Gas Use in WWII

by Susan Perry – first published in the July 2006 Stereoscope

“I was running my car on fumes waiting for the price to go down a few cents.” OR “Guess I better get the old bicycle out to save some gas.” These are 2006 quotes.

“I was running my car on fumes because I didn’t have any more ration cards for the month.” “Guess I better get the old bicycle out because I won’t have enough gas till the next ration book comes out.” These are 1942-1945 remarks.

Rationing for gas on all vehicles went into effect in December of 1942. The regulations about how much fuel a person could get for their car were quite detailed and precise. If the gas was used for “non-highway use” a special E or R ration book was used. The holder of such a book could use the fuel for farm machinery, producing energy for lights, washing machines or dry-cleaning equipment, or for “countless other reasons.” The government warned that the OPA (Office of Price Administration) “must take steps to see that this motor fuel was not illegally converted for use by private or commercial vehicles.”

Most of the passenger cars being driven used a ration book, type A. Each stamp entitled the driver to 4 gallons of gas, and each book contained 16 coupons which had to last for a quarter of the year. To help ensure that the use of gas was at its optimum, a 35 miles per hour speed limit was in force. Bill Perry says that the trip to Lincoln to see his grandparents seemed to take forever. As the war in Europe ended in 1945 rationing continued, but the number of gallons allowed on each stamp was raised.

If one’s livelihood depended on driving, the A coupon book would not provide the driver with enough gas. Upon applying to the ration board and proving that they needed more gas to make a living, the driver could receive a B or C book, which would allow them the same amount of gas to supplement what an A ration book allowed, but with more added restrictions. Then there were the T ration books and certificates. These were issued for the vehicles that were designated war necessity. The certificate stated the number of miles the vehicles could travel during a three-month period, and the ration book provided the stamps accordingly. Vehicles in this category would include trucks, cabs, busses, hearses, ambulances, rentals and government cars and their allowances were the most liberal of any the ration board issued.

On the windshield, each vehicle had to display the sticker of the type of ration book they possessed. The book had to be presented when purchasing gas and the attendant was to “check the sticker against the driver’s book, and his book against his car license number.”

The bookkeeping and records that needed to be kept were necessary to prove that the gas was needed and that the driver was being a patriotic American citizen. Every three months the process of receiving new books had to be repeated, and not just for fuel for the cars, but for most every commodity used in American’s everyday life.

So when you go to the gas station and hear that complaint about the price of gas, think about how plentiful it is, and how our choices at the pump aren’t based on a ration card, but on whether we want to pay at the pump or pay inside!