Above: Outline of Wrocław, Poland, the hometown of Walter Strauss. It was one of the first cities to fall under German control during their invasion of Poland. During World War II, Germany constructed subcamps of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Wrocław where thousands of civilians died.
Above: Strauss left his family in Poland, and in 1938, he sailed from Southampton, England to New York City. From there, he found work in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was employed as a shipping clerk.
Above: Wrocław is located in Western Poland, which was under German occupation for the duration of the War.
Above: Outline of Erie, PA, where Strauss lived during his brief stay in the States.
Above: Graphic depicting iron and steel production during the war. Erie was surrounded by hotbeds of metal refinery and was dealt into lucrative defense contracts. The Pittsburgh area contributed thousands of battleships, tons of steel, and soldiers to the war effort. In Philadelphia, warships were built and sent off to the Pacific Theater.
Above: During the War, Erie branches of General Electric and LORD Corporation received contracts from the federal government to manufacture pig iron and steel to use in artillery. Without government orders to fill, Erie's economy plummeted following World War II.
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