Dorothy Poitevent, 2007.243.295.Įven though ships, supplies, personnel, and planning from all branches of the military would be needed to execute Magic Carpet successfully, at the head of its organizational development was the War Shipping Administration or WSA.
The sum total of which provides the mathematical framework behind the beginning of the post-war Baby Boom nine months later.ĭoctors returning to the United States in the Mediterranean or Atlantic circa October 1945, The National WWII Museum, Gift of Ms. On average Operation Magic Carpet transported 22,222 Americans home every day for nearly one year straight. Though on some days and months, particularly December 1945, the return rate was much higher.
Operation Magic Carpet officially commenced on September 6, 1945, four days after VJ-Day ending on September 1, 1946. Though lasting only 360 days, Operation Magic Carpet was the largest combined air and sealift ever organized. However, it is when the sheer volume of Americans returned are considered-eight million men and women from every service branch, scattered across 55 theaters of war spanning four continents-that one can make the case that Operation Magic Carpet stands as one of the greatest achievements of the entire war. That it was a global experience shared by millions makes it remarkable enough on its own.
Separated by vast distances, theater, branch of service, sex, race, and rank, the journey back to the Home Front (United States) at the conclusion of World War II was one of only a handful of incidences universal to nearly all American servicemen who fought and survived the bloodiest conflict in human history. Top Image: Yank's Magic Carpet, A souvenir booklet specially prepared for US Army personnel in China, Burma, and India.
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