World War II V-Mail Keeps Connection From Home
Article explains V-Mail used during World War II to conserve ship space. People sent miniature letters on a single sheet that was photographed and reproduced on microfilm for overseas transmission, then developed back into paper at destination. The system saved space and weight while keeping families connected.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mike Deupree
Post Office Department
Middle East
Post Office
Casablanca
Morocco
World War II V Mail and wartime news reach
The article explains V Mail efficiency from 1943 to 1945 cutting shipping space and time, and notes the shift from bulk letters to air transport. It recalls wartime communication, censorship, and the role of newspapers, magazines, and radio in keeping Cedar Rapids residents informed, including notable personal telegrams and photo censorship.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mike Deupree
Gazette
Earth
Moon
The
Nadine Subotnik
First Ave. NE
Gi’ Gazette
Tait Cummins
Cedar Rapidians
Look
Life
National Geographic
All News
Kay Ewert Graber
Bertram
Pearl Harbor
George Strock
Buna Beach
New Guinea
Office of War Information
Carolyn Junge
Keystone
Lumir Kosina
Ortha Harstad
First Ave
Martin’s
Cedar Rapids
Elaine Kenney
Postville
Wartime mail carried personal touches from home to the front
A Cedar Rapids area reminiscence recalls how soldiers and families stayed connected through letters. Mail carriers delivered news with care, censored notes protected secrets, and clever code on letters let loved ones track ships and stations across the war zones.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
WAC
Armand Scheiner
Vinton
Elaine
Navy
Arlaine Brinkmann
20Th Ave
Angel
Aleutians
Manila Bay
Leyte Gulf
Hong Kong
Guam
Darling
Elaine Kenney
Also Mentioned on This Page
Mike Early
Traer
Peg van Natta
Marion
Wrly
Iowa
Washington DC
WEMC
Usmc Corrands
Usmc Corpa
Asa C. Warner
Eddyville
Warner
Saipan
Mariana Islands
Catherine Batey
Floyd E. Husted
Rose Spargrove
Prairieburg
Husted
Western Union
Zoe Warne
Preir
Testern Union
Oo Govt
Kea Crea
Ule
Marvel Hill
Kenneth Frame
Burma
Irene
War Registry Office
Frame
Kletters
Hamburg
Benito Mussolini
Pietro Badoglio
U.S
Kolombangra Island
Solomon Islands
John F. Kennedy
Kennedy
Sicily
Regensburg
Messina
Schweinfurt
Germany
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!