![]() ![]() Gift of Pauline Dudding See more items in Work and Industry: Transportation, Road Military Bicycling Sports & Leisure America on the Move Transportation Road Transportation Data Source United States: Connecticut, Norwalk Physical Description Huffman Manufacturing Company used in Norwalk In September 1942 the number of authorized Victory bicycle manufacturers was reduced from twelve to two, and the WPB decided that "no firm left in a business from which others are excluded shall be permitted to spread its name over the land and in foreign countries" (Wall Street Journal, September 3, 1942). In keeping with a War Production Board order, there is no nameplate or other brand identification other than the letter "H" (for Huffman) stamped on the bottom of the crankcase beside the serial number. The frame is painted red, white and blue. The handlebars have black paint instead of chrome plating, and the wheel rims are painted a tan color. Pauline Dudding's bicycle has all the features of a 1942 Victory bicycle. The high school also was located downtown. It was a good form of supplemental transportation, but she didn't commute to work on the bike she rode a bus or shared a ride with her father, who owned an automotive sales and repair shop in downtown Norwalk. Dudding rode the bicycle on errands and pleasure trips in the Norwalk area. Pauline married Walter Dudding on Novembut continued to live with her parents while her husband was serving in the Coast Guard. She lived with her parents, George and Flora Anderson, in a residential neighborhood two miles from downtown Norwalk. Pauline Anderson of Norwalk, Connecticut was hired as a mathematics teacher at Norwalk High School in the fall of 1942 and purchased a Victory bicycle shortly thereafter. ![]() Some companies owned fleets of bicycles for work-related uses such as reading electric meters. By the summer of 1942, American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist reported that thousands of war production workers were riding bicycles to their jobs, and new and used bikes were in great demand. In August 1942 eligibility was further restricted to persons in critical occupations, including physicians, nurses, druggists, ministers, school teachers, mail carriers, firefighters, police officers, construction workers, delivery personnel, public safety officers, and others. Any adult who was gainfully employed or contributed in some way to the war effort or public welfare could purchase a bicycle if she or he could cite a compelling reason, such as inadequate public transportation, excessive walking, or responsibility for a delivery service. OPA rationed new and prewar men's and women's bicycles. By July 1942 the Office of Price Administration estimated that 150,000 Victory bicycles and 90,000 prewar bikes were available for retail sale. The manufacture of all other types of civilian bicycles was halted.Īs a prelude to rationing, the federal government imposed a freeze on bicycle sales and allocated almost 10,000 bikes to war production plants for use by workers and messengers. Production was set at 750,000 Victory bicycles per year by twelve manufacturers, approximately 40 percent of total prewar production but a significant increase in annual production of adult bicycles. Tire size was limited to a width of 1.375 inches, narrower than balloon tires on prewar children's bikes. Handlebars and wheel rims would be painted instead of chrome plated, and most accessories (chain guard, basket, luggage rack, bell, whitewall tires) were eliminated. Chrome plating was limited to a few small pieces of hardware. Regulations finalized in March 1942 specified that bicycles would be lightweight - not more than 31 pounds, about two-thirds the weight of prewar bicycles - and they would be made of steel only, with no copper or nickel parts. OPM reviewed several prototypes submitted for examination. In December 1941, the Office of Production Management and leading manufacturers developed specifications for a simplified bicycle dubbed the "Victory bicycle" by government and media. These measures were designed to conserve rubber and metals needed for war materiel and complement gasoline and automobile tire rationing by providing an alternate form of transportation for war production workers and other workers. A series of orders reduced bicycle design to bare essentials, limited metal and rubber content, set output quotas, promoted the use of bicycles among adult civilians, allocated bicycles for military use, and suspended production of children's bicycles, which comprised 85 percent of the prewar market. Soon after the United States entered World War II, the federal government decided that bicycles should be brought under consumer manufacturing guidelines so that they might support conservation efforts, local transportation, and the war production work force. ![]()
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