Fascinating color photos show how Americans prepared for World War II at home

Fenno Jacobs/Library of Congress

Children stage a patriotic demonstration, Southington, Connecticut, May 1943.

By the early 1940s, World War II was in full swing, with battles raging around the planet. The US, however, was largely spared the effects of the global conflagration.

But that doesn't mean the war didn't affect Americans on the home front.

Nationwide, workers and civilians mobilized for the war effort, getting jobs in factories, raising money through war bonds, and showing their patriotism and support in front yards and main streets all across the country.

The colorized photos below, taken between 1942 and 1943 and compiled by the Library of Congress, depict life in the US during World War II and show how Americans at home contributed to winning one of the largest and most destructive wars in modern history.