Women in World War II
Men and women each had vital roles to play during World War II, on the home front and beyond.
For Women’s History Month in March, we examine some of the many ways that ladies made their presence felt during the war. Women's History Month is celebrated in March every year to honor women's contributions in American history.
In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day - June 6, 1944 - we will feature a story about the largest amphibious invasion in military history. These stories will be shared on the sixth of every month leading to June 6, 2024.
Beyond serving in uniform in World War II, which some nearly 350,000 American women did, one way women aided the war effort was by working in defense plants and volunteering for war-related organizations, in addition to managing their households.
In his 1994 book “D-Day,” American historian Stephen Ambrose writes that when men left for war, women “became proficient cooks and housekeepers, managed the finances, learned to fix the car, worked in a defense plant, and wrote letters to their soldier husbands that were consistently upbeat.”
Assuring that the Allies would have the war materials they needed to defeat the Axis, Rosie the Riveter’s represented the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies.
While the identity of the "real" Rosie the riveter is debated, one candidate is Rose Will Monroe, a riveter at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in Ypsilanti.
Monroe became the nation’s poster girl for women joining the labor force during World War II. She worked on the assembly line building B-29 and B-24 “Liberator” military planes. During peak production at Willow Run assembly plant, up to one third of the workforce consisted of women.
Ambrose goes on to say that “the contribution of the women of America, whether on the farm or in the factory or in uniform, to D-Day was a sine qua non of the invasion effort.”
In February, we highlighted the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion.
Check back in April for another D-Day related story as we prepare to commemorate the anniversary with a program at The War Memorial on Thursday, June 6.
The War Memorial is home to a direct connection with the beaches of Normandy through our very own sculpture, Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge. The original Les Braves sculpture is located on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, and was sculpted by Anilore Banon to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the operation that paved the way for the liberation of France during WWII. Visit our Les Braves II page to learn more about the sculpture and how you can support The War Memorial.