Contributions at Home and Abroad
More than 100 monuments across Maryland honor the sacrifice of the 6,628 native service men and women to die during World War II. The official state monument to the war overlooking the Severn River in Annapolis, pays tribute also to the 288,000 Marylanders who actively aided the war effort—including “those who served in industries at home.”
Defense Industry
In Cumberland, for example, employees of the Kelly-Springfield tire company refitted to manufacture ammunition for howitzers and machine guns. In Hagerstown almost every business helped build airplane parts for the Fairchild Aircraft company—perfecting what became known as “The Hagerstown System.” In Towson the Bendix Radio Division produced radio sets and transmitters, while industries in Silver Spring and Salisbury manufactured precision military instruments and naval spring bearings.
Workers
In Baltimore, four of every five workers—more than 250,000 at peak—performed war-related work. On 2,000 acres at Sparrows Point and along South Baltimore’s Key Highway, 46,000 Bethlehem Steel Corporation workers manufactured cargo ships, oilers and tankers. In Middle River, the 53,000 employees of the Glenn L. Martin Company, turned out more than 5,000 B-26 Martin Marauder bombers.
Changes in the Workforce
The civilian workforce changed dramatically by war’s end to a socially diversified cadre with significant numbers of women and African-Americans performing the most essential tasks. Organized labor and activist groups scored significant gains as the practical need for more workers eroded longstanding attitudes of prejudice and stereotype.
Changes in the Workforce | Liberty Ships | MD Military Successes