Did American women contribute as much to the Allied victory in World War II as American men?
Author: Julie Mountcastle
School: Ridge Road Elementary School
District: North Haven, CT
Overview:
World War II was the largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind. World War II has much to teach us. The sacrifices and successes of the nearly all male fighting force are legendary. Initially, both the Army and the American public had difficulty accepting the concept of women in uniform. However, political and military leaders, faced with fighting a two-front war and supplying men and material for that war while continuing to send lend-lease material to the Allies, realized that women could supply the additional resources so desperately needed in the military and industrial sectors. Given the opportunity to make a major contribution to the national war effort, women seized it. By the end of the war their contributions would be widely heralded.
Document Summary:
Document 1 shows the breakdown of U.S. forces in WWII citing the statistics gathered for the census and subsequently used for the creation of the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. The numbers reflect the sacrifices made by men and women in the effort but the sheer number of male troops is overwhelming.
Document 2 shows Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima. This famous image gives us a thrilling snapshot of the struggle for victory underscored by the devastation of war. This document highlights the sacrifices made by the male dominated ground forces in the Pacific.
Document 3 is the first hand account of Donald Carl Chumley as a 19 year old replacement recruit at the Battle of the Bulge. His story gives the reader a personal view of the war. This document details the life of male comrades and the physical hardships they endured therefore highlighting the contributions of the male fighting force.
Document 4 relates the experiences of Ruth Haddick who served with the Army Nurse Corps from November 1, 1942 to March 4, 1946. She details the daily routines and challenges of her work in a Field Hospital that treated wounded from 5 of the most significant battles toward victory in Europe. This document illuminates the contributions of women working just behind the lines.
Document 5 shows a familiar depiction of the WWII woman. With men being shipped overseas by the thousand, women were needed to step in to fill factory jobs, as well as to beef up hospitals, and even lend a hand to the military. This poster and the subsequent quote by Franklin Roosevelt underscore the wide range of specific contributions women made to the effort.
Document 6 is a memo dated May 12, in which OSS Director William Donavan informs President Truman that Virginia Hall has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. – Previously denied a career in the Foreign Service due to an amputated leg, Virginia Hall would go on to work undercover in France during World War II for British intelligence and later the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), organizing numerous sabotage operations against German forces. This document and Virginia Hall’s war record shine a light on the contributions of women as leaders in the struggle for Allied victory.
Procedure (80 minutes):
1. Introduction of lesson, objectives, overview of SAC procedure (15 minutes)
2. SAC group assignments (30 minutes)
a. Assign groups of four and assign arguments to each team of two.
b. In each group, teams read and examine the Document Packet
c. Each student completes the Preparation part of the Capture Sheet (#2), and works with their partner to prepare their argument using supporting evidence.
d. Students should summarize your argument in #3.
3. Position Presentation (10 minutes)
a. Team 1 presents their position using supporting evidence recorded and summarized on the Preparation part of the Capture Sheet (#2 & #3) on the Preparation matrix. Team 2 records Team 1’s argument in #4.
b. Team 2 restates Team 1’s position to their satisfaction.
c. Team 2 asks clarifying questions and records Team 1’s answers.
d. Team 2 presents their position using supporting evidence recorded and summarized on the Preparation part of the Capture Sheet (#2 & #3) on the Preparation matrix. Team 1 records Team 2’s argument in #4.
e. Team 1 restates Team 2’s position to their satisfaction.
f. Team 1 asks clarifying questions and records Team 2’s answers.
4. Consensus Building (10 minutes)
a. Team 1 and 2 put their roles aside.
b. Teams discuss ideas that have been presented, and figure out where they can agree or where they have differences about the historical question
5. Closing the lesson (15 minutes)
a. Whole-group Discussion
b. Make connection to unit
c. Assessment (suggested writing activity addressing the question)
DOCUMENT PACKET
Document 1
On April 29th, 2004 a grateful nation erected the The National World War II Memorial. Located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, it is the first national memorial dedicated to the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, including those who died in combat. What follows are the census figures used to design and erect the monument.
16.1 million U.S. armed forces personnel served in WWII
16.1 millionThe number of U.S. armed forces personnel who served in World War II between Dec. 1, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946.
200,00
The number of active-duty female U.S. military personnel during WWII.
33 months
The average length of active-duty by U.S. military personnel during WWII.
Serving Abroad …
73%
The proportion of U.S. military personnel who served abroad during WWII.
16 months
The average time U.S. personnel served overseas during WWII.
Supreme Sacrifice
292,000
The number of U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines killed in battle in WWII.
114,000
The number of other deaths sustained by U.S. forces during WWII.
And the Wounded:
671,000
The number of U.S. troops wounded during WWII.
Vocabulary
monument: a structure made to keep alive the memory of a person or event
dedicated: set aside for a purpose; devote
abroad: in a foreign country
Source:http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/001747.html
Document 2
Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima is one of the best-known war images ever made. The Allies invaded the island, more than six hundred miles off the coast of Japan, on February 19, 1945, hoping to establish a staging area for bombers. Rosenthal, a photographer for the Associated Press, landed under gunfire three hours after the invasion began. The Marines fought their way to the top of Mount Suribachi on February 23 and raised a small flag. Later that same day, five Marines and a naval medicine corpsman raised this second, larger flag at the summit and were recorded by Rosenthal. Contrary to popular belief, the moment was not staged. In thirty-one days of brutal fighting, 6,821 Americans died, including three of the flag-raisers.
Vocabulary
establish :create a place for residence
staging area : area set aside for preparations for battle
summit : highest point
contrary : exactly opposite
Source: Raising the Flag
Joe Rosenthal (b. 1911)
American Marines Raising American Flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima
Gelatin silver print, 1945 Wide World/Associated Press
Document 3
Donald Carl Chumley describes his experience as a replacement soldier with the 9oth Division. His is a terrifying account of good luck.
