All sorts of stuff was going on in and around Chicago during the war, despite the fact that the shores of Lake Michigan were far from the front lines...Probably most importantly, Chicago was one of the major sites of the Manhattan Project, and on December 2, 1942 the worlds first nuclear reaction took place under the bleachers at the University of Chicago's football stadium (it isn't there anymore, in spite of its historic importance). At Navy Pier on the lakefront, two small aircraft carriers which were converted from paddle wheel passenger ships, the USS Wolverine and USS Sable, were used for training new Naval Aviators who were based at NAS Glenview (which was closed in 1993). NTC Great Lakes was the boot camp site for much of the Navy's enlisted sailors and today is the only Boot Camp for the entire Navy. Subs built at Manitowoc on Lake Michigan passed through the Chicago River on their way south down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, and eventually the war. Just a ways southwest of Chicago in the Illinois River there was a shipyard at Seneca IL that cranked out LSTs. In short, Chicago was a busy place during the war!
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