Concerned about the threat of coastal enemy invasions, the government created the Civilian Air Patrol to surveil the east coast with ships and small planes. In March of 1942, “blackouts” began by military order, requiring that no light be emitted along the shore and inland for 12-16 miles. Magazines offered suggestions on how to comply with the blackout in style. House and Garden magazine proclaimed “Bedrooms need not go into mourning,” and “Make a blackout shade by seaming together two pieces of fabric, one black and one to match your curtain.” Those who did not comply with blackout orders were subject to arrest. This memo addressed to the residents of Deerfield, Massachusetts, announced a surprise blackout test during the week of April 12-16, 1943, and announced that streetlights were now added to the signaling system in addition to sirens, in an ongoing attempt to make the system simpler and more effective. Streetlights could signal an air raid possibility, one approaching or in progress, one past but with the possibility of a return, and an all clear.
Poor, Henry B. WWII Blackout Memo Deerfield Residents. April 12, 1943. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l05-168/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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