My service with the 90th Division, 357th Infantry Regiment, Company E began Christmas Day 1944.I arrived with very low morale -- I was 19, just out of high school -- a farm boy with little experience in anything. I had 17 weeks basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama and shipped over not knowing and very fearful of what the future would be like. There was snow on the ground. I spent the first night sleeping in a stable on some straw with about two hours of guard duty standing outside in the cold.
My first experience with the real thing began January 6 when the 90th moved into Luxembourg to take its place in the Battle of the Bulge. This first engagement was quite an experience -- the weather was bitter cold and with heavy snow. Within two hours after engaging the enemy, Private Connolly was hit in the arms. He was evacuated to the hospital and went home.
I hesitate to tell of my own experiences those first few days. Advancing through a wooded area, we were hit with small-arms fire and mortar fire. I was carrying the M-1 and four extra bandoliers of ammunition over my shoulder. All of a sudden two of the bandoliers dropped to the ground in the snow. I picked them up and found the band was cut through either by shrapnel or by a bullet. About the same time a piece of shrapnel hit my wrist and made a very small flesh wound. We immediately dug in to hold our positions and to get protection. While digging, I had my gloves up on the mound of dirt from the hole. Suddenly, one glove moved. I picked it up and saw the thumb had been torn away by shrapnel or small-arms fire. I need not say I was glad my hand was not in the glove.
I was very lucky to last until VE Day, and I saw many replacements come and go. I served with some fine men and some fine officers like Colby, Smitty, Carlan, Purcell, and Hunt, just to name some I remember most vividly. Of the 50 replacements that came in that Christmas Day, I think there were about six of us left with the Company on VE Day. Some had been killed, some wounded, and others transferred or gone for other reasons. A combat infantryman just does not last forever under combat conditions.
Vocabulary
morale : condition of feelings of a whole group
bandolier : carrier
engagement : a fight between armed forces
evacuated : to remove troops
Source: excerpts from Robert Van Houten's Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge (1991).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bulge/sfeature/sf_dispatches.html
Document 4
Ruth M. Haddick was a 1st Lt. with the Army Nurse Corps from November 1, 1942 to March 4, 1946. She details the daily routines and challenges of her work in a Field Hospital that treated wounded from 5 of the most significant battles toward victory in Europe.
Nurses duties consisted of strictly important nursing procedures, 30 to 50 seriously ill patients were cared for by 1 nurse and 2 or 3 ward men. These young men had only a minimal basic medical training, but they were terrific and such a big help to us. Many times shells and bombs landed dangerously close to our hospital, but, fortunately, there were no direct hits. We held to sanitary conditions as nearly as possible, and rarely had infections beyond occasional respiratory problems. The new sulpha drugs and Penicillin were the miracle drugs – they kept infections to a minimum, promoted healing and saved lives….All the nurses just jumped right in and did whatever needed to be done—give IVs, administer Oxygen, pass stomach tubes, set up suctions, change bandages, and give shots.Statistics: During that first 5—day period, the 1st Unit alone handled:
Total Admissions………………….….…636
Total Operations……….………….….…356
Died before Operation……………….…..15
Died Post-Operation………………..……11
Mortality Rate less than……………..……5
The rest of the patients were evacuated un-operated.
The 51st Field Hospital received a “Presidential Citation”, and earned 5 Battle Stars. I would not change those days in the Army for anything. I was just proud to serve my country.
Vocabulary
minimal : least
sanitary: free from germs
respiratory : breathing
administer: to give as a dose
Source: http://www.whro.org/home/html/thewar/RuthHaddick.aspx
Document 5
Women during WWII
During WWII, over 6 million women took wartime jobs in factories or filling in for men on farms, 3 million women volunteered with the Red Cross, and over 200,000 women served the military. By the summer of 1942, men disappeared almost completely from the work place, having been drafted or enlisted into the US military. With men being shipped overseas by the thousand, women were needed to step in to fill factory jobs, as well as to beef up hospitals, and even lend a hand to the military.
"Those of us who have seen and know the work they are doing throughout the military establishment of our country and in our foreign stations have only admiration and respect for the spirit, the dignity, and the courage they have shown." -Franklin Roosevelt about the women serving in the armed forces during WWII.
Vocabulary :
admiration: great approval
dignity: worthy of honor and respect
Source: Treidler, Adolph, artist
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/95501843/
Document 6
Denied a career in the Foreign Service due to an amputated leg, Virginia Hall would go on to work undercover in France during World War II for British intelligence and later the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), organizing numerous sabotage operations against German forces. In this memo dated May 12, OSS Director William Donavan informs President Truman that she has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross -- the only female civilian in the war to receive this honor. After the war she became one of the new CIA's first female officers.
Memorandum for the President from William J. Donovan Regarding Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) Award to Virginia Hall, 05/12/1945Despite the fact that she was well known to the Gestapo, Miss Hall voluntarily returned to France to assist in the sabotage operations against the Germans. Miss Hall with tow other officers, succeeded in organizing, arming and training three Battalions…whose work with the Resistance resulted in the demolition of many bridges, the destruction of a number of supply trains and the disruption of many communications.
Vocabulary :
Gestapo: German military police
sabotage: to purposely damage to impede a nation’s war effort
Battalions: part of an army consisting of two or more companies
resistance : an underground fighting opposition
Source: ARC Identifier: 595672); Washington Director's Office Administrative Files, 1941-1945; Records of the Office of Strategic Services, 1919 - 1948; Record Group 226; National Archives.
Some of the language and phrasing in these documents have been modified from the originals.