Beer and WWII

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

I'm told my my Iowa farm family that US beer production rose in the war years, and much of the cases of cans were shipped to the troops. We lived in Japan in '46, part of the occupation forces, and there were a lot of tin toys made from olive drab beer cans. I once had a small collection of beer, cigar and cigarette tins all in wartime green.


Lots of pix of Boyington and guys on South Seas islands, surrounded by cases of beer on pallets.
L

I'm told that the war changed beer from bottles to previously disliked cans, mainly due to shipping weight and space. Even at the end of the war, Kaiser, Reynolds and other aluminum companies were producing so much aluminum, that it had replaced steel in cans.
 

They went back to steel by the 60s.
 
First all-aluminium beer can was introduced in the late 50's, but it wasn't until the mid-60's that it became an industry standard.
Between the 50's and 60's, tin beer cans with aluminium tops (with easy open tabs) were quite common.
 
During WWII, My Uncle Fred and an accomplice borrowed liberated the ice cream machine from the USS Enterpise (CV-6) and installed it in their sub.

I don't recall if it was installed in the USS Grayling (SS-209) or the USS Cavallah (SS-244), though.

I've heard the story, I think -- East Bay, right?
 

Users who are viewing this thread