World War II Chronicle: July 25, 1941
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In Arlington, Va., plans are moving forward for the Pentagon — “the biggest office building in the world.” Construction begins in just six weeks, on Sept. 11 and the finished product will look slightly different than the featured image (see page 19)… Sports page begins on page 24…
How much money did a soldier make in 1941?
Prior to August 1941, the base pay for a private is $30. A Private First Class (Army) or Lance Corporal (Marine Corps) makes $36. Corporals make $54. Sergeants make $60. Staff Sergeant, $72. A Sergeant First Class (Army) or Gunnery Sergeant (Marine Corps),$84. And a Master Sergeant or First Sergeant earns $126.
This is just base pay for a soldier or Marine with less than four years in service. If for example you were, say a First Sergeant with eight years of service, you would make more than another First Sergeant who had less than four years. Enlisted troops will get a pay raise in August and another one in June of 1942.
On the commissioned side, base pay for a Second Lieutenant was $125. First Lieutenants made $166.67. Captains and Majors both earned $200 (this is base pay… majors begin making more than captains once they have 15 or more years of service). A Lieutenant Colonel brought in $250. A full-bird Colonel made $291.67. Brigadier Generals raked in $500. And a Lieutenant General made $666.67 per month. Pay scales for commissioned officers did not change from 1922 to 1942, but inflation had only risen 3% over that 20-year period (according to USInflationCalculator.com, which uses government data).
Later in the war, Army infantry soldiers — and later, their medics — will receive “Badge Pay,” $10 a month for a soldier who qualifies for the Combat Infantryman Badge or $5 for those earning the Expert Infantryman Badge. The infantry had higher casualty rates (1 in 7.5 infantry soldiers and officers were killed during World War II) than other occupational specialties who received bonuses for hazardous duties such as submariners (1 in 7.7 killed), and Army Air Corps (1 in 15.7)…
Lefty wins 300
It took him three tries, but Lefty Grove finally won his 300th game. Arguably the greatest lefthanded pitcher in baseball history, 41-year-old Grove’s 300th victory will be his last. He gives up 12 hits to second-place Cleveland, but tosses just 38 balls and only walks one batter as the Red Sox set down the Indians 10-6 at Fenway Park.
Meanwhile, leftfielder Ted Williams belts a homerun and walks twice in a 2-for-3 performance, scoring three times and knocking in two RBIs. His batting average now stands at .400.
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 25 July 1941. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1941-07-25/ed-1/