Thanksgiving 1944: Gratitude and Grit during World War II

Quick answer: What was Thanksgiving like in 1944?

On November 23, 1944, families at home observed Thanksgiving under rationing, often setting empty places for loved ones overseas, and the Macy's parade was suspended. Soldiers in the Hurtgen Forest, Alsace, and Leyte ate what they could between attacks, and the Army worked to get turkey to the front.

Thanksgiving fell on November 23, 1944, with the war still raging. At home, families worked around rationing of sugar, butter, and meat, set empty places for sons and husbands overseas, and waited on letters. The Macy's parade had been suspended because the rubber in its balloons was needed for the war effort. Overseas, Americans found what gratitude they could. One officer wrote to his wife about monks who served soldiers a meal in their library and gave them "a memory to carry with us always." In Germany, troops were deep in the Hurtgen Forest, one of the longest battles American soldiers fought on German soil. In Alsace, an anti-aircraft officer recorded his unit moving through the Saverne Gap on Thanksgiving Day, and noted that the Army replaced the turkeys and trimmings with dazzling speed so the troops still got their meal. On Leyte, the 34th Infantry Regiment had fought through rain and repeated attacks near Limon, and on Thanksgiving the Japanese did not renew the assault. John notes the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa were still ahead.

Why it matters for leaders: People hold together through hard seasons when someone makes the effort to mark small moments of normal life for them.

Q: Why was the Macy's parade cancelled during the war?

A: It was suspended from 1942 through 1944 because rubber and helium for the balloons were needed for the war effort.

Q: Where were American troops on Thanksgiving 1944?

A: Among other places, in the Hurtgen Forest in Germany, the Vosges and Alsace in France, and on Leyte in the Philippines.

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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation