The months leading up to the 1945 World Series were rife with historical ramifications. World War II had raged for the prior six years. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States was forced to join the Allied Forces. Four years later, two atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and on September 2, aboard the USS Missouri, the Japanese surrender was officially received, officially ending the confrontation and setting the stage for the Cold War and Korean War which would follow in its wake.
America’s greatest pastime was greatly affected by players who were drafted or enlisted voluntarily.