Artifact Friday: World War Two Hand-Warmer Mug

Fighting harsh winter conditions in the cold European winters during World War II was a feat in its own when it came to surviving the war. A staple during these times and a swift relief from the cold was a hot cup of coffee, sometimes the difference between a good or bad day. Innovative for the time, military hand-warmer mugs were produced from 1941 to 1945, specifically for the U.S. Navy.

These mugs were typically made of milk glass, were about an inch thick, and were handleless. These are also known as watchmen mugs, as they were primarily used by the U.S. Navy night watch or cold-weather watchmen. Due to such cold conditions, the military provided U.S. soldiers with these thick, insulated mugs to keep their hands warm. Its design was useful to prevent snagging on equipment and clothing and was easy to store. A good way to identify an authentic World War II hand warmer mug is if there is a Corning Glass logo on the bottom of the mug. Corning Glass produced these watchman mugs, which are an easy symbol to spot for the identification of the mug.

The historical importance of this mug doesn’t end with its manufacturing but with the coffee stored in it. Coffee was crucial in World War II, it was essential to morale as it was a staple of home life for many soldiers fighting. Even when times were trying, soldiers would reuse coffee grounds and even make coffee out of bark, grains, roots, or any other similar substance they could find. Coffee was in high demand in both the European and Pacific theaters, and American civilians at home had to greatly ration their coffee supply. It was seen as Americans' patriotic duty to ration their supply to support troops on the front lines.

Common propaganda posters that encouraged rationing used coffee as one of the incentives; one popular poster, “Do with less so they’ll have enough!” pictures a soldier with a tin coffee cup in his hand. Coffee was a large morale boost for troops, and it was seen as optimism for the war, a staple of not just the war but of the American way of life. Coffee and the introduction of the handwarmer mugs gave a new incentive to the Allied troops in World War II. As you have your warm cup of coffee this winter, think of these thoughtful mugs and the morale boost they added to soldiers' everyday lives as they were fighting for our country.