gallons of gasoline per week. Some citizens stealthily patronized “Mr. Black's” under-the-counter market, but most patri- otic Americans found ways to “Use it up/ Wear it out/ Make it do/Or do without.” No. 92-102 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle Teetwood