Waterloo, Iowa

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello performing at a war bond Drive in Waterloo, Iowa. 1942-1945

American World War II Heritage City

In the later 19^th century, the city of Waterloo was a growing industrial force within the northeastern region of Iowa. By 1940, the economy of Waterloo was dominated by two major industries - John Deere, an agricultural tractor manufacturing company, and Rath Packing Company, a large meat packing enterprise. In addition many other businesses were founded to support two large companies’ supply chains.

Although the nation had already begun expanding its armed forces with the production of ordinances and support of the Lend-Lease program prior to World War II, December 7, 1941, caused an almost instant and seminal change in the lives and future of the nation’s people. The city of Waterloo, Iowa was no different. Men and women quickly began enlisting in the military, including Waterloo’s five Sullivan brothers, who all ultimately would perish together in 1942 while serving on the USS Juneau during the Battle of Guadalcanal. The deaths of the Sullivan brothers were one of the main catalysts for the US Department of Defense’s Sole Survivor Policy, a set of regulations first created in 1948 and still in force today.

Female employees moving machine parts at the John Deere Tractor Company in Waterloo, Iowa. 1942-1945.

SupplyPost

Manufacturing and assembly at the John Deere Tractor Company quickly shifted to supplying the army with tank transmissions and airplane parts. The Rath Packing Company – by now the country’s largest single-unit meatpacking facility – turned to feeding the troops. Several other Waterloo factories began and ramped up their production of bombs, munitions, clothing, tents, and miscellaneous personal and tactical equipment.

All of this effort amounted to large amounts of products sent to U.S. Army, Navy, Marine, and Army Air Force units fighting in Europe and the Pacific or training in the U.S.