Hellertown & Lower Saucon V-Mail archives

Saucon Valley’s 4^th of July during WWII

as documented in the V-Mail History
presented by the Saucon Valley Defenders Committee 1942-1945

Celebrating the 4^th of July in Saucon Valley and around the world was not the same 83 years ago as it is today in 2025.   

Thanks to the V-Mails published back then, we can glimpse into the lives and events of our Saucon Valley’s Greatest Generation at home in Hellertown and Lower Saucon, as well as abroad during the war years 1942-1945.  

Eighty-three years later, we thank the over 800 enlisted men and women from Saucon Valley for enabling the current generation to celebrate our 4^th of July.

Here are some of the activities taking place during July 1942 through 1945 in our community and around the world, as revealed in the V-Mail files. Use the search feature and look for “July” to review the V-Mails. (This presumes that you have downloaded the .pdf file containing all of 80 V-Mails; if not, these instructions can be found within the very first post on this blog.)

July 1942.  Council Commends Fire Company.  The Dewey Fire Company concluded its three-day Independence celebration with a splendid display of fireworks.  Many people thought it was the best array ever put on.

July 1942. Air Post Inspection. An officer of the Interceptor Command inspected the air observation post on July 3rd. The post is now located at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Juniper Road near the recently developed Mountain View section.

July 9, 1942.  This was the opening day for the gas rationing under the second plan, effective July 22^nd.

July 1943. We left the July 4^th fireworks up to you this year, and the way we figure it, the Japs, Heinies, and Mussolinis know what American fireworks are like. For the most part, your neighbor and mine stayed at home on Independence Day - because of the restrictions on pleasure driving.

July 1943.  The Saucon Valley Defenders are sending eighteen (18) to the different services the last week in July.

July 17, 1944. The Alumni Association of H.H.S. did itself credit when it purchased ten one-hundred-dollar bonds, or in other words, a thousand dollars worth.

July 9, 1945. Captain Edward B. Deibert, M.C., informs us that his promotion was received on July 9^th and that he is in charge of the only dispensary along a 90-mile stretch of the Lido Road in Burma.

So, there is a glimpse of the July 4^ths during the War Years in Saucon Valley. Life was not the same as it is today, and it surely shaped our futures as the Greatest Generation of Saucon Valley managed their lives through World War II.